Traditional Bolognese Sauce
Traditional Bolognese Sauce – a rich, beefy tomato sauce for your pasta. Traditional beefy tomato sauce great with ribbon and tube type pastas.
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox.
I just recently realized that in all the years I’ve been blogging, I have never posted a classic spaghetti sauce recipe. How could that be? It’s one of my standards that makes an appearance on our table at least once every couple of weeks. Well, I’m here to correct that omission today with my Bolognese Sauce recipe.
I once worked with a woman who every Wednesday prepared her family their “weekly dose” of spaghetti. It was her standard recipe and this one is mine. It’s a rich, long simmering tomato sauce that is delicious with any kind of pasta.
You can combine this with long, thin ribbon pasta like spaghetti or linguini, or you can serve it with short tube pastas like ziti or penne. Since it has that traditional rich tomato taste that is loved by all ages, I could definitely use it in my Ziti Bake or Baked Spaghetti recipes.
All you need for a complete dinner is this Bolognese Sauce with spaghetti, a good tossed salad, and some freshly baked garlic bread. Enjoy!
How to Make Traditional Bolognese Sauce
In a large, deep pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the celery and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and the celery is tender.
Add the ground beef and cook until no pink color remains.
Stir in the white wine, passata or canned tomatoes, basil, tomato paste, red pepper flakes, and salt. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a gentle low simmer. Partially cover and cook for one hour.
Stir in the half and half and continue cooking, partially covered, for an additional two hours. Stir occasionally and add a small amount of water if the sauce seems to be too thick.
When ready to serve, cook the pasta in salted water according to the package directions. Add the drained pasta to the sauce and stir until thoroughly mixed and coated. Serve with shaved Parmesan cheese.
🧾 More Recipes You’ll Like
- Jumbo Meatballs and Spaghetti
- Pasta d’Arrabiata
- Baked Meatballs and Spaghetti
- Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce
- Pasta Puttanesca
- Pasta with Italian Sausage and Tomatoes
More Questions? I’m happy to help!
If you have more questions about the recipe, or if you’ve made it and would like to leave a comment, scroll down to leave your thoughts, questions, and/or rating!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Recipe
Traditional Bolognese Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 rib celery diced
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 pound ground chuck 80/20 ground beef
- ¾ cup dry white wine
- 24 ounces passata or canned plum tomatoes
- 5-6 large basil leaves torn
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup half and half
- 1 pound spaghetti
- Shaved Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large, deep pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the celery and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and the celery is tender.
- Add the ground beef and cook until no pink color remains.
- Add the white wine, passata or canned tomatoes, basil, tomato paste, red pepper flakes, and salt.
- Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a gentle low simmer. Partially cover and cook for one hour.
- Stir in the half and half and continue cooking, partially covered, for an additional two hours. Stir occasionally and add a small amount of water if the sauce seems to be too thick.
- When ready to serve, cook the pasta in salted water according to the package directions. Add the drained pasta to the sauce and stir until thoroughly mixed and coated.
- Serve with shaved Parmesan cheese.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
Hi Lana, this sounds delicious. Do you not drain the grease from the meat?
Thanks. Mary
Hi Mary. Yes, normally I do drain off the excess fat.
What is half and half please . Thanks pete
Hi Peter – here’s a good explanation: https://www.spendwithpennies.com/what-is-half-and-half-and-how-to-make-it/
This looks delicious and want to try this but I’ve never cooked with wine. What do you recommend?
Any dry red wine is good in Bolognese. I usually use a Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or Pinot Noir.
Just checked again and the recipe calls for white wine. Red or white?
Well, yes it does. You can use whichever you like, though. A red wine will give your sauce a richer, more full-bodied flavor. White will give it a fruitiness. Whichever you choose, it should be dry.
Thank you for clarifying!
Or you can just leave out the wine if you prefer.
That looks so inviting. I have never tried the addition of half and half. Next time!
Miss P
There’s nothing better than a good bolognese sauce! This looks yummy :)
Thanks Sues! It’s a good, classic recipe that everybody needs to have in their repertoire.