Traditional Ragù alla Bolognese
This traditional version of Bolognese is from the Northern regions of Italy. Of course every family will have their own variation, but this is my favourite one adapted from Anna Boiardi’s recipe. It makes enough for dinner one night and leftovers to freeze for a quick weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter*
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ medium onion finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot peeled and finely chopped
- 2 small celery sticks finely chopped
- 2 lbs lean or extra-lean ground meat** beef, turkey, or game meat
- 2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 ½ cups white wine or low-sodium broth
- 1 cup milk*
- ¼ tsp freshly ground nutmeg
- 2 (25 oz) cans whole or diced tomatoes pureed or run through a food mill
- 1 (5.2 oz) can tomato paste
Directions
- Start by finely chopping your onion, carrot, and celery while your heavy bottom pot preheats over medium-low. Once the pot is hot, add your butter and olive oil. Let the butter melt before adding in the onions.
- Gently fry the onions for 2 minutes before adding the carrot and celery. Stir occasionally and gently cook for another 4-5 minutes until softened but not browning.
- Now add the ground venison and salt. Break it up with your spatula and turn the heat up to medium to cook the meat almost all the way through, stirring occasionally.
- Once there is very little pink left in the meat, add the broth or stock and turn the heat up to medium high until it begins to simmer. Reduce the heat to medium low and let it gently boil for 20 minutes until completely reduced and you can hear the oil sizzling.
- After the sauce has reduced, add the milk and the fresh nutmeg. Let the milk come to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat to low and let the sauce reduce for another 15 minutes. Try not to let it boil to vigorously or the milk will separate.
- Now add the tomato puree and the tomato paste. Stir well, then bring the sauce to a gentle simmer. Partially cover the pot with a lid and put it on a low heat burner (if you’re using gas) and let it reduce slowly over the next 3 hours. Stir occasionally.
- After 3 hours, taste and adjust salt. Use in lasagna, serve immediately with pasta, or freeze in small containers for quick weeknight dinners.
Notes
Half the Recipe: Will only take 2 hours of simmering. Monitor your sauce more closely as it may be more prone to burning.
Dairy-Free*: I have used almond and oat milk with success in this recipe. Use your favourite unsweetened non-dairy milk and replace the butter with additional olive oil.
Ground Meat**: I’ve used all kinds of meat with this recipe and loved each one! The photographed one uses venison. If you are using a lean or regular ground beef, PLEASE drain the fat after the meat is no longer pink. I have purchased ground beef from a local farm and typically a 1/2 cup of fat comes out of the meat. It will be too much and give the sauce an oily mouthfeel.
Nutrition Per Serving (with extra-lean ground beef): Calories 214 kcal | Carbohydrates 11 g | Protein 18.1 | Fat 8.6 g | Sodium 692 mg | Potassium 373 mg | Fiber 0.6 g | Vitamin A 174.6 μg | Calcium: 84.7 mg | Iron: 3.9 mg