With red wine, fresh herbs, Parmesan cheese, and a splash of cream, this easy Bolognese recipe is a rich, flavorful meat sauce that tastes like it simmered all day!
Table of Contents
How to Make this Easy Bolognese Recipe | 1-Minute Video
A Few Notes Before You Get Started
- The cream in this recipe is one of the hallmarks of an authentic Bolognese. It gives the sauce a slightly creamy texture and a richer depth of flavor. You can substitute with half-and-half or even whole milk, if you prefer.
- Use lean or extra-lean ground beef in this recipe, since you’re not straining off the fat. The leaner meat prevents the sauce from becoming too greasy.
- The red wine gives this beef Bolognese a bolder, richer flavor. I recommend a dry red wine, such as Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Merlot.
Directions
This classic beef Bolognese comes together on the stovetop in less than 1 hour. You’ll find detailed instructions in the recipe card below, but here’s the overview:
- Sauté the meat and vegetables in a Dutch oven or other large, heavy bottomed pot.
- Add tomato paste, seasoning, and red wine.
- Stir in crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, and sugar. In order to achieve great tomato flavor, it’s important to balance acidity and sweetness. Too much acid or too much sugar yields a sauce that tastes one-dimensional. The right amount of sugar perfectly balances the acidity of the tomatoes. Start with about 1 teaspoon of sugar here, and add more to taste, if necessary.
- Boil, then reduce the heat to low, and simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Since you’re simmering for a shorter amount of time, leave the lid off of the pot to allow the sauce to thicken and the flavors to concentrate. Simmer the sauce over very low heat. Stir occasionally, as well. This will prevent any scorching or burning on the bottom of your pot.
- Add basil and cream; simmer for 5-10 more minutes. Do not let the sauce come to a boil once you add the cream. The cream is more likely to curdle when boiled. If you find that your Bolognese sauce is thinner than you’d like, simply allow the pot to simmer over low heat (uncovered) until it thickens to the desired consistency.
- Stir in grated Parmesan cheese. Season with an additional pinch of salt and pepper, if necessary.
- Serve over pasta and garnish with fresh parsley or basil and extra Parmesan cheese. The fresh herbs not only add a colorful finishing touch, but they also brighten up the dish and balance the rich, hearty sauce.
Serving Suggestions
Cooked pasta, such as spaghetti, pappardelle (shown here), tagliatelle, penne, or rigatoni, is a classic companion for a pot a beef Bolognese. If you prefer something other than pasta, try pairing the sauce with sautéed zucchini noodles, cooked potato gnocchi, or cauliflower gnocchi. On the side, you might like a loaf of garlic bread and a crisp green salad with red wine vinegar dressing.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- How to Store: leftover Bolognese will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- How to Freeze: Keep the leftover sauce in airtight containers in the freezer for up to 3 months. Tip: a Ziploc freezer bag can be frozen flat and then stacked to maximize freezer storage space!
- How to Reheat: Thaw frozen sauce in the fridge overnight. Reheat the sauce in a saucepan on the stovetop over low heat, just until warmed through. If it’s too thick, you can thin the sauce with a splash of warm water, beef broth, or tomato sauce. Do not let it boil.
- If you have leftover Bolognese, use the sauce on flatbread pizza, in stuffed shells, in a delicious homemade lasagna, in casseroles such as baked rigatoni or baked ziti, and in pizza quesadillas.
More Popular Pasta Recipes to Try
Linguine with Clam Sauce
20 minutes mins
Dump-and-Bake Creamy Tomato Pasta with Turkey Meatballs
55 minutes mins
Pasta Fagioli Soup
40 minutes mins
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Watch How to Make It
Easy Bolognese
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 50 minutes
Total: 1 hour
A quick and easy beef Bolognese makes the perfect weeknight dinner!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup finely diced onion
- ⅓ cup finely diced carrots
- ⅓ cup finely diced celery
- 1 lb. lean or extra-lean ground beef
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 teaspoons minced fresh garlic (about 4 large cloves)
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional for a bit of spicy kick)
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes (I like San Marzano tomatoes)
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 – 2 teaspoons sugar
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
- ⅓ cup heavy cream, at room temperature
- ½ cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
- Optional, for serving: cooked pasta
- Optional garnish: chopped fresh parsley or basil; additional grated Parmesan
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and beef. Break up the meat with a wooden spoon. Cook for 5-7 minutes, or until the meat is no longer pink and the vegetables are soft.
- Stir in the tomato paste, garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes; cook for 1 more minute.
- Add the red wine to the pot and stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Add crushed tomatoes, 2 teaspoons of kosher salt, ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper, and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil; reduce the heat to low, and allow the sauce to simmer (uncovered) for about 15-20 minutes, or until it reduces and thickens slightly.
- While the sauce simmers, cook the pasta according to package instructions.
- As the pasta is cooking, stir the basil leaves and cream into the sauce. Simmer for about 5-10 more minutes, stirring regularly. Keep it on very low heat and do not boil.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Add the Parmesan cheese; stir to combine. Season with additional salt, pepper, and sugar, to taste.
- Serve sauce with pasta, and garnish with additional Parmesan and fresh herbs, as desired.
Notes
- Use lean or extra-lean ground beef in this recipe, since you’re not straining off the fat. The leaner meat prevents the sauce from becoming too greasy.
- Use a dry red wine, such as Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Merlot.
- Recipe slightly adapted from Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/2 cup of sauceCalories: 103kcalCarbohydrates: 7.4gProtein: 7.4gFat: 4.4gSaturated Fat: 2.1gCholesterol: 10.5mgSodium: 402mgFiber: 1.8gSugar: 4.2g
Beef Bolognese Recipe Variations
- Cook diced pancetta or bacon in the pot first, then use the drippings from the pancetta or bacon to sauté the vegetables and meat (instead of butter). Add the crispy pancetta back to the sauce to simmer.
- Use ground pork, ground turkey, or ground Italian sausage in lieu of the ground beef, or try a combination of both beef and pork, or a mix of beef, pork, and veal.
- Add sliced mushrooms to the sauce for even more veggies.
- I like the rich flavor of the traditional Bolognese sauce with red wine. Don’t worry — the alcohol cooks off! That said, if you would rather not use wine in this recipe, you can substitute with an equal amount of beef broth. Add a splash of balsamic vinegar, too!
- For a vegetarian pasta dinner, try this simple baked rigatoni with no meat or this ravioli lasagna with ricotta and spinach!
This post was originally published in December, 2017. It was updated in September, 2024.
You are so right, feeding a family is all about compromise, and I’m sure that makes it difficult at times! I can see why everyone loves this, though. Looks so hearty and comforting! And I love how simple it is. I kinda want to dig in for breakfast! 🙂
Thanks, Gayle! You can have it any time of day…leftover are great. 🙂
In my family it seems like when I make a pasta dish everyone is happy, otherwise everyone is always complaining! so I know the feeling, this looks delicious and will surely be making this for my family 🙂
Exactly, Albert! 🙂 Pasta is always a hit!
Looks like very good, but what can I use in place of wine?
Hi, Kristin! I would suggest beef stock in place of the wine. 🙂
Oh my goodness, this is TERRIFIC! My only changes were a little less red wine (because I forgot to add it, so I just tossed some in), no tomato paste, and dried basil instead of fresh (no fresh in the market that day). It froze beautifully, and soaking the freezer bag in hot water for a few minutes thawed it quickly. We will definitely make it again, but I’ll increase the quantity a little. We have six in our family, and my kids are grown or nearly so, so a half-recipe is just barely enough for them. Thank you for the recipe!
That’s great, Barbara! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it!
Made this sauce with spaghetti tonight for dinner. This sauce turned out really good! The only two things I did differently were instead of the ground beef, I used hot italian sausage as that is what I always use for spaghetti. And in place of the wine I used a cup of beef broth. I followed everything else. This sauce was so good. I never made my own sauce before and was always a big fan of Prego’s Three Cheese sauce, but this sauce outdid that! I will be using this sauce from now on. It’s only my husband and I, so this actually made 2 meals for us. I put half of the sauce in the freezer for the next time we have spaghetti. Thanks so much Blair for the recipe!
Thanks, Lisa! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it!
This was easy and so delicious!
Thank you, Rebecca! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it, and I appreciate you leaving a note.