When it comes to Italian cuisine, few dishes are as iconic and beloved as Bolognese sauce. This rich, savory sauce, originating from the region of Bologna in northern Italy, has become a staple in households across the world. With a history stretching back centuries, Bolognese sauce has undergone countless variations and interpretations, each adding its unique flavor and character. In this article, we embark on a culinary journey to discover the secrets behind the perfect Italian Bolognese sauce, exploring the essential ingredients, techniques, and tips that will elevate your pasta dishes to new heights.
Let's cook with our recipes!
BEST EVER BOLOGNESE SAUCE
We take some of the basics of traditional bolognese and then add a few twists to bump up the flavor even further. Layers and layers of flavor mingle together to create a depth and richness that will make your taste buds sing!
Provided by Kimberly Killebrew
Categories Entree Main Course
Time 5h10m
Number Of Ingredients 25
Steps:
- Fry the bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until done (don't drain the bacon grease). Add the butter and the onion, carrot, celery and garlic and cook until softened, 5-7 minutes.
- Add the ground beef, veal, sausage and salt and cook until no pink remains. Add the milk, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 1 hour.
- Add the consomme, white and red wine, tomatoes and all remaining ingredients except for the parsley. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Uncover and continue simmering on very low for another 2 hours. If the bolognese is too runny, uncover and simmer another 30 minutes or until sufficiently thickened. Stir in the parsley and simmer for another minute.
- Serve over pasta (fresh is best) with some freshly grated aged Italian cheese.
- Note: This sauce freezes well and can be used in any pasta dish, including lasagna.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 538 kcal, Carbohydrate 11 g, Protein 27 g, Fat 38 g, SaturatedFat 17 g, Cholesterol 131 mg, Sodium 987 mg, Fiber 1 g, Sugar 7 g, ServingSize 1 serving
"REAL" ITALIAN BOLOGNESE SAUCE
After traveling throughout Italy, savoring the fine tastes of Bolognese from the many different regions, I decided to formulate my own. Try it, you'll love it.
Provided by Classic Chef
Categories Sauces
Time 2h40m
Yield 4-6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 20
Steps:
- In a Dutch Oven or Medium Size Pot, heat butter and olive oil over medium heat until butter begins to froth.
- Add onion, celery, carrot, garlic, and bacon.
- Cook until onions are translucent (about 8 to 10 minutes).
- Remove bacon and remove fat.
- Chop lean portions of bacon in small pieces and return to pot.
- Add Ground beef and ground Pork, and cook until meat loses red, raw color.
- Raise heat and add wine and consomme.
- Cook sauce until wine and consomme are mostly evaporated.
- Turn heat down to simmer and add oregano, salt, pepper, sage, red pepper flakes, and nutmeg.
- Let cook for approximately 20 minutes.
- Add crushed tomatoes and bring heat to a boil.
- Once the mixture comes to a boil, return to simmer.
- Let sauce simmer (very slowly) partially covered for about 2 to 4 hours (the longer the better), stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
- About 5 to 10 minutes before serving, add milk.
- Sauce can now be added to cooked Penne Pasta, Spaghetti or many other Pastas to your liking.
- Remaining sauce may be frozen for up to two months for future use.
AUTHENTIC BOLOGNESE SAUCE
Steps:
- Cut the carrot, celery and onion very fine (must not too much that it becomes pulpy when cooked).
- In a medium to large heavy pot add the olive oil and chopped vegetables, cook covered on low heat (stirring occasionally) until onion is transparent.
- Increase the heat to medium and add the ground beef and pork. Stirring as the meat is cooking to break up the pieces. Once the meat has browned turned the heat up to high and add the wine.
- Cook until the alcohol has evaporated (about 20-30 seconds) and the liquid has evaporated. Decrease the heat to medium/low and add the tomato paste, puree, salt, pepper and bay leaf. Gradually decrease the heat to the lowest setting cover and let simmer for three hours (the mixture should not boil). Stir occasionally.
- After the time has passed remove the bay leaf and add the milk, heat thoroughly for a couple of minutes. Serve over cooked pasta. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts : Calories 335 kcal, Carbohydrate 12 g, Protein 20 g, Fat 23 g, SaturatedFat 8 g, Cholesterol 71 mg, Sodium 341 mg, Fiber 3 g, Sugar 7 g, ServingSize 1 serving
THE BEST SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE RECIPE
Our best ever spaghetti bolognese is super easy and a true Italian classic with a meaty, chilli sauce. This recipe comes courtesy of BBC Good Food user Andrew Balmer
Provided by Andrew Balmer
Categories Dinner, Lunch, Main course, Supper
Time 2h15m
Number Of Ingredients 20
Steps:
- Put a large saucepan on a medium heat and add 1 tbsp olive oil.
- Add 4 finely chopped bacon rashers and fry for 10 mins until golden and crisp.
- Reduce the heat and add the 2 onions, 2 carrots, 2 celery sticks, 2 garlic cloves and the leaves from 2-3 sprigs rosemary, all finely chopped, then fry for 10 mins. Stir the veg often until it softens.
- Increase the heat to medium-high, add 500g beef mince and cook stirring for 3-4 mins until the meat is browned all over.
- Add 2 tins plum tomatoes, the finely chopped leaves from ¾ small pack basil, 1 tsp dried oregano, 2 bay leaves, 2 tbsp tomato purée, 1 beef stock cube, 1 deseeded and finely chopped red chilli (if using), 125ml red wine and 6 halved cherry tomatoes. Stir with a wooden spoon, breaking up the plum tomatoes.
- Bring to the boil, reduce to a gentle simmer and cover with a lid. Cook for 1 hr 15 mins stirring occasionally, until you have a rich, thick sauce.
- Add the 75g grated parmesan, check the seasoning and stir.
- When the bolognese is nearly finished, cook 400g spaghetti following the pack instructions.
- Drain the spaghetti and either stir into the bolognese sauce, or serve the sauce on top. Serve with more grated parmesan, the remaining basil leaves and crusty bread, if you like.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 624 calories, Fat 25 grams fat, SaturatedFat 10 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 58 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 12 grams sugar, Fiber 6 grams fiber, Protein 35 grams protein, Sodium 1.6 milligram of sodium
CLASSIC BOLOGNESE
I make many meat-based sauces, or ragu. The original ragu alla Bolognese (meat sauce) dates to the late 19th century and is credited to a cook named Pellegrino Artusi, in 1891. Though it is named for Bologna, Italy, it was first cooked or created in the town of a lesser-known name, Imola, in the region of Emilia-Romagna. Serve this sauce with egg tagliatelle or pappardelle or layer it between egg pasta sheets with bechamel for lasagna alla Bolognese.
Provided by Rachael Ray : Food Network
Categories main-dish
Time 3h50m
Yield 4 to 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 20
Steps:
- Heat a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add EVOO, 2 turns of the pan. Add the butter to the oil in small pieces and when the butter foams, add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic and bay and stir, about 5 minutes. Add pancetta and stir 8 to 10 more minutes to render and crisp. Add about a third of the beef and crumble it with a wooden paddle or spoon, let all of the liquid absorb and let the meat begin to lightly caramelize before adding the next third; repeat. Season the meat with salt, pepper, white pepper and nutmeg. Add white wine, about a quarter to a third of a bottle, then stir and let it absorb into the meat. Scrape up all of the fond or the drippings from the meats and vegetables, being careful not to burn the meat. Add milk, tomatoes and about 1 cup stock, a piece of cheese rind from Parmigiano-Reggiano if you have one, then lower heat to simmer, partially cover and cook the sauce 2 1/2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally and thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Add up to 1 extra cup of stock if needed if sauce gets too thick. The perfect traditional Bolognese should be buttery, uniform and emulsified, the consistency of rich, tender, pourable oatmeal. Remove bay leaf and the rind, if using, from the sauce. Sauce may be made a few days ahead as the longer it sets, the better it gets.
- To serve, cook pasta in salted water 1 minute less than package directions for al dente. Reserve 1 full cup of starchy cooking water, then drain pasta and place back in hot pot.
- Combine pasta with about two-thirds of the sauce, the cooking water and a couple of handfuls of grated cheese, tossing with tongs to combine.
- Serve pasta in shallow bowls with a little torn basil.
CLASSIC ITALIAN BOLOGNESE SAUCE
Provided by Food Network
Time 2h35m
Yield 4 to 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- In a 3 quart saucepan heat oil and butter. Add pancetta and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, or until most of the fat has be rendered. Then add carrots, celery, and onions and saute for 3 minutes. Now add the beef, salt and pepper to taste and cook until the beef is no longer pink. Add the milk and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the milk is completely evaporated. Add wine and simmer until evaporated.
- Finally, add the tomatoes and simmer slowly, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours partially covered. It's important to reduce as slowly as possible. If sauce becomes dry, add 1/2 cup water whenever necessary. When almost ready to serve, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until it is tender but still firm to the bite, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain, pat dry and return to the pot. Add your sauce to the past and toss to combine. Transfer to a serving bowl, and serve immediately. Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese if desired.
BOLOGNESE SAUCE - PROBABLY THE BEST OUTSIDE OF ITALY
I know there are millions of recipes for spaghetti bolognese around, but I just had to post mine because I'm sooo proud of it. I tried to get it taste just like in this little restaurant in Siena (Italy) which I visited a few years ago. I recently made the sauce for a pot-luck dinner where 2 Italians in fact said it tasted just like home!!! (Beam..) so it can't be too far off the real thing. I hope you enjoy it!!
Provided by dani2828
Categories European
Time 2h20m
Yield 4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- - Chop the garlic, onion, carrot, celery rather fine.
- - fry on low-medium heat in quite a bit of olive oil for about 5-10 minutes until soft. Put aside.
- - Fry the meat in some olive oil over high heat until really brown and the liquid has evaporated.
- - pour over the red wine, let it cook for about a minute, then add the stock, cans of tomato (it's really important to use passata!), sugar and the vegetables. Add half the parsley and some pepper, as well as some more olive oil (about 2 table spoons).
- - Simmer on low-medium heat covered for about 1.5 - 2 hours (don't reduce the time!).
- - adjust seasoning, probably it needs a bit more salt, and add the remaining parsley.
- - Serve with spaghetti and freshly shaved Parmesan. ENJOY!
Nutrition Facts : Calories 369.5, Fat 13.2, SaturatedFat 5.3, Cholesterol 81.2, Sodium 802.6, Carbohydrate 23.4, Fiber 4.2, Sugar 13.1, Protein 29.3
Tips:
- Use fresh, high-quality ingredients: The better the ingredients, the better the sauce will be. Look for ripe tomatoes, fresh herbs, and good quality ground beef.
- Brown the meat properly: Browning the meat gives it a nice flavor and helps to develop the sauce's flavor.
- Simmer the sauce for a long time: The longer the sauce simmers, the more time it has to develop its flavor. Aim to simmer the sauce for at least 2 hours, or even longer if you have time.
- Add vegetables to the sauce: Vegetables like carrots, celery, and onions add flavor and texture to the sauce. You can also add other vegetables like mushrooms or zucchini.
- Season the sauce to taste: Add salt, pepper, and other herbs and spices to taste. Be careful not to over-season the sauce, as you can always add more seasoning later.
Conclusion:
Making a delicious Italian Bolognese sauce is a labor of love, but it's worth it. By following these tips, you can create a sauce that is rich, flavorful, and perfect for any occasion. Serve the sauce over pasta, polenta, or mashed potatoes. You can also use it as a filling for lasagna or ravioli. No matter how you serve it, your Bolognese sauce is sure to be a hit.
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