Bolognese Sauce
A proper beef built around lean ground beef, carrot and celery stalk β roughly 70 minutes start to finish, and rated medium to make. Below: the ingredients split into pantry staples and a quick shopping list, a built-in serving scaler, and the method in 7 steps.
You'll mainly reach for large pot and saucepan. At medium difficulty across 7 steps, it's manageable with a little attention.
What you'll need
Shopping list (5)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
π Unit converter
How to make it
- Finely dice the onion, carrot and celery, then warm the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat and soften the vegetables with a pinch of salt for about 8 minutes until they are tender but not browned.
- Stir in the minced garlic and cook for one minute until fragrant, then push the vegetables aside and add the ground beef.
- Raise the heat and brown the beef well, breaking it up with a spoon until no pink remains and any liquid has cooked off, which deepens the flavour.
- Stir in the tomato paste and let it toast for a minute, then pour in the red wine and scrape the bottom of the pot, simmering until the wine has mostly evaporated.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, beef stock, bay leaf and oregano, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Lower the heat and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for at least 45 minutes to 1 hour until the sauce is thick and rich, adding a splash of water if it gets too dry.
- Remove the bay leaf, taste and adjust the seasoning, then toss with cooked pasta and serve.
You'll use: Large pot Β· Saucepan
Ingredient substitutions
- Red Wine
- beef stock + 1 tsp red wine vinegar Β· grape juice + vinegar
Tips & common questions
How long does Bolognese Sauce take to make?
About 70 minutes from start to finish β an estimate based on the 7 steps and 14 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of red wine?
Try beef stock + 1 tsp red wine vinegar. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes β use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
How should I store leftovers?
Cool leftovers quickly, refrigerate in an airtight container, and eat within 3 days. Reheat until piping hot throughout.
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Bolognese Sauce is an original recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Tagliatelle ragΓΉ bolognese 01.jpg by https://www.flickr.com/photos/wordridden/, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top β how we source recipes.