Bolognese is probably one of the best sauces you will ever eat – you can trust me on this – I’ve eaten more of it than many Italians, but I won’t sugarcoat it ~ it’s not a quick Tuesday night, 30 minute meal. Classic Bolognese Recipe is, however well worth the time and love you put into it and perfect for Valentine’s — or GALentine’s Day or any night you want a really special meal. Do you know about GALentine’s Day? It’s like Valentine’s Day…but better ~ single or married, it’s a celebration of your favorite gals – the women who enrich your life.
If you’ve ever eaten out on Valentine’s Day, you probably it’s learned it’s not the day to dine out. Two words come to mind: overpriced and overcrowded.
Notice you didn’t see “overenthusiastic wait staff” on the list, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Skip the reservations, the crowded restaurants and the overpriced food. Create an amazing meal at home for or with your Valentine (or GALentines).
I started developing this recipe over a year ago after going to my first food blog conference in Chicago where I figured (incorrectly) that everyone there already knew someone. Sigh. I met Deb (Wisconsin Homemaker) my first afternoon and two Midwestern gals who arrived without a friend became fast friends.
The conference included a ‘’field trip’ to Eataly, an Italian marketplace in downtown Chicago that also houses restaurants and a cooking school. Eat. Shop. Learn. We covered all three bases.
I had the Bolognese, we each had wine and when the meal was finished and hardly a smear of sauce was left on my plate, I asked the waitress for the Bolognese recipe.
She returned a few minutes later with a list of ingredients. I turned the paper over thinking there must be more, but it was blank. I like a challenge.
When I got home I checked the Eataly website but they didn’t post their Bolgonese recipe. I’m kind of glad now because it gave me a chance to make it over and over until it tasted exactly like the one I remembered ~ rich, layers of velvet-like, rich buttery-tomatoey flavor.
For the record, they do have a Bolognese recipe on their site now but with all due respect to Eataly, this recipe seems to be a simplified version.
Classic Bolognese Recipe includes every ingredient on their list and is slow-cooked giving it a rich, old-world flavor. I also add a sprinkle of basil on top before serving.
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup of olive oil plus more for drizzling
- 5 tablespoons of butter, divided
- ½ pound of sirloin or top round, cut in 1” cubes
- Salt and pepper
- 2 carrots
- 1 stalk of celery
- 4 ounces of pancetta
- ¼ pound of ground veal
- ¼ pound of ground pork (plain – NOT breakfast sausage)
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 4 ounces of DOUBLE concentrate tomato paste
- ¾ cup of dry white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
- 2 bay leaves
- Parmigiano Reggiano cheese with a rind
- 1 cup of pasta water
- Pappardelle pasta
- 6-8 basil leaves, chopped
Instructions:
In a food processor or blender, add 1/3 cup of olive oil, the carrots, celery and pancetta. Puree then reserve.
Add a drizzle of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter to an oven-safe pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the beef with salt and pepper and add to the pot, searing on both sides then add the pancetta mixture allowing it to cook. Drop in the veal and pork, seasoning with salt and pepper and continue cooking, breaking up the ground meat with a wooden spoon.
Add the garlic and onion, stirring to combine and cook 3-4 minutes then fold in the tomato paste and simmer 4-5 minutes. It’s important to use double concentrate tomato paste or you won’t have the rich flavor you’re looking for.
Pour the wine in, scraping up anything from the bottom then add the bay leaves. Cover and simmer 6-8 minutes.
Next cube 3 tablespoons of butter and blend them into the sauce and add rind from the cheese. Cover and bake 1 hour at 275 degrees.
Check the Bolognese after 1 hour. If the beef isn’t fork-tender, continue cooking in the oven, checking every 20 minutes or so. It generally takes 1 1/2 hours or so. You want the beef to be really tender (practically falling apart) and the sauce reduced.
When the beef is tender, sauce reduced and the Bolognese is finished cooking use a spoon and remove any pooled grease from the sauce. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package directions and reserve about 1 cup of pasta water.
Cook the pasta according to package directions reserving about one cup of the water before you drain it. Add ¼ cup of pasta water at a time to the sauce (while keeping it on low heat on the stovetop) until it reaches the desired consistency (you probably won’t use all of the pasta water). Blend in two more tablespoons of butter for a buttery, velvety finish. Taste and adjust the salt as you like.
Top the drained pasta with a couple ladles of sauce to ‘stain’ it. Cut and sprinkle the basil over the top. Serve the remaining sauce on the side along with a good loaf of bread or breadsticks and the wedge of cheese for grating.
This recipe may seem labor intensive, but once you pop the Bolognese into the oven, there isn’t much to do except pour a glass of wine, relax and breathe in the amazing aroma.
A Classic Bolognese Recipe makes the perfect meal for Valentine’s Day, GALentine’s Day or anytime you want to share a special meal with someone you love. Enjoy!
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Classic Bolognese Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup olive oil plus more for drizzling
- 5 tablespoons butter divided
- ½ pound sirloin or top round cut in 1” cubes
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 carrots
- 1 stalk celery
- 4 ounces pancetta
- ¼ pound ground veal
- ¼ pound ground pork plain - NOT breakfast sausage
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic finely minced
- 4 ounces double oncentrate tomato paste
- ¾ cup dry white wine Pinot Grigio used
- 2 bay leaves
- Parmigiano Reggiano cheese with a rind
- 1 cup pasta water
- Pappardelle pasta
- 6-8 basil leaves sliced in ribbons
Instructions
- In a food processor or blender, add 1/3 cup of olive oil, the carrots, celery and pancetta. Puree and set aside.
- Add a drizzle of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter to an oven-safe pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Season the beef with salt and pepper and add it to the pot, searing on both sides then add the pancetta mixture cooking over medium heat. Drop in the veal and pork, seasoning with salt and pepper and continue cooking, breaking up the ground meat with a wooden spoon.
- Add the garlic and onion, stirring to combine and cook 3-4 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste, blending and simmer 4-5 minutes.
- Pour the wine into the pot, scraping up anything on the bottom of the pot. Add the bay leaves then cover and simmer 6-8 minutes allowing the wine to reduce.
- Add 3 tablespoons of butter, cubed, blending and allowing the butter to melt.
- Next add the cheese rind to the pot then cover and bake 1 hour at 275 degrees.
- Check the Bolognese after 1 hour. If the beef isn’t fork-tender, continue cooking in the oven, checking every 20 minutes or so until the beef is fork tender.
- When the beef is tender and the sauce is reduced, use a spoon and remove any extra grease from the sauce.
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions, reserving about 1 cup of pasta water.
- Add ¼ cup of pasta water at a time to the sauce until it reaches the desired consistency (you probably won't use all of the pasta water).
- Blend in two more tablespoons of butter then taste and adjust the salt as you like.
- Top the drained pasta with a couple ladles of sauce to ‘stain’ it. Slice and sprinkle the basil over the top. Serve the remaining sauce on the side along with a good loaf of bread or breadsticks and the parmesan cheese for grating.
Oh! My! Word!! This looks and sounds so decadently delicious! This is going on the menu for this weekend. So glad you were up for the challenge after being given the ingredients only. You showed them. lol! Can’t wait to make this recipe! Pinned. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Mary! Thank you so much! Your kind words are always appreciated. The dish is definitely worth the effort. Thanks for pinning 🙂