Slow-Simmered Bolognese Sauce

Name: Slow-Simmered Bolognese Sauce
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 28 min
Total time: 1 h 48 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 2 tbsp (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil; 2 tbsp (28 g) unsalted butter; 4 oz (115 g) pancetta, finely chopped (about ¼-inch / 6 mm pieces); 1 medium (about 7 oz) (200 g) yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped (about 1 cup); 2 medium (about 5 oz) (150 g) carrots, peeled and finely chopped (about ¾ cup); 2 large (about 3½ oz) (100 g) celery ribs, finely chopped (about ¾ cup); 2 cloves (8 g) garlic cloves, minced; 1 lb (450 g) ground beef, 80% lean, at room temperature for 15 minutes, broken into chunks; 8 oz (225 g) ground pork, at room temperature for 15 minutes, broken into chunks; 3 tbsp (50 g) tomato paste; 1 cup (240 ml) dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio; 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk, cool or room temperature; 28 oz can (794 g) canned crushed tomatoes; 1 cup (240 ml) low-sodium beef broth; 1 leaf (1 g) dried bay leaf; 1½ tsp (6 g) kosher salt (Diamond Crystal; use 1 tsp if using Morton), plus more to taste; black pepper, freshly ground, to taste (about ½ tsp); ⅛ tsp (0.3 g) nutmeg, freshly grated (optional); 1 lb (450 g) dried tagliatelle or fettuccine; 1 tbsp (15 g) kosher salt for pasta water (Diamond Crystal; use 2 tsp / 12 g if using Morton); 1 cup (60 g) Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated, plus extra for the table

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

A rich, velvety ragù built the traditional way: finely diced soffritto, beef and pork browned well, then reduced in turn with tomato paste, white wine and whole milk before a long, gentle simmer. Toss it with tagliatelle for a deeply savory, spoon-coating sauce.

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 1 hr 28 min
Wait: 2 hr 20 min
Total: 4 hr 8 min
Makes: About 5 cups (1.2 L) sauce, enough for 1 lb (450 g) pasta; 6 servings at about ¾ cup (180 ml) sauce each

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Ingredients

6 servings

For the sauce
2 tbsp (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp (28 g) unsalted butter
4 oz (115 g) pancetta, finely chopped (about ¼-inch / 6 mm pieces)
1 medium (about 7 oz) (200 g) yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped (about 1 cup)
2 medium (about 5 oz) (150 g) carrots, peeled and finely chopped (about ¾ cup)
2 large (about 3½ oz) (100 g) celery ribs, finely chopped (about ¾ cup)
2 cloves (8 g) garlic cloves, minced
1 lb (450 g) ground beef, 80% lean, at room temperature for 15 minutes, broken into chunks
8 oz (225 g) ground pork, at room temperature for 15 minutes, broken into chunks
3 tbsp (50 g) tomato paste
1 cup (240 ml) dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
1 cup (240 ml) whole milk, cool or room temperature
28 oz can (794 g) canned crushed tomatoes
1 cup (240 ml) low-sodium beef broth
1 leaf (1 g) dried bay leaf
1½ tsp (6 g) kosher salt (Diamond Crystal; use 1 tsp if using Morton), plus more to taste
black pepper, freshly ground, to taste (about ½ tsp)
⅛ tsp (0.3 g) nutmeg, freshly grated (optional)
To serve
1 lb (450 g) dried tagliatelle or fettuccine
1 tbsp (15 g) kosher salt for pasta water (Diamond Crystal; use 2 tsp / 12 g if using Morton)
1 cup (60 g) Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated, plus extra for the table

Equipment (6)

5½–6 qt (5–5.5 L) wide, heavy-bottomed pot with lid (such as an enameled cast-iron pot)
Wooden spoon or sturdy spatula
Chef's knife and cutting board (or food processor)
Large pot, 6 qt (6 L) or bigger, for the pasta
Instant-read thermometer
Box grater or microplane

Steps

Before you start

Plan on about 4 hours 10 minutes start to finish: roughly 1 hour 50 minutes hands-on (20 minutes chopping, about 88 minutes of active cooking at the stove) plus 140 minutes of the 2½-hour simmer that runs mostly unattended.
Chop the soffritto (onion, carrot, celery) very finely, about ¼ inch (6 mm). A food processor works: pulse each vegetable separately in short bursts so it doesn't turn to mush.
Use a wide, heavy 5½–6 qt (5–5.5 L) lidded pot. The wide surface helps the sauce brown and reduce evenly. This recipe is made entirely on the stovetop; no oven is needed.
Take the milk out of the fridge while you chop, so it doesn't drop the pot's temperature sharply when added.

1
Chop the soffritto
- Finely chop the onion, carrot and celery into pieces about ¼ inch (6 mm).
- Mince the garlic and keep it separate.
- Chop the pancetta to similar-sized pieces.
- Set the meats out on a plate, breaking them into chunks so they lose their chill.
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Ready when: Vegetable pieces are small and uniform, roughly the size of a lentil or small pea.
Tip: Uniform small pieces melt into the sauce during the long simmer instead of leaving chunky vegetables.
2
Render the pancetta
- Set the heavy pot over medium heat.
- Add the olive oil, butter and pancetta.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes, until the fat has rendered and the pancetta is lightly golden at the edges.
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Ready when: Pancetta is pale gold and the fat in the pot looks clear and glossy.
Tip: If the butter starts to brown darkly, lower the heat slightly.
3
Sweat the soffritto
- Add the onion, carrot and celery with the sauce salt.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring every minute or two, for about 12 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic for the last 30 seconds.
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Ready when: Vegetables are very soft and translucent, the onion has no raw smell, and nothing has browned.
Tip: Keep the heat gentle. You want sweet, softened vegetables rather than browned, bitter ones.
4
Brown the meat
- Raise the heat to medium-high.
- Add the beef and pork and break them into small crumbles with the spoon.
- Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring only every 2 minutes so the meat can brown on the pot bottom.
- Continue until all the liquid released by the meat has evaporated and the meat is deeply browned, with a fond (brown film) on the bottom of the pot.
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Ready when: Meat is browned and sizzling in fat rather than steaming in liquid, with no pink remaining (160°F / 71°C).
Tip: Don't rush this step. Browning gives the sauce much of its depth. If the soffritto starts to scorch, lower the heat slightly.
5
Toast the tomato paste
- Push the meat to the sides and add the tomato paste to the center.
- Cook, stirring and smearing it against the pot, for about 3 minutes.
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Ready when: Paste darkens from bright red to brick red and smells sweet and concentrated.
6
Reduce the wine
- Pour in the white wine and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pot with the wooden spoon.
- Simmer briskly for about 8 minutes.
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Ready when: The sharp alcohol smell has faded and the liquid has reduced to a few syrupy tablespoons.
7
Simmer in the milk
- Reduce the heat to medium.
- Add the milk and the nutmeg, if using.
- Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 12 minutes.
- The milk will foam slightly and then slowly be absorbed.
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Ready when: Most of the milk has been absorbed or evaporated and the meat looks creamy, with a little fat separating at the edges.
Tip: Milk tenderizes the meat and softens the tomato's acidity. Reduce it before adding the tomatoes, since acid will curdle it.
8
Add tomatoes and simmer
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes, broth and bay leaf.
- Bring to a bubble, then reduce the heat to low so the surface shows only a few lazy bubbles at a time.
- Partially cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar.
- Simmer for 2½ hours (150 minutes) in total: about 10 minutes of that is stirring and scraping the bottom every 30 minutes, and the remaining 140 minutes is unattended.
- If the sauce looks dry or starts to stick, add ¼ cup (60 ml) hot water.
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Ready when: Sauce is thick and glossy, a spoon dragged across the bottom leaves a clear trail, and orange-tinted fat pools on the surface.
Tip: A heat diffuser or a very low flame prevents scorching. If the sauce spits, the heat is too high.
9
Season and finish
- Remove the bay leaf.
- Skim off some of the pooled fat if you prefer a leaner sauce.
- Taste, then add salt and black pepper as needed (start with ¼ tsp more salt).
- Keep the sauce warm over low heat while you cook the pasta.
- You should have about 5 cups (1.2 L).
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Ready when: Sauce tastes rounded, savory and slightly sweet, with no raw tomato edge.
Tip: Season at the end. The sauce reduces and concentrates, so earlier seasoning can end up too salty.
10
Cook and toss the pasta
- Bring 5 quarts (5 L) of water to a boil in the large pot and add the pasta salt (1 tbsp is plenty, since the sauce is seasoned too).
- Cook the tagliatelle 1 minute short of the package time, usually 7–9 minutes for dried egg pasta.
- Scoop out 1 cup (240 ml) of pasta water, then drain.
- Add the pasta to the sauce pot with ¼ cup (60 ml) pasta water and about 2 cups (480 ml) of the sauce.
- Toss over medium heat for 1 minute, adding more pasta water by the tablespoon if tight.
- Divide among 6 bowls and spoon about ½ cup (120 ml) of the remaining sauce over each; this gives roughly ¾ cup (180 ml) sauce per serving in total.
- Top with the Parmigiano and pass extra at the table.
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Ready when: Pasta is al dente (tender with a slight bite) and the sauce clings to each strand without pooling.
Tip: Finishing the pasta in the sauce helps the sauce cling to it. Serve right away. This is a rich, meaty sauce, so a lighter ½ cup per bowl is fine if you prefer.

Good to know

Tips

Stir the sauce along the bottom every 30 minutes. A sticking sauce can scorch and taste bitter.
Don't skip browning the meat. Pale, gray meat makes a flat-tasting sauce.
Add a Parmigiano rind to the sauce during the simmer for extra savory depth. Remove it before serving.
If the finished sauce tastes sharp, simmer it uncovered for 10 more minutes, or stir in ½ tsp sugar.

Make ahead

The sauce tastes even better made 1–2 days ahead. Cool it completely, cover and refrigerate, then reheat gently over low heat with a splash of water or broth, stirring often.

Storage & reheating

Room temperature: no more than 2 hours. Fridge: up to 4 days in an airtight container. Freezer: up to 3 months in portions, with the sauce cooled first. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat in a saucepan over low heat, stirring and adding a splash of water or broth, until steaming hot (165°F / 74°C).

Substitutions

pancetta → Unsmoked bacon or an extra 1 tbsp olive oil. Blanch bacon in boiling water for 2 minutes first to remove the smoke. Without pancetta, the sauce is milder but still good.
dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio → Dry red wine or dry vermouth. Red gives a darker, more robust sauce. Use the same amount.
ground pork → Ground veal or more ground beef. Veal gives a more tender texture. Using all beef is fine, just use 8 oz (225 g) more beef in place of the pork.
dried tagliatelle or fettuccine → Pappardelle, rigatoni or fresh egg pasta. Wide ribbons or tubes hold thick sauce well. Fresh pasta cooks in 2–3 minutes.