Classic Bolognese Ragù
Classic Bolognese Ragù ~ a meaty sauce for pasta made with ground beef and pork, simmered in a soffritto with broth, tomato paste, wine and milk.
Servings 6 servings
Calories 673kcal
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions, finely chopped, about 1½ cups (see notes below)
- 2 ribs celery, finely chopped, about 1 cup (see notes below)
- 2 carrots, finely chopped, about ¾ cup (see notes below)
- 6 oz ground beef, 85% lean (I used ground sirloin)
- 6 oz ground pork (could use veal instead)
- 4 oz thinly sliced pancetta, finely chopped
- ½ cup dry red wine
- 3 cups (about) chicken stock, divided
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 lb pasta, preferably pappardelle, tagliatelle or fettuccine
- Grated Parmesan, for serving
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery and carrots and sauté until soft, about 8 minutes. Add beef, pork and pancetta and continue sautéing, breaking up the meat as it cooks to a small crumble, until browned, another 15 minutes.
- Add wine and boil for 1 minute, stirring and scraping up any browned bits. Add 2½ cups chicken stock and tomato paste, stir to combine. Reduce heat to very low and cook at a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1½ hours. Season with salt and pepper.
- In a small saucepan, bring milk to a simmer. Gradually add hot milk to the sauce, a little at a time and stirring to blend. Cover with lid slightly ajar and simmer another 45 minutes until the milk is completely absorbed. If needed, add more stock by ¼-cupfuls to thin (I did not find this necessary).
- Cook pasta in large pot of salted water until 1 minute shy of al dente. Drain, reserving ½ cup of pasta cooking water. Transfer ragù to large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pasta and toss to coat. Add reserved pasta water, a little at a time, as necessary, if it seems too dry. Plate and serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Notes
- I find the easiest way to get finely chopped vegetables for this soffritto is to use the food processor. Roughly chop the vegetables and process, one at a time, until very finely chopped.
- I froze some of the Bolognese and when I thawed and reheated it, I used some more chicken stock to thin the sauce a bit.
Nutrition
Calories: 673kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 125mg | Sodium: 452mg | Potassium: 801mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 3705IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 114mg | Iron: 3mg