Italy · Pasta & noodles
Ragù alla bolognese.
The slow-cooked meat sauce from Bologna. Less tomato than you think, more patience than you expect.
Illustration created with AI
The story of ragù.
In Bologna there is no “spaghetti bolognese”. The city’s ragù is served with fresh egg tagliatelle, or layered into lasagne. It is a meat sauce with a little tomato, not a tomato sauce with a little meat.
In 1982 the Accademia Italiana della Cucina registered a reference recipe with the Bologna Chamber of Commerce. Families still argue about the details, but the essentials stay the same: soffritto, beef and pancetta, white wine, milk and hours of slow simmering.
Origin: Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Where to find the ingredients in the US.
- Beef: ask for coarsely ground chuck, or chop skirt steak by hand.
- Pancetta is sold in most supermarkets, often already diced.
- Tagliatelle: fresh egg pasta is best; dried egg tagliatelle are a good backup.
Three steps. That’s it.
What each stage should look like.
Step 1
Soffritto and pancetta.
Melt the pancetta, then soften finely chopped carrot, celery and onion.
Step 2
Brown, then wine.
Brown the beef well, then add the wine and let it evaporate.
Step 3
Low and slow.
Add tomato, simmer for at least 2 hours, and finish with milk.
Illustrations created with AI
Recipe
Ragù alla bolognese.
Prep 20 min · Cook 2 h 30 min · Total 2 h 50 min
Ingredients
- extra-virgin olive oil or butter
- pancetta, finely diced
- small carrot, finely chopped (about 1¾ oz / 50 g)
- celery, finely chopped (about 1¾ oz / 50 g)
- small onion, finely chopped (about 1¾ oz / 50 g)
- coarsely ground beef
- dry white wine
- tomato passata
- whole milk
- beef or vegetable broth, as needed
- salt and black pepper
- fresh egg tagliatelle, to serve
Instructions
- Warm the oil in a heavy pot over medium-low heat. Add the pancetta and cook for 5 minutes until the fat melts.
- Add carrot, celery and onion and cook gently for 8–10 minutes, until soft.
- Turn the heat to medium-high, add the beef and cook, breaking it up, until it loses all its pink color and starts to brown.
- Pour in the wine and let it evaporate completely.
- Stir in the passata, lower the heat to a bare simmer, cover partially and cook for at least 2 hours. Add a splash of broth whenever it looks dry.
- Stir in the milk for the last 15 minutes, season with salt and pepper, and toss with freshly cooked tagliatelle and a little pasta water.
Sources consulted: Gambero Rosso. Our own text, with US and metric measurements.
What you’ll need.
Heavy Dutch oven.
Holds a low, steady simmer for hours.
Chef’s knife.
Chop the soffritto finely by hand for the best texture.
Pasta machine.
If you want to make tagliatelle at home.
