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Pasta Bolognese

Bolognese Sauce

This is Marcella Hazan's authentic bolognese sauce. It's easy to make and you can leave it simmering on the stove all day.
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Prep Time:20 minutes
Cook Time:6 hours
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Dinner, Italian, Pasta, Sauce
Servings: 6

Equipment

  • Enameled Dutch oven

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 3 tbsp butter for sauce
  • 1 tbsp butter for tossing with pasta
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 2/3 cup chopped celery
  • 2/3 cup chopped carrots
  • 3/4 pound ground beef chuck Or you can use a mix of ground beef and ground pork.
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 whole nutmeg or ground nutmeg
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 1 1/2 cups canned plum tomatoes cut up with juice Italian tomatoes preferred

Instructions

  • Put oil, butter, and chopped onion in pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent.
  • Add celery and carrots and cook for 2 minutes.
  • Add beef, a large pinch of salt, and a few grindings of pepper. Cook until the beef is just browned.
  • Add milk and simmer, stirring frequently, until absorbed.
  • Add 1/8 of a teaspoon of nutmeg and stir.
  • Add wine and simmer until evaporated.
  • Stir in tomatoes and when they begin to bubble, turn down to a low simmer.
  • Cook for 3 hours uncovered. If sauce dries out while cooking, add 1/2 cup of water, but make sure to cook off so no water is left at the end.

Notes

Toss a tablespoon of butter with freshly cooked pasta. Spoon sauce over and grate parmesan on top. I like to add some freshly chopped basil or parsley as well.