Simple Bolognese

Bolognese sounds daunting but when you actually make it, you quickly realize how simple the recipe is to make at home. Time and patience are probably the most important ingredients to achieving an authentic bolognese. Although I never grew up with a Nonna, I imagine this is what her home smells like for Sunday suppers. This pasta is truly a hug in every bite.

key ingredients

• Ground Beef
• Ground Pork
• Pancetta
• Onions
• Carrots
• Celery
• Bay Leaves
• Fresh Thyme
• Whole Milk
• Chicken Stock
• Dry White Wine
• Tomato Paste
• Olive Oil
• Nutmeg
• Pasta (preferably tagliatelle, rigatoni or pappardelle)
• Parmesan

key steps

brown the meat:

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the ground beef and pork to the pan and cook until the meat is lightly browned and slightly caramelized. Stir the meat every minute for about 5-6 minutes and break up large pieces of the ground meet with a wooden spatula. Then transfer the cooked meat to a bowl using a slotted spoon.

cook pancetta

In the same pot, cook the pancetta over medium-low heat for about 5-6 minutes just until the pancetta renders some of its fat and starts to crisp up slightly. Make sure to stir the pancetta occasionally so that it browns on both sides.

cook the soffritto

Once the pancetta releases some of its fat, add the diced onions, carrots and celery to the pot and stir the vegetables over medium heat for about 5-6 minutes until they begin to soften.

add the beef to the soffritto

Then return the ground beef back into the pot with the soffritto and pour in the white wine. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the wine is evaporated which should take about 8 minutes. Then add the tomato paste, nutmeg, salt and black pepper to the beef and stir all the ingredients together for about 3 minutes.

add the stock and simmer

Pour the chicken stock and milk into the pot and add the bay leaves and thyme. Then reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Simmer the sauce uncovered and stir every 20 minutes. Cook the sauce for about 1 to 1.5 hours until it becomes a thick consistency. Once the bolognese is done simmering, discard the bay leaves and thyme.

cook the pasta

Cook pasta al dente according to package instructions and reserve about a cup of pasta water. Then transfer the drained pasta to the bolognese pot and increase the heat to medium. Pour in the reserved pasta water and add the grated Parmesan cheese. Toss all the ingredients together and bring the sauce to a simmer for about 2 minutes until the liquid thickens.

important tips

• Make sure to break down the ground beef and pork as much as possible. I use a wooden spatula to smash down the meat while cooking. You want to end up with tiny bits of meat in the sauce.
• If the sauce reduces too much while simmering, add about a 1/2 cup of chicken stock to the sauce and continue simmering.