Bolognese Ragù sauce
Bolognese ragù, is one of the best-known sauces from Emilia-Romagna, especially Bologna, where it is deeply tied to Sunday cooking and handmade pasta. It is traditionally served with egg pasta such as tagliatelle, and it is also one of the classic fillings for lasagne alla bolognese.
If you want to master your own spag bol at home, this is where it starts. A proper ragù is not a quick tomato sauce, but a slow-cooked base built with soffritto, pancetta and beef, gently simmered until rich, balanced and full of flavour.
Ingredients ( Serves 4 )
400 g beef mince
150 g fresh pancetta
60 g carrot
60 g celery
60 g golden onion
200 g tomato passata
1 tbsp tomato purée
200 ml hot vegetable stock
1 glass red wine
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Fine sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Method
Finely chop the onion, celery and carrot to make the soffritto.
Finely chop the pancetta.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy saucepan, then add the pancetta and cook gently until it starts to release its fat.
Add the chopped vegetables and let them soften slowly over a low heat, stirring often. They should become soft without browning.
Raise the heat slightly and add the beef mince. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring well and breaking up the meat.
Pour in the red wine and let the alcohol evaporate.
Stir in the tomato purée, then add the passata and the hot stock.
Cover partially and cook over a very low heat for about 2 hours, stirring from time to time.
Season with salt and black pepper halfway through cooking. Add a little more stock if the ragù becomes too dry.
Serve with fresh tagliatelle or use for lasagne.
Tips and Variations
Chop the soffritto very finely for a smoother sauce.
Keep the heat low throughout most of the cooking.
The ragù should be rich, not too wet.
It is even better the next day.
History of Tigelle
Ragù alla bolognese is one of the defining sauces of Bologna and has long been associated with egg pasta and festive family meals. The recipe is so important to the city’s culinary identity that a reference version was officially recorded by the Accademia Italiana della Cucina. Alongside other traditional specialities such as Tigelle flatbread and comforting dishes like Fried Bread Dumplings, it reflects the rich and deeply rooted food culture of Emilia-Romagna.
