Pasta Bolognese Recipe
A rich meat sauce, pappardelle noodles, topped with fresh parmesan
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Ingredients
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Bolognese Sauce
Pasta & Finishing
Method
Bolognese Sauce
Prepare aromatics
Heat a large heavy-bottomed sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 2 tbs olive oil and 1 tbs butter. When butter melts and begins to foam, add the finely diced onion, carrot, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 7–9 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook 30–45 seconds until fragrant.
Brown the meats
Increase heat to medium-high. Add the chopped pancetta and cook 2–3 minutes until slightly crisp. Add the ground beef and ground pork, breaking up with a wooden spoon. Cook until no longer pink and beginning to brown, about 6–8 minutes. Spoon off excess fat if more than 2 tablespoons remain.
Add dairy and tomatoes
Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in the whole milk; simmer gently until milk is mostly absorbed, about 3–4 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, stock, bay leaf, dried oregano, dried thyme, salt, pepper, and optional sugar. Stir to combine.
Simmer slowly
Bring sauce to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat to the lowest setting so the sauce barely bubbles. Partially cover and simmer for at least 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. For deeper flavor simmer 1.5–2 hours, adding a splash of stock or water if sauce reduces too far. Taste and adjust seasoning, removing the bay leaf before serving. Stir in chopped fresh parsley at the end.
Pasta & Finishing
Cook the pasta
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add 1 tbsp salt. Cook pappardelle according to package instructions until al dente (usually 7–10 minutes for dried, 2–3 minutes for fresh). Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water before draining.
Combine pasta and sauce
Return the drained pasta to the pot or a large sauté pan over low heat. Add 1–2 generous ladles of the Bolognese sauce and 2–3 tbs of the reserved pasta water as needed to help coat the noodles. Toss gently to combine, adding more sauce or pasta water to reach a silky consistency. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.