My husband requested this Pasta Bolognese recipe for our Christmas Eve dinner, and I was a bit skeptical, as I like for our Christmas Eve dinner to be extremely special. But this recipe proved to be truly excellent. Great for a special occasion or a cozy, Sunday family dinner, this bolognese is as close as I’ve ever come to mimicking my all time favorite dish, the Tagliatelle al ragu from Mother’s and Sons restaurant here in Durham, North Carolina.
I have tried this with variations, additions and substitutions and I am here to tell you – resist the urge to tinker with this one. It’s never as good as the original. So here its, Bon Appetit’s Best Bolgonese!
Recipe by Andy Baraghani for Bon Appetit, Photos by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Kate Bucken
Bon Appetit’s Best Bolognese
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 celery stalk chopped
- 1 small carrot peeled, chopped
- 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 lb. ground beef chuck 20% fat, patted dry
- Kosher salt
- 3 oz. thinly sliced pancetta finely chopped
- 1 cup dry white wine
- ⅓ cup tomato paste
- 1 bay leaf
- Pinch of finely grated nutmeg
- 2 cups or more homemade chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 lb. fresh tagliatelle or pappardelle or dry rigatoni
- 2 oz. finely grated Parmesan about ½ cup, plus more for serving
Instructions
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Pulse onion, celery, and carrot in a food processor until very finely chopped. Transfer to a small bowl.
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Heat oil in a large pot over medium. Break beef into small clumps (about 1½”) and add to pot; season lightly with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally but not breaking meat apart, until beef is lightly browned but not crisp, 6–8 minutes. It may be gray in spots (that’s okay!) and still a little pink in the center. Using a slotted spoon, transfer beef to a medium bowl.
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Wipe out pot. Cook pancetta in pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until pancetta has released some of its fat and is crisp, 6–8 minutes. Add onion mixture to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very soft and beginning to stick to surface, 6–8 minutes.
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Return beef to pot and pour in wine. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, smashing down on beef with a wooden spoon, until wine is evaporated, surface of pot is almost dry, and meat is finely ground, 12–15 minutes. (The meat should be reduced to what looks like little bits. It takes a bit of effort, but you can take breaks.) Add tomato paste, bay leaf, and nutmeg and cook, stirring occasionally and still pressing down on meat, until tomato paste is slightly darkened, about 5 minutes.
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Pour stock and milk into pot; add a pinch of salt. Reduce heat to the lowest setting and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until meat is very, very tender, 2–2½ hours. There shouldn’t be any rapid bubbles at this stage. Instead, the sauce should release the occasional small bubble or two. When finished, the sauce should have the texture of and look like a sloppy joe mixture. If the liquid reduces before the meat is completely tender, add an extra ½ cup stock and continue cooking. Discard bay leaf. Taste sauce and adjust seasoning with salt; keep warm.
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Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water. If using fresh pasta, cook about 3 minutes. If using dry, cook until very al dente, about 2 minutes less than package directions.
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Using tongs, transfer pasta to pot with sauce. Add 1 cup pasta cooking liquid and ½ cup Parmesan. Increase heat to medium, bring to a simmer, and cook, tossing constantly, until pasta is al dente and liquid is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
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Transfer pasta to a platter and top with more Parmesan.
Recipe Notes
Make Ahead: Sauce can be made 4 days ahead. Cover and chill.
