Ragù alla Bolognese

Jump to Recipe

Ragù – an intensely rich and flavourful meat, tomato and red wine sauce, originating in Italy, and typically served with pasta and parmesan cheese. There are many different ragù recipes in Italy and they vary by name, location and ingredients. The common factor is that they all contain meat! Bolognese, from Bologna, is perhaps the most well known meat sauce served with pasta in the UK. There is no one recipe either in Italy or anywhere – there are many variants so you just need to find one that you like!

I’ve been making bolognese for years but until I found this recipe, my results were fairly inconsistent. I was always changing it a bit but never measuring anything so if I produced a really good version, I could never remember exactly what I did! Very frustrating! A few years ago, I came across this recipe by Nagi from Recipe Tin Eats. We all love it! It is consistently awesome and I now stick to it like glue. I have made only the tiniest of changes and have used it as a guide for my vegetarian version as well. (no meat obviously!). You can see the recipe for my vegetarian version here.

• 

• 

• 

How to make Ragù alla Bolognese

Although the ingredient list is quite long, the ingredients are easily available in your supermarket and there are a number you will more than likely have in your store cupboard.

Collect together all the ingredients:

• olive oil
• minced beef – i like to use minced beef with only 5% fat
• onion – you can use, white, brown or red
• red pepper – yellow or orange would be delicious too
• carrot and/or celery
• garlic
• dry red wine or you can use white wine. Sub with stock or water if you are looking for an alcohol-free dish
• passata or tins of tomatoes
• tomato puree/paste
• sugar or honey, optional
• Worcestershire Sauce (not classic but adds a lovely unami and depth of flavour to the dish)
• fresh bay leaves (if available)
• fresh thyme – or you can use dried thyme
• salt, ideally sea salt and and freshly ground black pepper

How to make this amazing pasta sauce:

1. Start by heating some olive oil in pan and cooking your beef.
2. Whilst the beef cooks, prepare and chop the vegetables. I like to do this in a food processor so they are cut very finely. This way they just melt into the sauce during its long period of cooking.
3. When the beef is cooked remove it from the pan, add some more olive oil and cook the vegetables for 10 minutes until lightly caramelised. Stir from time to tiem. It is worth taking the time to do this as it adds a delicious layers of flavour and sweetness to the dish.
4. Add the wine and cook on high to reduce it by half. remember to scrape up all the delicious sticky residue whilst you do this.
5. Return the beef to the pan along with the remainder of the ingredients. Stir well and bring to a simmer. Cover and transfer to a pre-heated oven and cook for 1 – 3 hours. Generally speaking the longer the better! Take it out of the oven, stir well and taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Cooking on the Hob

You could continue to cook the bolognese on the hob. Simply cover, turn the heat to very low and gently simmer, stirring from time to time. I personally prefer the oven as I can forget about it and not worry about it catching on the base of the pan or remembering to stir it. Your choice – both ways work well!

NB If you re in a hurry you could eat this ragù after 30 minutes cooking time. However to achieve the best consistency and depth of flavour, I really recommend at least an hour.

Cooking in a Slow Cooker

Alternatively, cook your ragù in the Slow Cooker. Simply make as described in the recipe to the end of point 5. Transfer your mixture so far and then add the remaining ingredients to a slow cooker. Cook on high for 3 hours or on low for up 6 hours. The liquid will not reduce as much in a slow cooker, so I recommend adding only 500g passata or leaving the lid ajar for the final hour of cooking. You will need to keep an eye on it though. If you find it is a little dry, add some boiling water. If it is too runny, continue to cook on high, without a lid, until you reach your desired consistency.

Batch Cooking

Ragù alla Bolognese is ideal for batch cooking and freezing. It freezes well and can be used in a variety of different ways. When batch cooking, I freeze in small portions. I freeze the food in a silicone muffin tray and then simply pop them out when frozen, and bag. You can then defrost as many as you need depending on the dish and number of people and because they are frozen in small amounts, they defrost quickly and easily. I realise, however, that you might think this is a bit of a faff; it is certainly more beneficial for small families or people wanting meals for just 1 or 2. If you are regularly cooking for larger numbers, you may wish to freeze in larger quantities.

A variety of recipes using Ragù alla Bolognese

Look out for the following recipes which I shall be posting on the blog:

• Cheesy One-Pot Beef and Sausage Pasta with Red Pepper, Mushrooms and Burrata
• Lasagne
• Bolognese and Chorizo Pasta Sauce
• Bolognese and Chorizo Pie
• Sloppy Joes
• Baked Penne with Bolognese, Roast Mediterranean Vegetables and Burrata
• Bolognese with Baked Sweet Potatoes, Parmesan, Mozzarella and Basil Pesto
• Cannelloni
• Quesadilla with Bolognese, Mozzarella, Tomatoes and Pesto
• Baked Capsicum stuffed with Bolognese, Orzo Pasta, Mozzarella and Parmesan Cheese
• Cheese Polenta with Bolognese Sauce and Garlic Mushrooms
• Baked Courgette/Zucchini with Bolognese Sauce, Fresh tomatoes, Red Onion and Mozzarella
• Bolognese with Courgettini, Spaghetti, Fresh Basil and Red Chilli

Made this recipe?

If you make this recipe, do please tag me on instagram @daffodil_kitchen. You could also leave a comment in the box directly below the recipe.