The Best Slow-Cooked Bolognese Sauce

The Best Slow-Cooked Bolognese Sauce
  • Yield:Serves 8 to 10
  • Active time:1 hour
  • Total time:4 to 5 hours
  • Rated: 4.5

Ragù Bolognese is the undisputed king of meat sauces, and this is the best way to make it. [Photographs: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

When it comes to meat sauces, ragù Bolognese is the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. To arrive at this version, I started with Barbara Lynch's great recipe, adding a few tweaks here and there to enhance meatiness and texture (hello pancetta, gelatin, and fish sauce!), and employing a unique oven-based cooking technique that develops rich browned flavors all while maintaining the tender, silky texture that the best sauces have. This is the kind of sauce that will leave you and your loved ones weak in the knees.

Why this recipe works:

  • Slow-roasting in the oven creates rich browned flavors while ensuring that the meat stays tender.
  • A combination of beef, lamb, and pork along with pancetta and chicken livers creates layers of rich, meaty flavor.
  • Finishing with heavy cream and Parmesan emulsifies the sauce, incorporating the fat into the mixture.
  • Fish sauce added at the end enhances the meatiness of the dish.

Note: If you are using a homemade chicken stock with enough gelatin that it gels into a solid mass when refrigerated, you'll only need to use 4 extra packets of gelatin instead of 6. To dissolve the gelatin, heat the chicken stock just enough that it liquefies, then whisk the gelatin into the stock and let it rest until completely bloomed.

Ingredients

  • 1 quart homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
  • 4 to 6 packets powdered gelatin (see note above)
  • 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
  • 1/2 pound finely minced chicken livers
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 pound ground beef chuck (about 20% fat)
  • 1 pound ground pork shoulder (about 20% fat)
  • 1 pound ground lamb shoulder (about 20% fat)
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 pound finely diced pancetta
  • 1 large onion, finely minced (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 2 carrots, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 4 stalks celery, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 4 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 4 teaspoons)
  • 1/4 cup minced fresh sage leaves
  • 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
  • 2 cups dry white or red wine
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 3 ounces finely grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons Vietnamese or Thai fish sauce
  • To Serve:
  • 1 1/2 pounds pasta, preferably pappardelle, tagliatelle, or penne

Directions

  1. 1.

    Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 300°F. Place stock in a medium bowl or 1 quart liquid measure and sprinkle with gelatin. Set aside. Puree tomatoes in the can using an immersion blender or transfer to the bowl of a regular blender and puree until smooth. Transfer chicken livers to a cup that just fits the head of the immersion blender and puree until smooth.

  2. 2.

    Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat until shimmering. Add ground beef, pork, and lamb, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring and breaking up with a wooden spoon or potato masher until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in pureed chicken livers.

  3. 3.

    Meanwhile, heat butter and pancetta in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook, stirring frequently, until fat has mostly rendered but butter and pancetta have not started to brown, about 8 minutes. Add onions, carrots, celery, garlic, sage, and half of parsley and cook, stirring and tossing until vegetables are completely softened but not browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer mixture to Dutch oven with meat mixture.

  4. 4.

    Return Dutch oven to high heat and cook, stirring, until most of the liquid has evaporated from the pan, about 10 minutes longer.

  5. 5.

    Add wine and cook, stirring, until mostly evaporated. Add reserved stock, tomatoes, milk, and bay leaves. Season gently with salt and pepper.

  6. 6.

    Bring sauce to a simmer, then transfer to oven with no lid. Cook, stirring and scraping down sides of pot occasionally, until liquid is almost completely reduced and sauce is rich and thick underneath a heavy layer of fat, 3 to 4 hours. If the sauce still looks liquidy or the fat has not separated and formed a thick layer after 4 hours, transfer to stovetop and finish cooking at a brisk simmer, stirring frequently.

  7. 7.

    Carefully skim off most of the fat, leaving behind about a cup total (for more precise measurement, skim completely then add back 1 cup of fat).

  8. 8.

    Stir in heavy cream, Parmesan, fish sauce, and remaining parsley. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly to emulsify. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bolognese can be cooled and stored in sealed containers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

  9. 9.

    To Serve: Heat ragú in a large pot until just simmering. Set aside. Cook pasta in a large pot of well-salted water until just barely al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of cooking liquid. Return to pot and add 3/4 of sauce along with cooking water. Cook over high heat, tossing and stirring gently until sauce is thick and pasta is coated, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with remaining sauce. Serve immediately, passing extra Parmesan at the table.