A Dutch Oven Bolognese that will simmer all day to fill your home with the aromas of one of the best sauces you'll ever eat. This Authentic Bolognese is so savory and complex making it the perfect sauce for a cold day. It's the perfect Italian meal served over pappardelle with extra crusty Italian bread to sop up any leftover sauce!
Looking for a quicker sauce? Try our Quick Lamb Ragu or Creamy Red Pepper Sauce.
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Dutch oven Bolognese
This Authentic Bolognese is an unbelievably deep and complex sauce. It is an all-day braise event that leaves the house with the most amazing aromas of tomatoes, onions, garlic, and wine. Bolognese is for people looking to spend a whole Sunday cooking. There are no secret cheat codes to make it cook faster and making it in the dutch oven is the best way to make sure it cooks evenly without the sauce burning!
This is one of my favorite recipes. I love cooking it and spending the time to make an amazing delicacy for my family. It's something I like to make for guests because I know it will impress. I always serve it alongside a Caesar salad with Traditional Caesar Dressing and Homemade Italian Parmesan Croutons
If you're looking to up your cooking skills and spend some time in the kitchen, this is a great way to learn about braising meat. I think when people say they put love into a dish what it really means is patience. Taking the time to go through every step to make something perfect for your family is what they are talking about.
Every culture has recipes that take time to simmer or braise. Italians have bolognese and ragu while Mexico and the Caribbean have Dutch Oven Barbacoa Tacos.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Pancetta. Bacon cannot be substituted here. Guanciale would be acceptable but the simple flavor of pancetta is perfect for this sauce. It softens as it cooks and has a slight peppery taste. If you're looking to use guanciale in something, make Bucatini Amatriciana or Pasta Alla Gricia.
- Sage. Sage is a signature flavor of bolognese and it's important to use fresh sage leaves to infuse the flavor. It has a smoother and brighter flavor than the dried herb.
- Red wine. I usually use a cabernet or syrah. It's the perfect amount of tannins to break down the fat in the meat.
- Whole Plum Tomatoes. I use whole plum tomatoes and hand-crush them. The tomatoes then break down more as they simmer for 4 hours. You could substitute crushed tomatoes.
- Meat. I prefer to use ground beef and ground pork. I don't like to use sausage because it has a very specific flavor and I don't think it adds anything to the bolognese. It sort of distracts from the other flavors.
- Milk. Whole milk only. It will help soften the meat before we simmer it in wine.
- Anchovies. Can you leave them out? Sure. But I guarantee you won't even know they're in there. They just add another layer of flavor. Another level of savoriness.
*Please see the recipe card below for more information on ingredients.
How to Make Authentic Bolognese
The KEY to a great bolognese is time and patience. Don't rush the process and be prepared to let this simmer for a few hours. Once the work is done, all you have to do is stir every half hour.
The Pancetta and Sofrito
Step 1: Add a ¼ pound of chopped pancetta to the cold pot. Raise the heat to medium and stir the pancetta frequently until the fat becomes translucent.
Step 2: The rest of the pancetta should begin to develop a slight golden color. Fry for about 8 minutes total.
Step 3: Stir in chopped carrots, celery, and onions. Saute for 8-10 minutes until vegetables become softened, but not browned. Add salt and pepper for taste while cooking the vegetables.
Step 4: Once the onions are translucent and the vegetables are soft, stir in 3 cloves of garlic minced. Saute for 2 minutes.
Step 5: Create a well in the bottom of the pot. Place 2 tablespoon of tomato paste in the well and allow it to carmelize for 2 minutes.
Step 6: Then stir through the mixture and cook for 2 more minutes.
Step 7: Remove vegetable mix from the pot and place in a separate bowl.
Browning the Meat
Step 8: Bring the dutch oven back to medium heat. Drop 4 tablespoon of butter in and allow the foam to subside.
Step 9: Add the ground beef and pork to the butter. Break it apart with a wooden spoon.
Step 10: Stir in salt and fresh sage. It is essential to use fresh sage not dried.
Step 11: Once the meat is broken apart cook until the meat is no longer pink, about 6-10 minutes. Add chopped anchovy and stir for another 2 minutes. Then stir in the milk and simmer for 10 minutes.
Simmering the Sauce
Step 12: Add your vegetable/pancetta mix back into the dutch oven once most of the milk is absorbed. Combine well.
Step 13: Pour in the red wine and scrape the bottom of the pan of any brown bits.
Step 14: Allow the red wine to simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 15: Stir in the crushed tomatoes and bring them to a simmer.
Step 16: Add the basil, bay leaves, and parmesan rind to the sauce and stir.
Step 17: Simmer the sauce on medium-low heat covered with the pot slightly open for 4-5 hours. Stir every 30 minutes or so.
Step 18: The sauce should simmer down to ultimately mostly meat with a small amount of sauce. Remember, authentic bolognese is a meat sauce. The heavy-bottomed dutch oven is the best way to thicken this sauce and let it develop over hours without the risk of burning it. Any good sauce like Bison Ragu or Authentic Italian Sunday Sauce needs a few hours to develop.
Serve the bolognese over a flat pasta, like pappardelle. Then sprinkle with fresh basil and parmesan cheese. Top with ricotta if you're feeling fancy.
Pro-Tips
- Typically, using a red wine high in tannins will be best for bolognese. Tannins will help break down the meat flavor and develop the sauce into a richer and more intense flavor.
- Think about when you order a steak. A red wine, like cabernet or syrah, would go great with that because the tannins help cut through the fat in the steak. I use a cabernet for bolognese.
- Be patient after you pour the milk in. Let it slowly absorb into the meat and simmer away. The milk will soften the meat so that the meat sauce never feels chewy.
- An authentic bolognese needs to simmer over hours not minutes. Let this meat sauce develop over 4-5 hours in a dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pan for the best results.
- Do not sear the meat. That's why we place it in butter not oil. Break apart the meat and move it often. We're not looking for crispy beef or pork, you want the meat to be soft.
- Bolognese can be prepared a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator.
What to Serve with Bolognese?
Authentic Bolognese is a heavy meat sauce so I always try to serve it with some light appetizers and easy vegetables.
- Start with some appetizers like Easy Italian Stuffed Artichokes or Eggplant Caponata.
- Serve it with some simple vegetable side dishes like Garlic Parmesan Green Beans or Italian Lacinato Kale.
- Don't forget about dessert though. No matter how full you are after bolognese, finish the night off with Rainbow Cookie Cake or Pistachio Cream Tiramisu.
Recipe FAQs
Milk helps soften the meat. When you simmer the meat in milk and continue to break the meat apart, mild acidity in milk and the calcium react with the meat and help to break down any connective tissue and tenderize the meat.
Bolognese is a complex sauce. In order to get there, we need a lot of extra savory flavors or, "umami". Anchovies won't be tasted in the final product but it helps us continue to make the sauce more savory.
Traditional bolognese is a meat sauce made from beef, pork, and sometimes veal. It is combined with a sofrito, a vegetable mix like carrots, celery, and onion, and simmered in red wine and tomato sauce over several hours.
More Amazing Pasta Sauces
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📖 Recipe
Authentic Bolognese (Dutch Oven)
Equipment
- 1 dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef, 85%
- 1 lb ground pork
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- ½ onion, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 28 oz can whole plum tomatoes
- ½ cup sage, chopped
- ½ cup basil chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 2-3 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup red wine
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 4 anchovy filets, chopped
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ lb pancetta, chopped
- 1.5 lbs pappardelle
- 1 parmesan rind optional
Instructions
- In a dutch oven, bring olive oil to medium-high heat. Add pancetta and saute for 6-8 minutes until the fat is translucent and the meat starts to turn golden brown. Stir in chopped onions, celery, and carrots and saute for another 8 minutes until vegetables soften, but not brown. Add ½ teaspoon of salt while cooking. Add minced garlic and stir for another minute. Create a well for a tomato paste and add directly onto the pan. Let tomato paste sit for 2 minutes then stir throughout the mixture. Remove from the heat and place the mix in a bowl.
- In the same pot, add butter and wait until the foaming subsides. Add in pork, ground beef, 1 teaspoon salt, and chopped sage. Do not sear the meat. Stir often to avoid searing and cook for about 8-10 minutes until meat is no longer pink. Stir in chopped anchovy and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Pour milk into the meat mixture and cook for about 6-10 minutes until most of the milk becomes absorbed. Add the vegetables back in and then add red wine, and allow it to simmer for about 10-15 minutes until mostly absorbed.
- Hand crush the whole tomatoes and pour them into the meat. Add 2 bay leaves, half of the basil, parmesan rind and ½ teaspoon salt. Stir and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot leaving an opening and low simmer for 4-5 hours. Bolognese should not be saucy, when it is finished when it is a very thick meat sauce. Stir occasionally throughout simmering.
- Serve over pappardelle with extra parmesan and basil.
Notes
- Typically, using a red wine high in tannins will be best for bolognese. Tannins will help break down the meat flavor and develop the sauce into a richer and more intense flavor.
- Think about when you order a steak. A red wine, like cabernet or syrah, would go great with that because the tannins help cut through the fat in the steak. I use a cabernet for bolognese.
- Be patient after you pour the milk in. Let it slowly absorb into the meat and simmer away. The milk will soften the meat so that the meat sauce never feels chewy.
- An authentic bolognese needs to simmer over hours not minutes. Let this meat sauce develop over 4-5 hours in a dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pan for the best results.
- Do not sear the meat. That's why we place it in butter not oil. Break apart the meat and move it often. We're not looking for crispy beef or pork, you want the meat to be soft.
- Bolognese can be prepared a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator.
Roy
Thank you so much for leaving thing fantastic recipe