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.
I have a pot of this simmering on the stove right now. It smells wonderful, and it has 2 hours or so of simmering to go still. While there’s no garlic in the sauce, some garlic bread would taste pretty good with it. We’ll have some green beans on the side. Mmmm… it’ll be worth the wait.
I also ordered Ms. Hazan’s book. Can’t wait for that to arrive also!
Jenna, how fabulous to hear! We can (almost) smell it now. We’re vicariously excited for you to experience more of Marcella’s loveliness via her book. And do, please, let us know what you think of the Bolognese…
No garlic? Pffff.
John,
Careful there….you’re pffff-ing Marcella Hazan. Plus there is no garlic is classic Bolognese sauce. In fact, garlic isn’t used that much (or at all) in dishes from the region.
I read about this recipe in the New York Times obituary of MH. I want to try it but my husband doesn’t eat red meat…can I make it with ground turkey?
You certainly can, Amanda. It won’t have quite the same taste as the original, but then, you already knew that. But I think it will still be quite lovely. Hope you feel the same. And we look forward to hearing what you think.
I’ll try it! I have long since let go of the idea of the same taste, rats, but I try whenever possible to make things like this because I love them and won’t give up!
I am 100% behind you, Amanda!
John, David is correct – in the north, we’re not as big a fan of the garlic as in the south – but I’ll say, I’ve started adding the garlic, and my parents haven’t been complaining – and that’s saying something. They complain about any deviations from the originals 🙂 I’ll point out though, that if you follow the recipe correctly and plan to simmer for 3+ hours, you’ll lose all the garlic anyhow. What I typically do, is prior to serving, I’ll saute the garlic in a tablespoon or 2 of olive oil, and then add that to the ragu, and then continue warming the ragu up (if coming out of the fridge). If it’s fresh, then let it sit in the warm sauce for 30 minutes prior to heating. This gives you the garlic flavor you’re probably looking for – and as always, you can adjust the amount of garlic to your tastes. It’s fantastic, particularly when paired with bread we lightly pan fry in rosemary/olive oil. Yum!
When I prepare Marcella Hazan’s recipes, I almost feel as if she comes along right beside me with her nod of approval, guiding me through the cooking process with her descriptive recipes and anecdotes. I feel truly blessed to obtain success and inspiration in the kitchen with each every recipe I’ve made. Through her cookbooks, she, in fact, teaches much like a grandmother would, passing her recipes and methods down to future generations. This Bolognese recipe in particular is what lead me to discover and take notice of the LC site. I am reminded of many reasons to be ever so grateful for Marcella Hazan and her contributions of helping promote proper Italian home cooking.
Mrs. Dawn E., I think you have expressed the feelings of many, many cooks from around the world. Marcella will be missed but her work and spirit live on, every time you heave a pot on the stove and begin sautéing onions.