Classic Bolognese Sauce
Cook’s Illustrated’s classic Bolognese — a slow-simmered meat sauce enriched with milk and wine.
Classic Bolognese Sauce
A rich, slow-simmered Bolognese with meatloaf mix, milk, white wine, and tomatoes. Makes about 3 cups, enough for 1 pound of pasta.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and saute until softened but not browned, about 6 minutes. Add the ground meat and 1/2 teaspoon salt; crumble the meat with the edge of a wooden spoon into tiny pieces. Cook, continuing to crumble, just until it loses its raw color but has not browned, about 3 minutes.
- Add the milk and bring to a simmer; continue to simmer until the milk evaporates and only clear fat remains, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it evaporates, 10 to 15 minutes longer.
- Add the tomatoes and their juice and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low so the sauce simmers just barely, with an occasional bubble, until the liquid has evaporated, about 3 hours. Adjust seasoning with salt to taste and serve.
Notes
Do not drain the pasta too meticulously — a little water clinging to the noodles helps distribute the thick sauce, as does adding an extra 2 tablespoons butter along with the sauce. Top with grated Parmesan. Can be refrigerated for several days or frozen for several months; warm over low heat before serving.