Marcella Hazan, in her inimitable fashion, offers the home cook an authentic Bolognese sauce recipe, the traditional kind an Italian grandmother would approve of, thank you very much.
This is my version of her recipe, found in her cookbook, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, with very subtle tweaks. It takes a while to make, although most of the time the Bolognese is spent simmering, unattended, on the back burner except for occasionally making lazy eights with a wooden spoon.
☞ Read the Article: In Defense of Grandmother Cooking
Bolognese Sauce FAQs
In essence, Bolognese sauce is spaghetti sauce. Though it’s no ordinary meat sauce. It’s a long, slowly simmered sauce that’s richer and creamier than your everyday marinara due to the inclusion of milk. It also is less predominated by tomatoes than your typical marinara. It’s named for its city of origin, Bologna.
Believe it or not, traditional Bolognese contains none of the aromatic herbs or spices that many consider necessary in all Italian dishes. You may be tempted to add them, but do your best to resist. The nutmeg is a must – don’t leave that out.
Marcella Hazan’s Bolognese Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 8 tablespoons (4 oz) unsalted butter, divided
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 1/3 cups chopped celery
- 1 1/3 cups chopped carrot
- 1 pound ground chuck, (I used 1/2 pound chuck and 1/2 pound veal)
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, or a pinch of ground nutmeg
- 2 cups dry white wine
- 3 cups canned imported San Marzano tomatoes, (Italian plum tomatoes) with their juice
- As much pasta as you wish (Marcella prefers tagliatelle), cooked and drained
- Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, at the table
Instructions
- In a heavy 5-quart Dutch oven over medium heat, warm the oil and 6 tablespoons butter until the butter melts and stops foaming. Toss in the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is softened and translucent, about ⏲ 5 minutes.
- Toss in the celery and carrot and cook, stirring to coat them with the oil and butter, for ⏲ 2 minutes.
- Add the chuck and pork, a very healthy pinch of salt, and a goodly amount of pepper. Crumble the meat with a wooden spoon and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meats have just lost their raw-red color.
- Reduce the heat to low. Pour in the milk and simmer gently, stirring frequently, until the liquid has completely evaporated, ⏲ about 1 hour.
- Stir in the nutmeg. Pour in the wine and gently simmer, stirring frequently, until it's evaporated, about ⏲ 1 1/4 hours more.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and stir well. When the sauce begins to bubble, turn down the heat so that the sauce cooks at the laziest of simmers with just an intermittent bubble breaking the surface.
- Cook, uncovered, for ⏲ 3 hours or more, stirring from time to time. While the sauce is burbling away, there's a chance that it'll start drying out. To keep the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pot and scorching, add 1/2 cup water if necessary, just know that it's crucial that by the time the sauce has finished simmering, the water should be completely evaporated, and the fat should separate from the sauce.
- Taste a spoonful—or two—of sauce and season with salt and some good grindings of pepper to taste. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the hot pasta and toss with the sauce. Serve with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano on the side.
Notes
What You Need To Know About Making The Most Classic Italian Bolognese
Following are some techniques and tricks to ensure the most classic Italian Bolognese:- The more marbled the meat, the sweeter the ragu. (The most desirable cut of meat is the neck portion of the chuck. You may have to special order it from your butcher.)
- It’s important to salt the meat as soon as it hits the pan. This draws out the juices and imparts flavor to the Bolognese.
- Use a heavy pot that will retain heat. I use my Le Creuset 5-quart Dutch oven. Avoid using cast-iron, as the acid can interact with the metal and turn the sauce a blech color.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
This is the perfect recipe to make if you’re stuck in the house doing chores and can’t leave. A little prep work and a little stir every now and then gives you a wonderful smell throughout your house and a nice, thick sauce for your pasta. I love that there isn’t a strong tomato taste to this sauce, unlike most commercial jar sauces. This is pure, hearty, stick-to-your-ribs comfort food.
All you need is some warm bread and you have a meal. The next time I make it I’ll probably omit the oil, as I felt there was a little too much oil floating on top when it was ready to serve.
David,
Thank you for putting this recipe up with great lead in and discussions. I have been on a global search for a good Bolognese and now I think I have found it. In our own Washington DC kitchen. My mother was born in Roma and the amazing dishes I was raised on are hard to put into contact how Fortunate and blessed I am. As a military officer, I’ve travelled the globe and to me nothing compares to Italian cooking I was raised on and during my summers as a kid in Roma.
Soon as I made this dish I went on line and bought the late (Zia) Hazan’s book. I’m excited to dive intto the numerous dishes. You honor her by keeping her legacy alive and well with people like me. As my mother ages I will now enjoy using my mom’s recipient along with Marcella’s. This recipe was perfect. I executed it exactly as the book described. I want to attempt veal and pancetta my mom brought back from Italy on my next experience. Two questions for you if you could be so kind to comment. 1). Does the type of wine matter (i.e. Pinot, Chardonnay etc) 2). Do the leanness of the meats cut matter and if so how?
I’m grateful for what you have done in your website. Thank you and the great Marcella Hazan!! Thom
Thom, my pleasure. I’m so delighted you enjoyed the recipe. As far as the wine, any dry vino will do–as long as it’s something you’d drink. And as to the leanness of the meat, I use 90% for the beef and whatever the butcher hands me for pork and veal. So, that’s a long way of saying: There’s a lot of flexibility to the recipe.
Whilst the orginal authentic recipe has cream added to it (served with tanglatelli), i can assure you, nobody, i mean nobody, and that is from a 93 year old sardinian grandmother to ‘everybody i know’ (a lot) uses milk or cream in the ragu here. You yanks have had an italian job done on you by the dairy industry. And btw carbonara HAS NO CREAM either!!! 🙂 Milk and meat!?! You should try eating mussel cooked in milk, see how you get on.
Vince, well, all I can say is dear departed Marcella put milk in hers, and I’m standing by her. (And agree, never, ever put cream in carbonara.)
Hello! I am cooking for nine tomorrow and I am wondering if this recipe should be doubled for that many people. Thanks! : )
Melissa, absolutely! It may have to cook longer, though.