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Beef Bolognese
This Beef Bolognese is a rich, slow-simmered Italian meat sauce made with ground beef, finely diced vegetables, red wine, and a Parmesan rind for deep, savory flavor. Ready in 1 hour 30 minutes, it's the ultimate comforting pasta dinner for cool-weather nights, and it tastes even better the next day.
Servings: 6 cups
cups
Equipment
- Large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot
- Wooden spoon
- Chef's knife
- cutting board
- measuring cups and spoons
- Large pasta pot
- Colander
Ingredients
For the Sauce Base
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 medium carrots, finely diced
- 2 celery stalks, finely diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
For the Meat and Tomato Base
- 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup dry red wine, or beef broth
- 1 can, 28 oz crushed tomatoes
For the Braising Liquid and Seasoning
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup beef broth
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 Parmesan rind
To Finish
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Fresh basil and parsley, for garnish
For Serving
- Pappardelle, tagliatelle, fettuccine, or rigatoni
- Fresh Parmesan, for serving
Instructions
- Warm the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add the onion, carrots, and celery, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until soft and lightly golden.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute more, until fragrant.
- Add the ground beef, breaking it into small crumbles as it cooks, until browned and no longer pink.
- Drain excess grease if needed.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until it darkens slightly, developing a deeper, richer flavor.
- Pour in the red wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Simmer until almost all of the liquid has reduced.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, beef broth, milk, Italian seasoning, thyme, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and Parmesan rind.
- Bring everything to a gentle simmer.
- Reduce the heat to low and cook partially uncovered for 45 to 60 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick and rich.
- Remove the Parmesan rind, stir in the grated Parmesan cheese, and adjust the seasoning to taste.
- Serve over freshly cooked pasta and garnish with more Parmesan and chopped herbs.
Nutrition Facts
Beef Bolognese
Amount per Serving
Calories
294
% Daily Value*
Fat
13
g
20
%
Saturated Fat
5
g
31
%
Trans Fat
0.4
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
6
g
Cholesterol
78
mg
26
%
Sodium
753
mg
33
%
Potassium
625
mg
18
%
Carbohydrates
8
g
3
%
Fiber
1
g
4
%
Sugar
4
g
4
%
Protein
28
g
56
%
Vitamin A
3626
IU
73
%
Vitamin C
3
mg
4
%
Calcium
141
mg
14
%
Iron
4
mg
22
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only. This information comes from online calculators. Although whatsinthepan.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
Notes
A small peeled potato added whole to the pot while the sauce simmers, then removed and mashed back in near the end (or discarded), is an old trick from Northern Italian home cooks for smoothing out acidity without needing extra sugar. It's optional, but worth trying if your tomatoes run sharp.
A tiny pinch of nutmeg — no more than ⅛ teaspoon — added along with the milk is a classic addition in many traditional ragù recipes. It's barely detectable on its own, but it rounds out the richness of the meat and milk in a way that's hard to place.
If you have the time, letting the sauce simmer closer to 2 to 3 hours instead of 1 deepens the flavor considerably further, and the sauce is genuinely even better the next day after a night in the fridge.
