Tagliatelle alla Bolognese
Tagliatelle alla Bolognese is a hearty, satisfying dish that everyone adores!
A slow cooked, bolognese sauce of beef, pork, and pancetta with perfectly cooked pasta is the ideal comfort food.
Bolognese sauce is well-known worldwide, and there are many variations. Actually, in Italy, you’ll find recipes that differ from family to family and village to village. However, in Italy, bolognese sauce is never served with spaghetti but instead with tagliatelle. Tagliatelle are long, flat ribbons of pasta about ¼ inch (6mm) wide, holding the sauce much better than round spaghetti.
But the basics are always the same. It begins with finely chopped onion, carrot, and celery sauteed in olive oil and butter. This is called a soffrito and becomes an aromatic base for the sauce. Then meat is added, browned and the pan is deglazed with wine. Finally, the stock and tomato are stirred in, and the ragu alla bolognese is simmered long and slow. Sometimes, milk is added.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Utterly delicious: Tagliatelle alla Bolognese is one of the most delicious dishes you’ll ever eat. But it’s not as complicated as you might think. This bolognese recipe needs time and patience to achieve rich perfection!
- Flavorsome: The result is a thick and very flavorsome meat sauce ready to be stirred through well-cooked pasta.
- Worthwhile: I won’t lie to you. Tagliatelle alla Bolognese is not a quick meal to prepare, but it is well worth it!
While not traditional, my family loves a big plate of this pasta served with a side of Focaccia Genovese. It’s our favorite weekend meal!
If you’re looking for a quick pasta dish, try my Chicken and Vodka Pasta or Pasta with Peas.
For complete ingredient quantities and full instructions, please scroll to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Ingredients
These ingredients provide flavor and are important in this recipe, no matter how small the quantity is. The combination of these ingredients makes tagliatelle alla Bolognese one of the most loved recipes ever.
- High-Quality Pasta: Fresh tagliatelle or good quality dried tagliatelle are essential for the perfect dish.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Use extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor; regular olive oil is an acceptable substitute, but avoid other oils.
- Soffritto Vegetables: Onion, carrot, and celery form the base of the flavorful Italian soffrito.
- Pancetta (or Bacon): Pancetta adds a unique depth of flavor, but bacon can be used as a substitute.
- High-Quality Ground Meats: Choose ground beef with some fat (for flavor) and ground pork with around 15% fat.
- Dry White Wine: A decent quality white wine works well. The alcohol cooks off completely.
- Beef Stock: Use store-bought, homemade, or bouillon cubes/powder with water.
- Tomato Paste: Thick tomato paste is needed, not tomato puree.
- Fresh Nutmeg: Grate fresh nutmeg for the best flavor.
- Seasoning: Season with freshly ground black pepper and salt.
- Parmesan Cheese: To serve, use fresh grated or good quality Parmesan or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
Variations
- Meats – Part of the ground meat can be substituted with small pieces of beef chuck steak or pork belly. The meat will become tender after long cooking and break into the sauce. Often, this is known as ragù alla bolognese.
- Milk—Substitute ½ cups of whole milk for equal quantities of beef stock. Some Italians like adding milk to their bolognese sauce, saying it mellows the tomato flavor and tenderizes the meat. It was never a custom in our family, but you choose.
Instructions
Before cooking, peel and finely chop the vegetables and the pancetta. Then, heat a shallow casserole pan or lidded skillet over medium heat.
Heat the oil and butter in the pan, then add the vegetables and pancetta. Fry gently to soften the vegetables, and the pancetta releases its fat.
Break up the ground meat with your hands and add to the pan. Brown the meat, stirring regularly and breaking any lumps of meat with a wooden spoon.
Add the wine, stir well, and allow to evaporate.
Stir in the beef stock, tomato paste, ground nutmeg, salt, and pepper, and bring up to a simmer.
Cover the pan with the lid and simmer for 2 hours. Stir and Check regularly that the sauce hasn’t dried out or is sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Bring water to a boil, salt it, and cook tagliatelle according to package instructions (or 1-3 minutes for fresh pasta). Drain, reserving some pasta water, then toss with sauce. Add reserved water if needed to thin the sauce.
A little grated Parmesan cheese can be stirred through before serving and serving with extra grated Parmesan cheese.
Tips for Success
- To start with, choose the right equipment. Use a shallow, wide casserole pan or large skillet with a lid. This will help the moisture evaporate and the sauce cook correctly.
- Next, it’s important to chop the vegetables finely. They’ll cook down into the sauce and barely be noticeable.
- Break up the ground meat with your fingers so that it crumbles into the pan. Then, use a wooden spoon to break up any remaining lumps. Be sure to fry the meat until the moisture has completely evaporated.
- Add the wine and allow the liquid and alcohol to evaporate as well. After that, add the remaining sauce ingredients and simmer for 2 hours with the lid on.
- Finally, cook the tagliatelle in boiling salted water until just cooked and still with a bit of bite. This is known as “al dente.”
FAQ
What to serve with Tagliatelle alla Bolognese
You could serve tagliatelle alla Bolognese with just a generous amount of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and a glass of red wine. However, a side of ciabatta garlic bread is always appreciated.
Complete the meal with stewed pears and a slice of Torta della Nonna.
More recipes like this
Garganelli – another egg pasta from the same Italian region as Tagliatelle
San Marzano Tomato Sauce – classic tomato sauce for pasta
Nut Free Pesto – a variation on the popular basil and pine nut pesto
Ricotta Cavatelli – A tender, handmade pasta that would also go well with this sauce
Tagliatelle alla Bolognese Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons (45 grams) salted butter
- 1 small onion
- 1 carrot
- 1 stick celery
- 4 ounces (113 grams) pancetta or bacon
- 8 ounces (225 grams) ground beef I usually use lean ground beef
- 8 ounces (225 grams) ground pork
- ½ cup (120ml) dry white wine
- 1 ½ cups (360ml) beef stock
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound (450 grams)tagliatelle
- finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (Parmesan cheese)
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables by first peeling the onion and carrot. One vegetable at a time, chop the onion, carrot and celery into small dice. Run the knife over the chopped vegetables in a rocking motion several times chopping them even more finely.
- Slice and chop the pancetta into small strips or dice.
- Place a shallow casserole or skillet (that has a lid) over medium low heat. Add the oil, butter, vegetables and pancetta and fry gently, stirring regularly until softened and lightly golden.
- With your hands, crumble the ground beef and pork and add to the pan. Break up any other clumps with a wooden spoon and fry until all the liquid has evaporated. When you hear the meat almost crackling in the oil, the bolognese sauce is ready for the next step.
- Pour in the dry white wine and allow it to completely evaporate.
- Now stir in the beef stock, tomato paste, ground nutmeg, salt and pepper.
- Turn the heat down very low, place the lid on and simmer for 2 hours. Check periodically that the temperature is not too high ; it should be just simmering not boiling. If the sauce becomes too dry add a little water. Taste and adjust the salt if necessary.
- When the sauce is ready, bring a large pot of water to the boil.
- Salt the water then add in the tagliatelle and cook according to the package instructions or 2-3 minutes for fresh homemade pasta.
- When done, drain the pasta well, reserving a cupful of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the sauce (if the casserole pan is large enough; alternatively combine both pasta and sauce in the pasta pot). Combine gently but thoroughly, adding a little Parmesan cheese.
- Transfer to a serving bowl. Serve with Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (Parmesan).
Notes
- Use a shallow, wide casserole pan or large skillet with a lid.
- Chop the vegetables finely.
- Break up the ground meat with your fingers so that it crumbles into the pan.
- Allow the wine to evaporate.
- Very important – simmer for 2 hours with the lid on.
- Cook tagliatelle in boiling, salted water until just cooked and still has a bit of bite.
Nutritional Estimate Per Serving
Nutritional Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. For accurate results, it is recommended that the nutritional information be calculated based on the ingredients and brands you use.
I love making Italian food and I’m about to try making this recipe for the first time and I have a tendency of adding red pepper flakes to all the Italian dishes I make. I haven’t read anything in the comments section about anybody trying to add some heat to this dish. Wondering if doing so will ruin the taste in this popular dish or maybe pick it up a notch, any feedback would be appreciated.
I personally don’t like adding red pepper flakes to this dish but this is your kitchen and your taste so go ahead if that’s what you like.