Emmalee's Eats

This is my ride-or-die bolognese sauce, aka red sauce. It’s the one I batch on Sunday and use all week for spaghetti, lasagna layers, stuffed peppers, and yes, sloppy joes when life gets busy. My bolognese sauce is all about building flavor on purpose: start with a classic soffritto, get real color on the meat, deglaze with wine, then let time do the heavy lifting.

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Quick Info

• Skill level: Beginner–Intermediate
• Active time: 25 minutes
• Simmer time: 2–3 hours (hands-off)
• Yield: ~10 cups (8–10 servings)
• Freezer-friendly: Yes (up to 3 months)

Gently browning aromatics and meat builds savory depth; wine deglazes; a long, low simmer concentrates flavor and gives bolognese sauce body.

Traditional ragù alla bolognese varies by region and family. This version uses garlic and tomato-forward ingredients familiar to many American home cooks while keeping the slow-simmer technique that defines bolognese.

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Ingredients

1 yellow, white, or sweet onion – finely diced
2–3 celery stalks – finely diced
3–4 carrots – finely diced
1–2 garlic cloves – sliced
1 lb ground pork
1 lb ground beef
1–2 cups red wine
1–2 large canned crushed tomatoes
1–2 cans diced tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste

Instructions

1. Heat a pan on medium high heat with olive oil and butter. Dice the onion, celery, and carrots. Once the pan is hot, add in the veggies to start sautéing them. Season the veggies with salt and pepper. While they’re sautéing, slice the garlic. Continue cooking the veggies until they are fragrant and the onions turn translucent, and they all have some nice golden-brown color to them. About 10+ minutes. Add in the garlic, stirring and cooking for another 2 minutes.
2. Add the ground pork and beef, season it with salt and pepper, stirring until brown.
3. Once the meat is browned, add in the wine. Allow the wine to simmer and reduce for 10 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the canned crushed tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, stir.
5. Add the diced tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, stir.
6. Add the tomato paste, stir. Taste test the sauce to see if you think anything is missing like more salt and pepper or something else. Check out our flavor correcting guide here.
7. Cover and allow the mix to simmer on low for 1 hour, check and stir it, keep covered for another hour. The second time you check it, remove the lid and continue to let it simmer for another hour or so. You can leave it to simmer longer to build more flavor, but you will want to add water, beef broth, tomato juice, or some other liquid to keep it from drying out too much.
8. Once the sauce is your desired consistency and flavor, you can serve the bolognese sauce up with your favorite pasta, layer it in lasagna, or eat it with meatballs!

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Pro Tips (From My Stove)

• Let it brown. Pale veggies = pale flavor. Wait for those toasty edges.
• Keep the simmer gentle. Barely-bubbling keeps the meat tender and the flavors bright.
• Parmesan rind = secret weapon. Adds instant umami and body; remove before serving.
• A splash of milk at the end. Softens acidity and gives that restaurant-level silk.
• Even better tomorrow. Make it ahead if you can.

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Storage & Freezing

• Fridge: Up to 4 days in an airtight container.
• Freezer: Up to 3 months. Freeze flat in zip-top bags for quick thawing.
• Reheat: Thaw overnight; rewarm gently with a splash of water or broth.

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What to Serve with Bolognese Sauce

• Pasta (tagliatelle/pappardelle/spaghetti), garlic bread, a simple green salad with lemon vinaigrette.
• For lasagna: pair with béchamel and fresh mozzarella.

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FAQs

Is this the same as marinara?
Nope. Marinara is a quick, meatless tomato sauce. Bolognese is a slow-simmered meat sauce built on soffritto and time.

Can I use only crushed tomatoes?
Yes—go with 2 cans (28 oz each) crushed tomatoes for a smoother sauce.

Slow cooker?
Absolutely. Brown everything on the stovetop first, then transfer to a slow cooker on LOW 6–8 hours.

Best pasta shape?
Ribbon pastas like tagliatelle cling beautifully. Spaghetti works great too.