Tagliatelle Bolognese

5 from 50 votes

Looking for a traditional bolognese sauce from Italy? Look no further; this authentic tagliatelle bolognese recipe is the official version commonly served in restaurants and homes in Bologna.

Prep Time15

Cook Time2 15

Total Time2 30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Emilia-Romagna, Italian, Northern Italy

Keyword: authentic bolognese, Bolognese, Italian bolognese, tagliatelle, tagliatelle bolognese, traditional bolognese

Servings:

Calories: 875kcal

Author: Jacqui

Ingredients

3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
2 carrots finely chopped
2 celery stalks finely chopped
1.1 lbs ground beef mince (500g)
0.45 lbs pancetta (200g)
5 fl oz white wine (150ml) or red wine
8.5 fl oz milk (250ml)
8.5 fl oz beef stock (250ml)
14 oz passata (400g) or canned chopped tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
1.32 lbs tagliatelle (600g) fresh or dried
Parmigiano Reggiano to serve

Instructions

In a deep sauté pan over medium heat, add a little olive oil and fry the pancetta for 3 to 4 minutes. Add chopped vegetables and continue to sauté for 6 to 8 minutes, until softened. If necessary add a bit more olive oil.
Add ground beef and cook for 4 to 5 minutes while occasionally mixing until the beef has browned. If there are any big lumps, you can break them up with a spatula or wooden spoon.
Turn up the heat to high and deglaze the pan by adding the wine and scraping any brown bits stuck to the bottom with a spatula or wooden spoon. Once the alcohol has evaporated, mix in the stock and tomato passata.
Bring to a light simmer and turn the heat low. Partially cover the pan with a lid and lightly simmer for at least 1 ½ hours while stirring occasionally. Add more stock if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the milk and simmer for an additional 30 minutes.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and bring to a boil again. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Take a cup of the pasta water and place it to the side. Then strain the pasta in a colander.
If the sauce looks too thick, mix in some pasta water to help thin it out. If not, move on to the next step.
Add the cooked tagliatelle to the bolognese sauce and slowly mix until well incorporated.
Turn off the heat, plate and serve immediately with grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Notes

The longer you cook this sauce the richer it will be. The least amount of time to get close to the authentic flavour is 2 hours.
You can make bolognese ahead of time and keep in the fridge for a couple of days. It also freezes well. I often make more than I need and then freeze the surplus for another day.
I use a food processor to chop the vegetables as they should be quite finely chopped. However, the traditional way is to chop them with a knife.
Don't deglaze the pan with metal utensils, as you don't want to scratch the bottom of the pan.

Nutrition