Traditional Bolognese Recipe

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Looking for the perfect addition to your pasta? My Traditional Bolognese Recipe will make a perfect pair for any pasta lover. This meat sauce recipe is made in about an hours time, and makes plenty, perfect for a big Sunday dinner.

White bowl filled with pasta and meat sauce.

There is nothing quite like a hearty bolognese sauce on top of pasta. I might be a flexatarian, but there is one thing I love, it’s bolognese sauce. Thick tomato sauce with ground beef, pork, and my super special ingredient, pepperoni. Yes, you read that correct, don’t skip it–it gives so much flavor. My mom was never one to make meat sauce growing up. I think it was partly because I was so anti-meat at a young age.

I wish I could tell you a story about how this recipe was passed down from my grandparents who immigrated from Italy, but it’s not. As I got older I started experimenting, figuring out what worked and what didn’t work. I’ve perfected this bolognese recipe over the years. I will tell you that the pepperoni in sauce came from my great aunt who taught me how to make her rigatoni and meatballs.

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Ingredients
Directions
FAQs
Tips & Tricks
What to Serve with Spaghetti
Traditional Bolognese Recipe

Ingredients

Seasonings, milk, olive oil, butter, and meat on a white marble counter.

Meat – I like to use a mix of ground beef, ground pork, and diced pepperoni.
Veggies – I use fresh carrot sticks, garlic, and onions, all chopped.
Seasonings – Italian seasoning, red pepper salt, pepper, and sugar.
Canned Tomatoes – I get both crushed and diced canned tomatoes. Real tomatoes can work also if you can create a similar consistency.
Milk – Whole milk is preferred for creaminess, but 2% works.
Parmesan cheese – For garnish. (optional)
Butter – If you use salted butter make sure you take that into consideration when adding salt to the meal.
Olive Oil – I use extra virgin olive oil.

Directions

White pot with raw ground beef inside pot on left, on the right white pot with half cooked ground beef with black spatula inside.

In a large pot, heat olive oil and butter. Once melted, add in the ground beef, ground pork, and diced pepperoni to the pot. Cook on medium heat, breaking up the meat for 10 minutes or until the ground beef and pork are almost no longer pink.

Then add onion, carrot, and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes.

Once the meat is cooked add in the crushed tomatoes, can of tomato paste, dried parsley, sugar, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste (I like to add ½ teaspoon of salt and pepper at a time).

three steps of adding milk to meat sauce.

Once mixed, then add in the whole milk. Pro tip: I like to add the milk into the tomato sauce can to capture any additional crushed tomatoes that are in the can. Once the milk is poured in the pot, mix well, reduce heat to medium-low, place a lid on top but slightly vented and let the sauce simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Green pot with red sauce and spoon with red sauce.

Once the sauce has thickened pour it over pasta and garnish with fresh parsley, basil, and Parmesan cheese.

FAQs

white plate with yellow spaghetti and red sauce on top.

What is the difference between bolognese and meat sauce?

Bolognese is thicker and creamier than meat sauce because milk is one of the ingredients.

What is homemade meat sauce made of?

Meat sauce is made of a mixture of ground beef and ground pork along with garlic and onions or whatever mixture of seasoning that you prefer.

Is Marinara the same as meat sauce?

Marinara is a meatless red sauce.

Why is milk added to Authentic Bolognese sauce recipe?

Adding milk helps add a rich creamy flavor to the sauce and can help keep the meats tender.

Tips & Tricks

white bowl with green handle with red sauce inside.

Here are a few of my favorite tips and tricks when making meat sauce.

Dairy-Free – To make this recipe dairy-free simply remove the butter and milk from the recipe.
Milk – I like to add the milk into the tomato sauce can to capture any additional crushed tomatoes that are in the can.
Lid Slightly Vented – You will need a lid to cook the sauce. Make sure the lid isn’t fully closed and secured to the pot. Instead, place the lid a little off to the side to make the pot slightly vented, so the sauce can breathe.
Leftover Bolognese – If you aren’t serving a crowd you will have a lot of meat sauce leftover. I always freeze 1-2 bags full to enjoy for future easy dinners.
Cheese – You can top the meat sauce with a hard grated cheese like Parmesan or Pecorino Romano Cheese.

What to Serve with Spaghetti

top view of yellow spaghetti with red sauce on top.

If you make this bolognese recipe, I would be honored and love for you to take the time to leave a ⭐ star rating and comment! I spend hours developing and testing these recipes, and always love to hear feedback and user experience!

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