Bolognese sauce is wonderfully meaty, rich, and flavorful sauce, comes together so very simply! It's simmered until thick and wonderful. It's classic comfort food and is just waiting to be tossed with you're favorite pasta!
It reheats and freezes like a champion. Kids and adults alike love it. It's a win-win and a classic you'll keep around from now on!
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Don't be intimidated by the word "bolognese." Basically, it just means tomato-y (we are gonna just assume that's an actual word) meat sauce. I'm not Italian, and growing up we simply called this type of sauce, spaghetti sauce. But, what it is, is good comfort food in a bowl. That's all that really matters and that's all the hungry mouths will care about. Promise.
This bolognese sauce recipe is easy, first and foremost. There are no unusual ingredients to seek out and no complicated steps to decipher. Just easy to find, whole ingredients and some time.
Low and slow is how I make this particular bolognese sauce recipe. I like to get all the ingredients in the pot and simmer for a couple hours or until the sauce is wonderfully tender and flavorful. It's the perfect weekend recipe for when you're not in any hurry.
Buy Now → What You'll Need and Why
- Onions, carrots, and celery are known as mirepoix. Don't worry, I like to pulse mine in the food processor to hide them from the kids. They'll never know.
- Mushrooms - Gives incredible umami flavor. You don't have to, but they're really good.
- Meat - I use ground beef because that's what my family loves. Feel free to throw in ground pork or Italian sausage!
- Tomatoes - Canned whole tomatoes have a lovely consistency compared to diced tomatoes so I prefer them in this recipe. San Marzano are my usual choice if I can find them.
- Cream - Milk is the usual ingredient used to cut the acidity of the tomato in bolognese sauce. I amp it up and use cream because I love the silkiness of it.
How to Make It
When I say this bolognese sauce is simple, I mean it. The best things in life are and this is no exception. In my opinion, this recipe is truly a classic comfort food dish and is always a welcome sight for my family.
- Render bacon and cook veggies in the fat.
- Add the ground beef and everything else except the cream and simmer.
- Stir in the heavy cream.
- Serve the bolognese with your favorite pasta, veggie noodle, or as a base to a wonderful Italian style soup!
Told ya it was easy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this bolognese sauce recipe gluten-free?
Yes! My bolognese sauce recipe is 100% gluten-free! Serve it over your favorite GF pasta and enjoy!
Can this recipe be made dairy-free?
Absolutely! Instead of using the parmesan rind, try adding a little bit of nutritional yeast. For the heavy cream, substitute with 1 cup of your favorite DF milk. You can also just leave it out all together.
What is a parmesan rind and where do I get them?
The rind of the parmesan is the protective outside layer of the cheese that develops as the cheese ages. Each time I buy a wedge of parmesan, I save the rinds and put them into the freezer to add amazing flavor to soups and sauces. You can also find rinds for purchase at some grocery stores. Get some. You can thank me later.
Tips and Tricks
- I highly suggest using a food processor to break down the veggies. It eliminates a ton of time and effort!
- Top with crushed chili flakes and extra parmesan cheese!
- Serve this over your favorite pasta or as a base to lasagna soup!
- Please, for the love of Italian food, serve this along side a big hunk of crusty bread. My Dutch Oven No Knead Bread is perfect for this!
Variations and Substitutions
- If you need this bolognese sauce recipe ready in a more timely fashion, simply swap out the herbs and canned tomatoes for your favorite jarred marinara. Lower the simmer time down to around 30 minutes.
- If you don't like mushrooms, just leave them out. They add another layer of umami that's really good, but you don't necessarily get a super mushroom flavor.
- I like using whole tomatoes because I think it's a better canned product. If you want to use diced or crushed, that will work great! No worries either way!
Bolognese Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef I recommend using a lean blend for this recipe
- 4-6 pieces bacon, diced
- 1 onion, rough chopped
- 2 carrots, rough chopped
- 2 celery stalks, rough chopped
- 8 oz mushrooms, rough chopped
- 1 head garlic, peeled
- 2 28 oz cans whole, peeled tomatoes
- 2 tablespoon dried basil
- 2 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
- 1 cup water
- 3-4 bay leaves
- 1 parmesan rind
- 1 cup heavy cream
- kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a dutch oven, on medium-high heat, cook bacon until fat is rendered.
- Pulse the onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms, and garlic in a food processor until finely minced - about the size of the ground beef. Add vegetables to the bacon and rendered fat. Continue cooking until the vegetable mix begins to soften.
- Add ground beef. Cook until meat is browned.
- Add tomatoes, basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, stirring to combine. Add water, parmesan rind, bay leaves.
- Bring mixture to low boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, on low for 1-2 hours.
- Stir in the heavy cream.
- Salt and pepper to your taste. Serve over pasta of choice. Garnish with lots of parmesan and red chili flakes!
Notes
Nutrition
Storage and Reheating Instructions
- Bolognese will stay good in the fridge up to 3 days if stored in an airtight container.
- To reheat in the microwave, cover with paper towel and heat slowly in small increments.
- To reheat on the stove top, add portion to a saucepan and warm over medium-low heat.
Freezing Instructions: This bolognese sauce recipe freezes amazingly well. In fact, that's what I always do when I make a batch. Simply portion out the finished sauce into freezer safe containers and into the freezer. I am a huge fan of deli containers.
Once you're ready to use the sauce, let it thaw out in the fridge a day or so before using.
Thank you!
I am so incredibly happy that you are here! I hope you try my easy Bolognese recipe and fall in love with it. If you make this recipe, please share and tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok!
Happy Cooking!
-Rufus
More Recipes You'll Love
Pesto Lasagna - A classic lasagna recipe but so very easy! It's a family favorite around here and once you try it, you'll see why!
Slow Cooker Beef Ragu - A super simple, deliciously meaty pasta sauce that's a minimal effort as it gets. This one is on request all the time!
Pasta Alla Genovese - An amazing beef and onion ragu that's just out of this world. Tossed with pasta and topped with parm, it's such a fun spin on the more usual tomato-based meat sauces!
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