Bolognese Sauce
The Real Secret of the Chamber of Commerce in Bologna
⏱️ Preparation time: 20 minutes
Preparation & simmering time: 3 hours
👥 Number of people: 4 to 6 people
👨🍳 Level: Easy / Traditional
When the aroma of gently simmering pancetta, crispy sofrito, and rich beef wafts through the alleys of the old town of Bologna, you know that a culinary heritage is being crafted. Ragù alla Bolognese is not a quick weekday meal and absolutely not a red tomato sauce with some minced meat. It is an epic of patience, tradition, and absolute dedication.
In 1982, the Accademia Italiana della Cucina, together with the Chamber of Commerce in Bologna, decided that the diluted versions of this iconic dish needed to be stopped. They established the only true, official recipe in a notarial deed. This authentic ragù is not about an abundance of tomatoes or a selection of dried herbs, but about the harmony between quality meat, a perfect sofrito, dry red wine, and the magical element that softens everything: whole milk.
Step into the kitchens of Emilia-Romagna and discover how to prepare the one true classic in the way that Italians have honoured it for generations.
What do you need? (Ingredients)
150 g
pancetta
500 g
minced beef
50 g celery
50 g
carrot
50 g
onion
150 ml
Red wine
150 ml whole milk
300 g
sieved tomato passata
15 ml
extra virgin olive oil.
500 ml
Runderbouillon
Peper en zout
to taste
Optional:
A small pinch of nutmeg
👨🍳 The Preparation (Step-by-step)
Step 1
Chop the vegetables and pancetta
Peel the onion and carrot. Cut the onion, carrot, and celery into very small cubes. Also chop the pancetta finely. By cutting everything small, a cohesive sauce will form during the stewing.
Make the soffritto
Heat the olive oil in a heavy frying pan. Add the pancetta and fry over low to medium heat for about 5 minutes, allowing the fat to gradually render.
Add the onion, carrot, and celery. Let it cook gently for 10–15 minutes, stirring regularly. The vegetables should become soft without colouring.
Fry the minced beef
Increase the heat slightly and add the minced beef. Break it up with a wooden spoon and fry for about 10–15 minutes. Allow the released moisture to evaporate and give the meat time to brown lightly.
Add the wine. Stir the browned bits loose and let the wine reduce for a few minutes, until most of the moisture has evaporated.
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Add the tomato and let it simmer
Stir the passata into the meat and add 200 ml of warm water or light broth. Bring it gently to a simmer.
Turn the heat low and place the lid slightly on the pan. Let the ragù simmer very gently for about 2 hours. Stir occasionally and add a small splash of warm water or broth each time the sauce threatens to become too dry.
Add the milk
Stir the milk into the ragù and let the sauce simmer gently for another 30 minutes. Remove the lid if necessary to allow excess moisture to evaporate.
The ragù is ready when the meat is tender and the sauce is thick and cohesive. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
Serve or use as a base
Serve the Bolognese sauce with tagliatelle or use it as a filling for lasagne. For a main course, count on about one-sixth of the sauce per person.
Mix the sauce briefly with the cooked pasta when serving. You may add a splash of pasta water to help the ragù coat the pasta well.
Step 6
Step 5
The secrets of Nonnan Kelvini
A good ragù simmers gently: it doesn’t boil vigorously.
Small, gentle bubbles give the meat time to become tender and allow the flavours to meld together. Add little moisture at a time while stewing. This way, you maintain control over the thickness.
Also, cook the minced meat long enough before adding the tomato. That light browning gives your homemade Bolognese sauce extra depth.
Make this ragù with Italian products from Kelvini
Choose Italian passata and extra virgin olive oil from the Kelvini range as the base for this ragù alla bolognese. Add your own fresh meat, vegetables, wine and milk. Combine the sauce with tagliatelle from our webshop or use it for a homemade lasagne.
Directly from Italy, free delivery from €49.95.