Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Bolognese Sauce – Hip Hip Hazan!

This bolognese sauce is dedicated to the late, great Marcella Hazan, who passed away in September, at the age of 89. She was considered the Julia Child of Italian food, and at a time when most Americans though “bolognese” was spaghetti sauce with chunks of hamburger it, Marcella taught us just how magnificent this meat sauce could be.

One thing that always surprises people making this recipe for the first time is the absence of garlic. Hazan railed against the common belief that garlic should be added to any and all Italian recipes. She once wrote, “the unbalanced use of garlic is the single greatest cause of failure in would-be Italian cooking,” and “Garlic can be exciting when you turn to it sporadically, on impulse, but on a regular basis, it is tiresome.”

Would a few minced garlic cloves ruin this incredibly delicious pasta sauce? Probably not, but since this is supposed to be something of a tribute, I decided to remain true. Speaking of ingredients, I used ground beef here, but I’ve also done this with cubed chuck roast, which works wonderfully as well.

Anyway, I really hope you give this classic bolognese a try, and if you do, and there’s some extra wine around, please raise a glass, and toast the “Nonna” of Italian cuisine in America. Enjoy!


Ingredients for 6 portions:
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 cup finely diced onions
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1/2 cup finely diced carrot
1 1/2  tsp salt, or to taste
freshly ground black pepper and cayenne to taste
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/2 lb ground beef
1 1/2 cups milk
2 cups white wine
1 can San Marzano plum tomatoes (28-oz), about 3 cups
2 cups water, or as needed

131 comments:

Weibaby said...

Hi Chef John, just wondering when you are simmering the sauce, do you cover the pot or leave it open? why and why not? Thanks :)

Chef John said...

Uncovered, since you want the water to simmer out, leaving a thick rich sauce.

ice pandora said...

Mhmmm looks really good c: Xx

Unknown said...

Is it possible to do that in a pressure cooker, if not, why is that?

kathleen Miles said...

this looks great, John! I know I'm the boss of my Bolognese, but why no garlic? Would I ruin it if I added garlic?

Marijane said...

I have been making Marcella's Bolognese sauce for 20+ years exactly as she wrote the recipe. It is delicious, and though I've tried many others over time, none have been better than this! It freezes beautifully, too. Thanks for bringing this amazing recipe to the attention of others, in Marcella's memory. Ciao!

Unknown said...

pretty neat, at least for american standards!

I will try that tho, ty!

Mar-One said...

Chef John, you forgot the nutmeg in the list of ingredients.

Chef John said...

Dustin, I accidentally deleted your comment. She didn't use anchovies, so I didn't, but I'm sure it's a common addition for some salt.

Chef John said...

Kathleen, OMG! You didn't read the post!! ;) (please see post for garlic answer)

S/V Blondie-Dog said...

Greetings Chef, no disrespect to donia Marcella but I'll be sure to trick up her recipe jest' a tad.

I say forgit' da' nutmeg but yes to da' garlic and sum' capers, and sum' anchovies and lastly sum' red pepper flakes or sprinkles as my finicky-lady friend prefers to call 'em.

And it be your fault dat' I now cook wit' anchovies 'cause you done turned me onto dem'.

Thanks! Your da' best!

FSB said...

Grandpa won't be cookin' any more spaghetti and Safeway marinara sauce for the kids... we be goin' crazy with Bolognese!

Mark said...

This looks to be the inspiration behind you spicy sausage ragu pasta sacue recipe. Love that easy recipe but I always wondered about the white wine only instrucions.

So I have to ask can I use red wine? I always have a bottle of red on hand but not so much white.

Will have to try this one soon.

Thanks,
Mark

Unknown said...

No anchovies when using a meat sauce. Its a rule.

Chef John said...

I've used red wine before just to use up, and it works fine, but I prefer the softer edge of the white.

bdwilcox said...

Chef John, you are WRONG. You are the Willie Mays of your bolognese.

VinnyF said...

Would only using one pound of beef ruin the consistancy? I can only get ground beef by the pound and if i buy 2 pounds the other half would end up going to waste

fany said...

Hi Chef John!!
I loved your recipe, will give it a try!! Btw, do you think that cooking and food can be considered art?

fany said...

Hi Chef John!!
I loved your recipe, will give it a try!! Btw, do you think that food and cooking can be considered art? Thank you!!

Roberto said...

Chef John:

At the risk of picking nits, I'll say you nailed the pronunciation of "bolognese" .......... "tagliatelle", not so much.

The Italian letter combination "gn" is tricky. You correctly pronounced like the "gn" in "Poignant,". The letter combination "gli" in tagliatelle is even more tricky. If you drop the "g" you'll be close and if you replace "gli" with the Spanish "LL" you'll be near perfect.

Unknown said...

Great recipe I love using a little white wine in the veggies and red wine once the meat browns but I'll be making this tomorrow as written but 1? is that a 4 quart sauce pan I just bought a All-Clad 4 quart pan

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Peter Hansen said...

Other bosses of bolognese:
Jon Benet
Art Vandalay
Tina Fey
Faye Dunaway
Sade

Peter Hansen said...

Other bosses of Bolognese:
Jon Benet
Art Vandalay
Tina Fey
Faye Dunaway
Sade

Chef John said...

Use 2 pounds!

Chef John said...

Or just make half a recipe.

Anonymous said...

Chef John, does a "traditional" bolognese have and sugar added to it? The store-bought sauces (abominations, I know) all seem to be a lot sweeter than the traditional home mades recipes.

Michael Minasian said...

Chef John -

I hate to be that guy... but Bolognese al Ragu doesn't have tomatoes in it... just tomato paste! Bologna says keep your tomatoes out of your Bolognese!

Michael Minasian said...

Chef John -

I hate to be that guy... but Bolognese al Ragu doesn't have tomatoes in it... just tomato paste! Bologna says keep your tomatoes out of your Bolognese!

Chef John said...

Don't take this the wrong way, but you want me to trust you over Marcella Hazan?

Jon S said...

So do we not actually want to brown the meat before adding the liquids? It looks like we just break it up and get it no longer pink, right?

Chef John said...

Yes, just break it into crumbles and add the rest.

Chef John said...

I think it's a 6 qt.

Marijane said...

In answer to fany's question (above) ...
I have an old copy of Marcella Hazan's cookbook, "The Classic Italian Cookbook" and it is subtitled... "The art of Italian cooking and the Italian art of eating.". I guess she felt that cooking is an art, and I totaly agree with her!

Unknown said...

i don't eat red meat, can i try this with ground turkey?

Chef John said...

Ground turkey? No.

Chef John said...

Not only is cooking an art, it's the only one that's appreciated with all 5 senses!

Yellow Reggae said...

Would it be wise to add a touch of sugar to take the edge off the canned tomatoes or does the milk add that sweetness already? I usually use canned plum tomatoes because San marzano is hard to find and very expensive. I usually add sugar to my tomato dishes anyway so what do you think about that? X

Laura and Peter Zeranski said...

Dear Chef John: someone said you were of Polish descent...if so, you might be interested in our two heritage Polish cook books and blog
www.polishclassiccooking.com
Peter

Chef John said...

Sure, you can always adjust a sauce with some sugar!

Yahretzky said...

It's a first for me with absolutely no herbs (except the parsley garni). If I was to add some what would you suggest Chef John?

fany said...

Thank you for your answer!! I´m doing an essay for my art class, and I want to talk about food and cooking being art. May I quote your opinion Chef John?
Also, I would appreciate a little more discussion about this subject, if it is possible!

Unknown said...

hello chef,
thanks alot for all the great recipes. was wondering if i can use any other ingredient without alcohol instead of wine?

Chef John said...

Yes, you can quote me on that!

Chef John said...

Benyamin, you can adjust for sweetness and acidity with vinegar and sugar, but nothing will replace the wine. BTW, the alcohol boils out, so it's not in the finished dish

Tom Houy said...

I was always curious why neither of her sauce recipes (this one, and the other well known one with just butter, onion and crushed tomatoes)included any herbs. Is it uncommon in some areas of Italy to not use herbs in a red sauce?

Unknown said...

Made your recipe for dinner!
First off my home is just full of the smell of this pasta it has permeated every room it's a really rich smell it's amazing the flavor is so excellent hearty and with all this depth
I also feel so damn cool having cooked this :)
Strut yo stuff chef Jon! Tru fan fo life!!!!! XD

Unknown said...

Chef, what kind of white wine is used? Sweet, dry, expensive, cheap? I've not really cooked with wine before and I would hate to ruin the dish by getting the wrong type.

Chef John said...

Not sweet, just a regular cheap, but drinkable white table wine.

Unknown said...

Chef John - Just made this for my family and it was a hit. Doubled it and now we'll have left overs tomorrow. Was a lovely rich and hearty meal. We had some of your no-knead ciabatta on the side. Delicious.

Thanks for the great videos

Jasmine

shesfiction said...

Hey Chef John,
In your opinion would the flavour profile of this be noticeably altered if I were to use a food processor instead of doing a fine dice for the aromatic vegetables? I remember you mentioning a difference in taste when you diced the onions for french onion soup as opposed to the traditional french cut..... but in that case onion really was the main flavour. I know there is no way you could possibly know without trying, but Id love to hear your opinion .
Thanks,
-Shannon

Sandra from Montreal said...

We're making this tomorrow - only because I have faith in you, because every recipe we've tried of yours has turned out fantastically! The thought of pasta sauce without garlic or basil is hard to imagine, but I suspect this recipe will be as amazing as all your others...

Chef John said...

I'm sure it would be ok!

Unknown said...

Chef John,

I didn't have carrots, but oddly enough, I had parsnips, so I used those instead, sameish shape, right? It was great! I might make it with parsnips from now! Thanks!

Cody said...

How can I get the "method" for cooking without trying to transcribe the video?

Chef John said...

You can't until Allrecipes transcribes the video and adds a link below the Ing., but if you google "hazan bolognese"you will see a hundred written versions.

Gary said...

I've always wanted to learn how to make this sauce...I love the tenderness of the meat in it. With 4-6 hours of simmering - now I know why it's so tender! And the milk and wine...YUM!

Alec006 said...

I can't believe checking out about her I've realized that she died a month ago

Unknown said...

Hello (: My sauce is currently simmering away but there is a problem :( the milk split or curdled i think? how do i avoid this? As a precaution i did go out and buy a deep pan 3 cheese pizza and a stonebake thin and crispy meat feast pizza so all is ok :D

Unknown said...

Hi! Thank you for this wonderful recipe! Can I freeze this sauce and what's the best way?

kwh1982 said...

Chef John:

Love your stuff! Chicken D'Ardudini is popular thing around are house with so many other of your recipes. This looks great I just wanted to ask if dry nutmeg will work if I am unable to grate the fresh stuff? Second, will a dutch over work well for this?

Bogdan Belcea said...

Hello Chef :)
Last evening I gave it a try and managed to simmer the sauce for about 3h.
My question is if there might be something to keep in mind if I want to put it again on the burner for another 3h this evening.

I know that I have to watch the liquid level and add water as needed.
Of course I will closely watch it when I will bring it up to temperature and stir it frequently to make sure that I do not burn it.
(The sauce is currently in the fridge)

I do have to say that the ground beef seems a bit stringy and not really that tender.
Anything else that might come to you mind ?

Sandy said...

I am so excited to make this tomorrow. I will be like Roadhouse Patrick Swayze, because this is going to kick some serious butt.

Anonymous said...

I hope someday you show us how to make tagliatelle so you can say, "You are the Machiavelli of your tagliatelle."

S/V Blondie-Dog said...

Greetings Chef! I'll has ya' knows dat' I now done added this hearty meal recipe to my Food Wishes notebook. And I'll also has ya' knows dat' dis' meal was delish and dat' even my hard to please finicky ladyfriend gave it her stamp of approval. I did nevertheless forego the nutmeg in favor of sum' minced garlic. Sorry Marcella!

Thanks! You're da' best!

Eitan Altshuler said...

With love & respect: But mine came out bland and watery. Too much meat in the dish forbade me from reducing it down more - and the meat got dry. I rec. 500g. And it definitely needs sugar/garlic, maybe some herb. Of course, I'm no Chef John or Hazan.

Eitan Altshuler said...

Mine came out bland. Definitely needs garlic, sugar, maybe herb. I thought it was too much meat. I used 700g. - I rec. 500g or less. Too much meat forbade me from reducing the sauce to a thick, creamy consistency - and the meat came out dry. Simmered gently for 5 hours. Of course, I am no Chef John or Hazan.

Chef John said...

Bland almost always means needed salt. Regarding texture, I used all the same measurements, and it was a beautiful consistency, so not sure what happened.

Unknown said...

Hi Chef John, I loved this sauce! I didn't have cayenne and I used red wine instead of white and milk, but it was delicious!!, Next time I will try to do it exactly as you say! Greetings from a Costa RIcan!!!

Anonymous said...

I made this last night to go into a lasagna I made for my wife's birthday (otherwise using Chef John's Christmas Lasagna recipe, of course! And since it was for a birthday, I went the extra mile and made "Homemades" lasagna dough -- which was good but overkill).

I really loved this sauce.

I used half beef and half Italian sausage (almost two pounds of meat in total), plus twelve ounces (I think) of chopped mushrooms. I really liked the mellowness of the white wine as opposed to red here. I ended up using two 28-oz cans of tomatoes rather than one can plus water, and thought it was perhaps a bit too saucy for the lasagna, but otherwise was lovely! And since I made a small lasagna (9x13) I had enough sauce left over to freeze two jars!

Thanks Chef John!

Impossibly Ethereal said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
lin said...

what kind of white wine do u use? lik the name of the bottle

Sinister_Drew said...

Going to make this tonight! Would it make a difference if I cooked with the wine first then the milk?

Unknown said...

Hi Chef John, I'm curious to know what keeps the milk from curdling when you add the wine? Thank you!

Krellicious said...

Hi Chef John,
I am making this right now. Getting ready to add the wine. Do you promise all of the alcohol cooks off? I plan to take some of this to school for a teacher luncheon tomorrow. If I get my kid's teachers drunk, it could be a problem.
Thanks!

Chef John said...

Yes! You're safe!

dot_chan said...

I just finised making this sauce and it was the worst I made. Meat come out hard and dry :( Can someone tell me what I did wrong?

I admit I change recipe a bit. I used pork shoulder, removed fat, membranes and other tissues that won't cook well and ground it. I fried meat breaking it up like chef John said and transfered it all to a pot. Its more handy for me to fry on a pan. Then I deglazed a pan with some water and poured it over meat. I skipped the part with milk and white wine and went straight to adding tomatoes.

I wasn't sure about this step. My mom always taught me to add tomatoes at the end when meat is tender, cause otherwise it won't cook through. Since chef John did it this way, I did too, but can it be the reason why my meat stayed hard? I cooked it for 3 hours, by this time any pork sauce would have meat so tender that it would fall apart. While mine tastes like i would fry it for just 20 minutes.

Or is it how bolognese sauce should taste like? I eat it only in local take out stores where it did taste like it was fried for a short time.

Can anyone give me some advice? Cause now I'm left with a lot of sauce that noone in my family wants to eat and it looks like I will have to eat it by myself.

Chef John said...

When you make that many changes, I can't really help!

dot_chan said...

I wrote a lot, but didn't change much.

- used ground pork instead of ground beef
- didn't add milk and wine
- instead of wine I added water from deglazing pan

I know I will want to try this recipe again, it looks so yummy. So could you at least answer this questions?
1. can ground meat in bolognese sauce be realy soft and tender? So soft that it will start to fall apart and not be dry?
2. I always added tomatoes when meat was tender. Won't adding tomatoes at the beginning stop meat from being tender?
3. why does it need even 6 hours to cook? Will there be any nutritions left after such a long cooking?

Thank you :)

Chef John said...

The wine and milk are crucial!

1. It's ALWAYS soft and tender since it's tiny pieces and cook so long!
2. No
3. To develop flavor and tenderness. Protein doesn't lose nutrition cooking!

dot_chan said...

Thank you, I will try it again.

Unknown said...

Hey Chef John, what would you recommend, in general for cooking, not just here, as a non-alcoholic substitute for wine?

Steve Kennedy said...

Probably poking in my 2 cents where it's not wanted. Alcohol evaporates out of the wine at about 175 degrees Fahrenheit. When you bring it to a simmer at 212 degrees, there is no longer any alcohol in the wine. All that is left is the flavor. The alcohol has left the dish and become vapor in the air.

Chef John said...

That's basically true, although a trace amount of alcohol does remain. Not enough to have any effect, but people still think they can't have it.

Unknown said...

Hi Chef,

Can you elaborate on why we're reducing the milk and wine, only to add more water after the tomato is added? That is, what changes if we did not reduce the milk and wine, and left out the excess water? Are those flavors incorporating into the meat & veg as opposed to the sauce?

aaron.y said...

Chef John, somehow my sauce is little sour. not sure if it has anything to do with one spoon of tomato paste that I added. I add little sugar to balance the taste. What else you could do if your sauce is little sour?

Chef John said...

Sorry, but i don't know of a way to un-sour sauces. You could try a tiny pinch of baking soda to neutralize the acid.

Unknown said...

Hi Chef John, I was wondering if I could use half & half or heavy cream instead of milk? Or would that change the taste? Thanks!

Ivan said...

Hi there. It's Ivan, writing from Italy. I like your site and this recipe is quite the right one, but the traditional recipe is a bit different and it's treasured by the "Accademia Italiana della Cucina" (Italian Cousine Academy).
Give it a a try (metric mesures serving 4):
- 300g gound beef;
- 100g ground unsmoked bacon;
- 50cc red wine (Sangiovese);
- 100cc beef stock;
- 5 ts tomato paste;
- 50g onion diced;
- 50g carrot diced;
- 50g celery diced;
- 1 ts heavy cream;
- salt and pepper to taste.

Olive oil in the pan, then add vegetables. Sauté util onion is transparent, then add meat and cook until brown. Add wine and let evaporate. Add tomato paste, salt, pepper and stock. Simmer over low heat for a couple of hours or untile desired thikness. Add cream when almost done. Enjoy.

Unknown said...

Thanks chef for another amazing recipe. I made this with some 'homemades', Rosemary pull apart buns (which I turned into garlic buns) and scalloped taytoes. The hubby made questionable noises as he engulfed his seconds. You never let me down... I swear your recipes are the glue in my happy marriage
Happy cooking,
Michelle

ChefJohnsBiggestFan said...

Hey ! I made this last night and everyone freaked. As in a GOOD way. They loved loved loved it. Thank you for another fantabulous recipe sir <3

Chef John said...

So glad you liked it! Thank you!

Thea G. said...

I love you Chef John! I just finished following the recipe word for word and am in 15 minutes of the 4 hours of simmering. I made your rosemary focaccia two nights ago (and it's almost gone), and i'm making the easy salmon sauce (basil, garlic, ginger etc) tonight, which every time I do, it comes out amazing. Thank you so much for all of your recipes, I check your blog on a weekly basis and introduced it to my dad, too. We all love your recipes and your sense of humor! I think some of the comments I read are weird and hilarious (in a bad way), and I never leave comments on anything on the internet but i wanted you to know you have followers that truly appreciate your work and are not insane! ;) Sorry for the long comment- like I said I never leave internet comments so I have bad comment etiquette. Thank you, and I hope you never stop providing us with amazing recipes and your awesome personality!

-Theadora from San Francisco

Thea G. said...

About my above comment- I don't know why they have me as "cute waitress" - I never chose that name, but I am a waitress. Weird.

Unknown said...

Marcella Hazan (April 15, 1924 – September 29, 2013) A proper dedication.

Keith said...

This is a fantastic recipe and you've done Marcella Hazan proud, Chef John! I did a mashup and used this bolognese in your Christmas Lasagna instead of the store-bought marinara sauce. Talk about out-of-this-world incredible!

Marjorie said...

I'm guessing the reason one person found the recipe to be runny and watery after 4 hours may be due to leaving the lid on the pot for the long cooking period, which would have prevented the water from evaporating.
I've made the recipe also, and it is very good but the second time around I added too much cayenne for my taste, so a bit too hot and spicy for me. Just mentioning this for others who may also not tolerate spicy foods really well.

Unknown said...

Does the time to simmer out the milk and wine differ depending on the size of your pot? I am using a large Creuset dutch oven and simmering out the milk is taking over an hour. Am I missing something? Thanks.

Dave

Patrick said...

Excellent recipe Chef Jon, I'm glad I followed your frequent suggestions that you need to be the [insert authoritative character] of your [food analog].

I kept adding salt, pepper and sugar until it tasted just right, but it still was lacking something. For umami I added 1-2 tbsp of fish sauce, and that helped a lot. Finally, I added a lot more cayenne and red pepper flakes and man did it come out fantastic, easily the best meat sauce ever. Very filling and plenty of leftovers for the week ahead.

Anonymous said...

Hello Chef! Could I use a sweet sausage in place of the beef, for a sweeter sauce? Many Thanks!

Bartleby said...

Hi Chef John, could I triple the ingredients in a 6 quart pot? I have a 5 pound can of tomatoes!! Thanks!

Unknown said...

Dear Chef John...

I just finished the sauce & wanted to let you know that it was absolutely FABULOUS!!! It was rich, velvety, and oh-so flavorful - a perfect balance between the wine and cream and tomato and aromatics. Perfect combination of flavors.

I have followed your blog post for a while and have yet to be disappointed - MY COMPLIMENTS!!!

Adam said...

Tried this a few months back adding a half pound of sweet italian sausage meat. Was amazing, but the color was very off. Ended up much more brown than red, and the tomato flavor wasn't really there.

Going to try again soon, but with another can of tomatoes. Can't decide if i want to use another 28-oz can or a smaller one.

Love the recipe though.

Unknown said...

Greetings, Chef Jonh. What do you think about using vegetable stock instead of water?

beemo said...

Dear CJ, yesterday I made your version of Marcella Hazan's Bolognese sauce, following all instructions and ingredients to the letter; and it was a long, laborious, and MOST enjoyable experience. Results fantastic. Mother, old pasta-sauce hand, was extremely impressed (and entertained). Plenty left over to feast on for the next few days. Beemo is happy.

Locomotive_breath said...

Hi Chef John

I made this sauce today. The only chnage I made was that I used ground lamb instead of beef (and thereby managed to keep the Hindu gods happy :) ). The result was terrific. I even bought mezzi rigatoni for this dish. And you are absolutely correct about cooking it for 4-6 hours. I tasted for seasoning at the 3 hour mark and was disappointed to find it rather bland and the meat very granular. But it started to come together at the 4.5 hour mark and when we EST it after almost 6 hours of cooking it was creamy and delicious. I intend to try it next time with half the amount of meat and mushrooms for the other half. Hopefully it will feel a little lighter then. But this recipe is definitely a keeper for me.

Thanks Chef John.

Unknown said...

I realize I'm late to the party here. Would adding milk and wine at the same time to reduce affect the flavor profile? I'd like to save working time without taking any flavor shortcuts.

Karen said...

Is it possible to use soy or almond milk instead of cow's milk for this recipe? Thank you for your wonderful videos!

FSB said...

A watched sauce never seems to reduce... especially if you've been sampling the wine to be sure it's of the highest Chef John quality. I'll keep stirring!

Ruben said...

Nice recipe. Love it!

isolde1224 said...

Chef,

Can this recipe be doubled or tripled proportionately or should the salt and or other seasonings be reduced/increased to avoid a bland or over seasoned result?

Kostia said...

How much pasta in grams will i have to to cook to utulize all of the sauce with the ingrediat amountts you provided. I would rather for it to be a left over sauce but nothing use it on.

Jojo said...

I had to go off book, but this is a great jumping off point for my own riff, thank you Chef John!

I went with cream, since I didn't have milk. I went with a bit of cider, since I didn't have any wine. (Only like 1 cup — it didn't make things too sweet at all.)

I also didn't have 4 hours, so I browned my meat, reduced the liquids for 5 minutes or so, and added a quart of red sauce I had in the freezer. I let this simmer for 30-45 minutes, and — while I'm sure it's not nearly as good as the actual recipe — it was 10x better than just adding ground beef to my sauce.

[Chef finger kissing gif]!

Unknown said...

Hi chef! Amazing video but one question I know you e said any regular white wine but I'm having trouble which to pick this will be my very first time cooking with wine so could you tell me the brand you used please? Just so I won't screw it up lol

Super duper mom said...

I've made this several times. It is hands down my favorite sauce recipe. I've tried a few alterations, but the only ones I'll stick with are garlic (sorry, I'm a garlic lover) and using a pressure cooker to reduce the cooking time after making your Chili Colorado. What do you think about that idea, Chef?

Unknown said...

What fat percentage was the ground beef? chuck? 75% 85%? Thanks.

Seebs said...

Just thought I would leave a note saying that this sauce was absolutely fantastic! The meat was very tender and flavorable. I am typically not a heavy red sauce with pasta eater, but this sauce was light and not over powering (probably because there was no garlic). Thanks Chef John for the videos - keep them coming!

Danny said...

Chef John.

Congratulation for being an amazing Chef and I enjoy all your recipes!

Maybe you can help me with this question. Why did you add the milk in the beginning and let it evaporate. I am learning this recipe and in the original and registered recipe in Italy they add the milk in the very end to give a silk texture to the sauce. I trust both ways are delicious, but I was just wondering from a Chef point of view and knowledge and for learning purpose only, if their is a reason for different procedure?

Thanks in advance!

Vancouverite said...

trying this today!

David said...

Just FYI, the above recipe is not 100% in keeping with Marcella's. Most of the ingredient amounts are equivalent, but Marcella calls for significantly more carrots and celery (~2/3c of each per 3/4 pounds of meat). Not sure if this was a typo or intentional but (IMO) the sauce is definitely better with more carrots and celery.

Unknown said...

I made this last night and it was amazing! I doubled the recipe and used a mixture of ground turkey and beef since I am trying not to eat too much red meat. Besides that, I followed the recipe to a T. Thanks Chef John. Your recipes are timeless and I have enjoyed every meal so far!

Unknown said...

Of all the Bolognese sauce recipes that I have used over the years, this one is by far the very best that I have prepared for pasta meals. Every guest raved about this sauce and I am so grateful to you for sharing with us on your wonderful site. Thanks very much and best regards.

Unknown said...

Would it be wrong do go half beef, half uncased hot Italian sausage?

Adam said...

@Brian Marks:
I'm pretty sure this is a *really* flexible recipe. I know i always use half ground beef half sweet Italian sausage, and it comes out amazing.

Wayne Gordon said...

For all those (few?) who might bother reading to the end of the comments section nearly 5 years after this recipe was posted...ALWAYS keep in mind that you are your own chef John of getting your cooking urge on! To wit...
I prefer red wine for adding more fruity notes - I buy the little 4 packs of bottles so I don't need to open a big bottle and only use a little bit as
I'm not a big wine drinker and only use it for cooking. I add Italian seasoning blend for more complex herbal notes, as well as a couple bay leaves, 2 tablespoons of Better than Bullion, and 8 ounces of chopped shrooms, and my meat is 1 lb. ground beef, 1 pound mild Italian sausage, 4 oz sautéed pancetta. I add 1 cup or so of finely grated pecorino romano at the very END as well as a 5 oz can of condensed milk. A long simmer/cook time is critical (3-4 hours) and you want to fiddle with your heat setting
so that every 15-20 minutes a little bit of fond forms at the bottom of the
pot which you scrape off the bottom and stir in to the concoction. Over the course of the cook, You'll go from a reddish sauce to one that is almost maroon/brownish red. Of course I realize these changes all add up to an
absolute heresy of the spirit of chef John's tribute to Marcella Hazan, but I'm just sharing my take on Bolognese, which has been refined and synthesized from looking at oodles of recipes - and always gets raves and marriage proposals :-). This is about version 15.0beta, and I'll add nutmeg next time for version 16.0b.

Tom in NJ said...

This was the first of your recipes that I tried. It came out AWESOME! My sister has been making Bolognese sauce for decades and was Completely Jealous of this. Mind you, she was saying that as she got a second helping. Yes, it takes time, but after the milk and wine reduction steps, it really is just time and a stir and maybe a splash, so not difficult. Thanks so much for posting this.

stitcharoo said...

How can I print this recipe from this post ?

Anonymous said...

Looks great! Can you make this in a slow-cooker?

Unknown said...

Hi Chef John!
I’m making this sauce right now and will again in the future I’m sure. Could I add the milk and wine at the same time and let them reduce together or would something go amiss? Thanks!

Renato said...

Why add all the water?? Thins out the sauce far too much.

Adam said...

Renato, its to allow it to simmer for 4-6 hours...