Rigatoni Bolognese
An Italian classic sauce that's rich, thick with a complex flavor you won't soon forget. While it takes a little time to make it right, the directions are simple and easy to follow.
Prep Time30 minutes mins
Cook Time4 hours hrs
Total Time4 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: dinner, Italian, main course, pasta
Servings: 6
Calories: 614kcal
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup minced or grated onion
- ⅓ cup grated carrot
- ⅓ cup minced celery
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 pound meatloaf mix or 1/3 pound each ground chuck veal and pork or 2 parts beef and 1 part pork
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 28 ounce can whole tomatoes chopped fine (reserve juice)
- dash nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
For serving:
- 1 pound rigatoni pasta tagliatelle or pappardelle
- fresh grated Parmesan cheese
- fresh parsley leaves chopped
Heat the butter and vegetable oil in a large heavy bottom pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery and sauté until soft but not brown. Add the tomato paste and stir until all the vegetables are coated and the paste darkens in color, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Next add the ground meat and season with salt. Crumble the meat as it cooks breaking it apart into tiny pieces. Cook and crumble the meat until no longer pink but not browned.
Pour in the milk and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the milk evaporates and only clear fat remains, about 15 minutes. Add the wine and reduce the heat to medium low. Bring to a low simmer. Continue cooking and smashing the beef with a wooden spoon until the wine evaporates and the surface of the pot is almost dry, about 15 minutes. The beef should be finely ground and reduced to little bits.
Add the tomatoes with juice, nutmeg and pepper and bring to simmer. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting so the sauce barely simmers with an occasional bubble or two at the surface until all liquid has evaporated, about 3 hours. It should look like a sloppy Joe mixture.
Check the seasoning and add salt if needed. At this point the sauce can be refrigerated for several days or frozen for up to two months. Rewarm over low heat before serving.
Inspired by recipes from: Cook’s Illustrated, Bon Appétit, New York Times and Marcella Hazan
- This recipe makes about 4 cups of sauce, enough to serve 6 hungry people
. I always double the sauce and freeze half for another meal. It may take longer to cook down a larger batch of sauce, but it’s worth it
Nutritional information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered as an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.
Calories: 614kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 511mg | Potassium: 618mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1750IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 123mg | Iron: 4mg