Pappardelle Bolognese Recipe

Prep aromatics

Finely dice the onion, carrot, and celery so you have roughly 1 cup onion and 1/2 cup each carrot and celery. Mince the garlic and finely chop the pancetta or bacon.

Sweat vegetables

In a large heavy-bottomed sauté pan or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat until butter foams. Add the diced onion, carrot, and celery and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened and translucent, about 8–10 minutes. Do not let them brown.

Add pancetta and garlic

Add the chopped pancetta or bacon and cook 3–4 minutes until it releases fat and begins to crisp. Add the minced garlic and cook 30–45 seconds until fragrant.

Brown the meat

Raise heat to medium-high. Add the ground beef and ground pork, breaking it up with a spoon. Season with about 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper. Cook until the meat is no longer pink and begins to brown, about 6–8 minutes. Push mixture to the side occasionally to encourage browning and evaporate excess moisture.

Tomato paste & deglaze

Stir in 2 tablespoons tomato paste and cook 1–2 minutes, stirring, to caramelize slightly. Pour in 1/2 cup dry white wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up browned bits. Simmer until the wine has mostly evaporated, about 2–3 minutes.

Add milk and tomatoes

Stir in 1/2 cup whole milk and let simmer until it's mostly absorbed, about 2–3 minutes. Add the 14 oz crushed tomatoes, 1 cup stock, 1 bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt (adjust later), 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and the optional 1/2 teaspoon sugar if the sauce tastes too acidic. Stir to combine.

Simmer slowly

Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat to low so the sauce barely bubbles. Partially cover and simmer for at least 45 minutes up to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. If sauce reduces too much, add small amounts of stock or water. Taste periodically and adjust salt and pepper.

Finish sauce

When the sauce is rich and thick and the flavors have melded, remove and discard the bay leaf. Stir in 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley and 1 tablespoon olive oil if desired. Keep warm while you cook the pasta.

Cook pasta

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt. Add 12 oz dried pappardelle and cook according to package directions until just shy of al dente (usually 7–9 minutes). Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta, leaving it slightly wet.

Combine pasta and sauce

Add the drained pappardelle to the pan with the warm Bolognese sauce over low heat. Toss gently to combine, adding reserved pasta water 1–2 tablespoons at a time as needed to loosen the sauce and coat the pasta evenly. Continue tossing for 1–2 minutes until pasta is tender and well coated.

Finish and serve

Remove from heat. Stir in 3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan and the remaining chopped parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper if needed. Drizzle 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil over the top. Serve immediately, passing extra Parmesan at the table.