Authentic Bolognese Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

• 120 ml (½ cup)olive oil
• 4 tablespoons (60 g)salted butter
• 2onions
• 2carrots
• 2sticks of celery
• 8garlic cloves
• 250 g (8 ounces)bacon or pancetta
• 1 kg (2 pounds)minced beef
• 450 g (1 pound)minced pork
• 350 g (12 ounces)pork ribs
• 2Italian sausages
• 240 ml (1 cup)dry red wine
• 1Parmesan rind (optional)
• 1.2 litres (5 cups)tomato purée (passata)
• 800 g (14 ounces)tinned whole tomatoes
• 4 tablespoonstomato purée
• 480 ml (2 cups)beef stock
• 1potato, peeled and halved
• 1 teaspoonallspice (optional)
• 5 sprigs (or 3 teaspoons dried)fresh rosemary (optional)
• 1 teaspoondried oregano (optional)
• 3bay leaves (optional)
• To tastefreshly ground pepper
• To tastesalt
• 1 tablespoonsugar

Instructions

1. 1

   Chop the vegetables

   Finely chop the onions and garlic. Peel and finely chop the carrots, then finely chop the celery. To speed this up, chop the vegetables roughly and pulse them in a food processor until fine. Set aside.

2. 2

   Cut the bacon

   Cut the bacon or pancetta into pieces.

3. 3

   Choose a saucepan

   Set a large saucepan over medium-high heat. It should hold at least 5 litres.

4. 4

   Heat the fats

   Add the olive oil and butter to the saucepan.

5. 5

   Add the vegetables

   Once the oil is hot, add the onion, carrot and celery.

6. 6

   Lower the heat

   Reduce the heat slightly so the vegetables do not burn.

7. 7

   Brown the vegetables

   Fry the vegetables until they begin to turn golden and catch slightly on the bottom of the pan.

8. 8

   Add bacon and garlic

   Once the vegetables are golden, add the bacon and garlic and stir well. Cook for a few more minutes.

9. 9

   Brown the beef

   Add the minced beef a little at a time, stirring well and letting it colour as you go.

10. 10

    Brown the pork

    Add the minced pork in batches, stirring and allowing it to colour as you did with the beef.

11. 11

    Add ribs and sausage

    When the minced meat is thoroughly cooked, add the pork ribs and sausages.

12. 12

    Pour in wine

    Add the wine and let it boil and simmer for a few minutes.

13. 13

    Add the remaining ingredients

    Add the Parmesan rind, if using, passata, whole tomatoes crushed with a fork, tomato purée, stock, potato, herbs if using, and seasonings.

14. 14

    Add some sugar

    Stir in half of the sugar. Taste the sauce later to decide whether it needs more.

15. 15

    Bring to a simmer

    Bring the sauce to the boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.

16. 16

    Cover and check

    Cover the saucepan and check and stir the sauce regularly, adjusting the heat as needed to keep it at a very gentle simmer.

17. 17

    Cook slowly

    Once the simmer is steady and gentle, cook the sauce for about 4 to 5 hours.

18. 18

    Check the consistency

    Check regularly that the sauce is not drying out. If it is, add a little boiling water.

19. 19

    Season the sauce

    After about 2 hours of simmering, taste and adjust the seasoning. Add salt as needed and a little more sugar if you think the sauce needs it. Check the seasoning again towards the end of cooking.

20. 20

    Finish the meat

    When the sauce is ready, remove the sausages and ribs. Finely chop the sausage, shred the meat from the ribs and return both to the sauce. Find the pieces of potato and crush them against the side of the pan with a wooden spoon, then stir thoroughly.

21. 21

    Cool the sauce

    Let the sauce cool a little, then transfer it to freezer containers.

22. 22

    Chill before freezing

    Do not put the sauce in the freezer while it is hot. Refrigerate it until cold, then freeze.

23. 23

    Freeze for later

    When stored properly in the freezer, the sauce will keep for 4 to 6 months.

What is Bolognese sauce?

Bolognese is a meat sauce associated with Bologna in northern Italy, traditionally cooked slowly so its ingredients meld into a rich, cohesive sauce. This large-batch version combines minced beef and pork with ribs, sausages and bacon, along with vegetables, tomatoes and wine.

The long simmer is central to the method: it gives the meat time to soften and lets the sauce reduce gradually. Cooking a large quantity also makes it practical to portion and freeze.

Nutrition and macros by portion

The nutrition label shows one serving as written: 457 calories, 20g protein, 14g carbs, 34g fat.

The carbohydrate comes mainly from the tomatoes, vegetables and sugar, while the oil, butter and fatty meats provide much of the fat. Beef, pork, ribs and sausage contribute the protein; serve a portion with vegetables or a moderate serving of pasta to round out the plate.

Build flavour from the base

Vegetables first: onion, carrot and celery are fried in oil and butter until golden, with some catching on the base of the pan. Keep the heat controlled so they brown rather than burn.

Meat in batches: add the minced beef and pork a little at a time, giving each addition a chance to colour. Bacon and garlic go in with the softened vegetables, while the ribs and sausages join once the minced meat is cooked.

The slow simmer

Gentle heat: after the tomatoes, stock, wine and other additions go in, bring the sauce to the boil and turn it down to a very gentle simmer. Keep the lid on and check the pan regularly throughout the 4 to 5 hours of cooking.

Moisture check: if the sauce begins to dry out, add a little boiling water. A steady, quiet simmer is the target; if it is bubbling vigorously, lower the heat.

Finish the ribs and sausages

Tender meat: remove the ribs and sausages once the sauce is cooked. Shred the rib meat from the bones and chop the sausage finely, then stir both back into the pan.

Potato: crush the cooked potato against the side of the saucepan with a wooden spoon and stir it through the sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning again near the end.

Tomatoes, wine and seasoning

Tomato base: passata, crushed tinned tomatoes and tomato purée give the sauce its tomato foundation. Add the tinned tomatoes after crushing them with a fork.

Final balance: the recipe adds only half the sugar at first, then leaves the rest for tasting later. Salt and pepper are also adjusted during cooking, since the sauce is seasoned in stages.

Planning the batch

Use a saucepan that holds at least 5 litres to make room for the meat, vegetables and liquids. Allow the full cooking time, then cool the sauce before dividing it among freezer containers.

For a meal, spoon the sauce over pasta or serve it with another accompaniment of your choice. The recipe makes 20 servings, so portioning it after chilling makes later meals easier to plan.

Recipe notes & tips

• Use a saucepan of at least 5 litres so the sauce has room to simmer.
• Brown the minced meat in batches rather than tipping it all in at once.
• Keep the simmer very gentle and adjust the heat if the sauce bubbles hard.
• Check the bottom of the pan regularly and stir to prevent sticking.
• Add boiling water a little at a time if the sauce starts to dry out.
• Cool the sauce in the fridge before transferring it to the freezer.

Variations

• Skip the optional aromatics: leave out the allspice, rosemary, oregano or bay leaves if you prefer.
• Use pancetta: replace the bacon with the listed pancetta option.
• Omit the Parmesan rind: leave it out if you do not have one.
• Adjust the sweetness: add the remaining sugar only after tasting the sauce.
• Use the specified meats: keep the combination of beef, pork, ribs and Italian sausages for the recipe's full meat mixture.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Using a small pan: the batch needs a saucepan that holds at least 5 litres.
• Burning the vegetables: lower the heat slightly once they begin frying and keep an eye on the pan.
• Adding all the mince at once: add it a little at a time so it can colour.
• Simmering too vigorously: reduce the heat to maintain a very gentle simmer.
• Letting the sauce dry out: check it regularly and add a little boiling water if needed.
• Freezing it hot: refrigerate the sauce until cold before putting it in the freezer.

How to store

Cool the sauce in the fridge before packing it into freezer containers; do not freeze it while hot. It keeps for 4 to 6 months in the freezer when properly stored. Defrost in the fridge and reheat gently in a saucepan, stirring until hot throughout.

Frequently asked questions