Easy Ragù Alla Bolognese

THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY 
WASHINGTON STATE BEEF COMMISSION

The most honest (and sometimes harshest) food critics are kids. They don’t mince words about what they like or don’t like to eat and their facial expressions are equally as communicative. I have a food critic in my house who has BIG thoughts on this bolognese recipe. Basically, if I’m not including this easy recipe in our regular meal rotation, I need to reevaluate my priorities.

If you make this ragù alla bolognese recipe for your food critics, be ready to make it on the regular.

Lazy weekend days that allow time for slow cooking can be dreamy, but I’ll be honest—a meal that comes together quickly and still tastes amazing is always a dream.

A few other reasons to love this recipe:

1. Whole foods and simple ingredients = nutritious dinner for the entire family. Fresh vegetables and lean ground beef are the heart and soul of this meat sauce. Did you know that beef contains 10 essential nutrients such as Vitamin B12, Zinc, and Iron? Check out the Washington State Beef Commission for how beef compares to other protein options. Beef has a lot to offer!
2. It’s a budget-friendly dinner for the whole family. Ground beef is relatively low cost per pound making it an easy way to stretch your grocery budget while still providing a tasty, protein-rich meal.
3. Almost everything on the ingredient list is likely already in your pantry or fridge. And if not, this recipe is forgiving. I’ve got you covered with some workarounds, so keep reading.
4. This recipe only gets better with time. My family loves it hot from the pot but with time the flavors deepen, the sauce thickens, and those leftovers (if there are any) will be even more delicious. Perhaps doubling the recipe is in order.

• Ground beef: Look for ground beef with 10% fat—often labeled ’90/10′. While other lean-to-fat ratios can work, higher fat content will make the sauce greasier. With 90/10, the flavors still shine through without the extra oil.
• Pancetta: A little pancetta goes a long way to enhance the flavor of this ragù, but if you don’t have it on hand, no worries. Bolognese is known for using a mix of meats. This is what gives it a deeper, more complex flavor. If you don’t have pancetta, use finely chopped bacon or Italian sausage (removed from its casing and crumbled). It’s also not uncommon to see bolognese recipes that use a 60/40 mix of ground beef and ground pork. These substitutions will give the bolognese sauce a slightly different flavor but it will still be super tasty!
• Marinara sauce: Choose a high-quality store-bought marinara sauce that uses just a few simple ingredients—tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, onions, and herbs. Avoid sauces with added sugars, artificial preservatives, or fillers. Look for a marinara sauce that uses San Marzano tomatoes or vine-ripened tomatoes, as these varieties tend to be sweeter and less acidic.
• Mushrooms: While not typically used in bolognese, I love adding them to the sauce for the extra umami and texture they provide. When finely chopped, even those who claim to be mushroom haters will never notice them.

For a full list of ingredients and quantities see the recipe card at the end of this post.

Step 1: In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until softened. 

Step 2: Add the garlic, celery, carrot, and mushrooms, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.

Step 3: Add the pancetta, ground beef, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper to the veggies, breaking up the ground beef as it cooks. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until the ground beef is browned.

Step 4: Pour in a jar of your favorite store-bought marinara sauce and stir to combine.

Step 5: Allow the bolognese to simmer for roughly 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens.

Step 6: Serve over your favorite pasta. Traditionally ragù alla bolognese is served over tagliatelle but my family also enjoys it over spaghetti. Top it off with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano and you’ll be eating happily.

I appreciate how traditions and culture form and shape a recipe, but I also appreciate when we can recognize the ever-evolving nature of home cooking and that adjustments can be made to a “traditional” recipe while still preserving the heart of the recipe.

So is this ragù alla bolognese recipe authentic? Yes and no.

Historically, milk was considered a required ingredient for a sauce to be classified as ‘bolognese,’ which refers to a specific meat sauce recipe that originated in Bologna, Italy. Milk was often used to soften the acidity of tomatoes and enrich the sauce. However, in April of 2023, the Accademia Italiana Della Cucina (Italian Academy of Cuisine), a prestigious cultural organization dedicated to preserving, promoting, and safeguarding Italian culinary traditions declared that authentic bolognese sauce no longer requires milk. It’s now optional, and with the omission of the milk the sauce is less creamy and lighter, allowing the natural flavors of the ground beef and vegetables to shine through.

Ragù alla bolognese also “traditionally” includes a ½ cup of red or white wine and has not (yet) been declared to be optional by the Italian Academy of Cuisine. I offered my young in-house food critic a blind taste test of my bolognese rendition both without and with wine that had been added once the ground beef was browned and then cooked down until the wine evaporated. The food critic, with much emphasis, chose the sauce without the wine because it tasted “beefier.”

One of the main reasons why the Academy updated the “official” bolognese recipe was because they believed the update was a reflection of the current times since the habits and tastes of people have changed. Such is the nature of cooking, right? This recipe may not be 100% authentic (and what ‘authentic’ really means is up for debate), but I can confidently say it’s 100% a beloved recipe that is simple, nutritious, and tasty.

Thank you to the Washington State Beef Commission for sponsoring this post and for supporting the hardworking Washington State beef farmers who consistently bring us high-quality beef from pasture to plate. And thank you to those of you who support the brands that allow Pass Me Some Tasty to keep cooking up the tastiness!

You can follow along with the Washington State Beef Commission on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and X at @WABeef or on Instagram at @WABeefLove.

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