Marcella Hazan’s Bolognese Sauce Recipe (2024)

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Cooking Notes

Kim

I cannot comment of the taste of the sauce. It was cooling and I ran a short errand. In the meantime, my 8 year old Labrador Retriever, Jake, (who had never, ever bothered anything in the kitchen) somehow got the pot off of the cooktop and ate all of the sauce. The worst part was that I had tripled the recipe, so Jake ate 3 pounds of Bolognese sauce! I am certain he would rate the sauce a 5. We had to go out for dinner, but I will make the recipe again and post relevant feedback!PS Jake is fine.

Rob Ron

At the end of the cooking process am I to remove the separated fat. I'm new to this.

Andrew from New York

This was a great and helpful guide. Added a few bits more here, reduced a few things there and ended up with a great bolognese.

I have to laugh at the people who are complaining about it not being good. You're saying that you had something on your stove top for 3 hours and not once did you taste it? This is cooking not baking. You taste everything at every step along the way and make adjustments. It is the lazy cook that blames the recipe

Mark

I've been making this sauce for 25 years. It comes out great every time. I can say that it works with ground beef or a mixture of beef, pork and/or veal. I can also say that this sauce is 97.32% as good after 1 hour as it is after 3 hours, so if you're impatient. Noting that it takes about 1 hour to get to step 4, so if you started cooking a bit late, when you get to step 4, you can eat it with minimal reduction in quality after one hour of cooking.

Maria

I have the 1979 version of the book. The proportions of ingredients in my cookbook are very different.

For 3/4 lb of beef, go with:
3 tbs each - olive oil and butter
2 tbs each chopped onion, celery and carrot
1/2 c milk
2 c canned Italian tomatoes, roughly chopped.

My recipe calls for adding the wine and cooking off, before adding the milk.

I always make a triple or quadruple recipe. I cut down on the amount of butter/oil I use - never more than 4-6 tbs of each. It freezes well.

Creggio

Marcella has never never let me down. No exception here. If you have had less than a satisfactory result, less thaN a religious experience, try this:1.Do what she says—EXACTLY.2.Tell Alexa to play Puccini or Verdi3.Use the heavy bottom pot.4.Do NOTHING to make any step happen more quickly.7.Don’t deviate from her instructions.You will have a different result. Tanti saluti.

Brian T Hunt

Authentic. Using a broad, flat noodle such as parpadelle is essential. Chop the vegetables pretty fine- they seem to disappear, but are actually part of the chunks in the ragu. The tip about using a little butter and a little starchy pasta water to toss the sauce with the pasta is also important. And spring for the real Parmesan-Reggiano- desecrating a five-hour ragu with stuff from the green can would not only be disastrously counter-productive and sad, but borderline immoral. :)

Linda

This the the best Bolognese recipe there is in my opinion. Btw... Ground chuck is 80/20 ground beef. That is also known as 80%. Any leaner beef and the sauce would not be correct. We do not find it too fatty in the least. You need the butter and whole milk for this sauce to be the way it is supposed to be. Using turkey and skim milk might give you a tasty end result, but it is not Marcella's sauce. As far as I am concerned this recipe is perfect as written . No changes necessary.

Lorraine

I am making this right now and it is going great. I really just wanted to say that I love the expression, "laziest of simmers".

Patricia Garcia

Marcella hailed from the Northern Adriatic coast, where seafood was the most commonly available. She only learned to cook after she was married, trying to please Victor, who was and is an oenophile. She was a gifted cook. I wonder how many of the complainers bothered with the nutmeg...it is the most defining flavor in a true Bolognese sauce, which this most definitely is

Charlie

I've been making this for over 30 years. I cook it exactly for 5 hours. The difference in the taste when you cook it for 3 hours (more bland) and 5 hours is incredible and well worth the time. It ends up being a thick, concentrated sauce that you don't pour on top of the pasta but that you toss into the pasta.

Max

Holy goodness. I'm amazed at the number of people who are absolutely sure that the version of Bolognese that they prefer is the one, true, authentic version. I imagine there are as many variations as there are kitchens in Bologna, folks.

If I could add anything to the conversation, it would be to throw a little starchy pasta water in with the sauce and pasta as they are being tossed together, and really bring it all together.

Amanda

No; it's just a signal that it's finished cooking ("ready to eat"). When sauce cooks long enough that the fat separates it 1) improves the taste of the ingredients, and 2) improves the appearance of the dish. Separated fat looks and tastes beautiful in a dish--it often takes on the deepest colors and flavors in the pot, and is one measure that separates an amateur's dish from a professional's. So, yes! The fat is meant to stay in the pot!

marcolius

I've made this sauce many times, and I like it for what it is. I love to doctor things, too, but sometimes a classic is a classic. That being said, I would add two observations:
-Fresh, blanched, peeled, and chopped tomatoes work well, too. Lean toward longer cooking time. Haven't needed to add water when using fresh.
-I finely mince the vegetables, particularly the carrot and celery. Otherwise, it has a "beef stew" appearance that my family finds less appealing.

m

Oh goodness no! Fear not the fat! Fear the pasta more.

Becky

This is my favorite bolognese ever. I do prefer red wine to white, so I always make it that way now.

Glennito Barcelona

Does NYT Cooking have any plans to add metric measurements to their recipes? "1½cups canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, cut up, with their juice" Is that the equivalent to a 400g can?

Mark B

I am fortunate enough to be the recipient of game from time to time and have used ground venison, antelope, and elk in this recipe. Maybe not entirely “authentic,” but very tasty, although needs the addition of a bit more oil or butter.

Diana

Beautiful dinner. Worth the extra time.

marianna

I’m wondering how far in advance I can make this? And as a follow up, can I freeze it?

TexJDGal

I tried this following exactly and it was good but was not savory enough for me. I tweaked it by using half pork/half beef and seasoned with salt/pepper/garlic powder and browned it on low heat for 10 minutes in separate pan, then added it to veggies. I added smashed roasted garlic with the sautéed veggies and added a tablespoon of Red Boat Fish sauce (secret extra umami bomb per Kenji Alt Lopez) after adding tomatoes and simmered as recipe called - it was so flavorful and rich.

CharlieBeau

I added a chocolate bar to make the recipe more authentic.

H

Okay I’ve been making this recipe for a decade and always loved it as is. BUT if you are used to spicy food (brown girl here) and want a bit of something, I added a tablespoon of chopped Calabrian chilis to double the recipe on hour 3 of cooking and it’s a revelation! (I also add garlic early I’m so sorry if you are personally offended.)

amelia

I learned how to make this at age 18 to impress my boyfriend and I’m still making it for him 20 years later, so I guess it worked. I make it exactly as the recipe says with two exceptions- my lazy one is I hand chop the onions but then use a food processor to mince the carrots and celery. I also like to increase the veggie to meat ratio. I find that it doesn’t throw off the flavor profile and I convince myself this is healthy sauce because of all the veg.

Liz Friedman

I follow the recipe almost exactly as written, except I put in a 28oz can of tomatoes (I think the guy in the NYT video put that much in). This sauce is PHENOMENAL!!! As other commenters said, definitely cook for more than 3 hours, preferably 5.

Alex

This is fantastic!

reader

Cook as written. Garlic is not an ingredient in a bolognese sauce and not in everything Italian. Italian-American cooking, maybe, but not Italy. There are many regions and styles of cooking. Expand your horizons and open your mind. This is perfect.

reader

Cook as written. Garlic is not an ingredient in a bolognese sauce and not in everything Italian. Italian-American cooking, maybe, but not Italy. There are many regions and styles of cooking. Expand your horizons and open your mind. This is perfect.

Bruno Carnovale

My mother's parents were born Venice (north), my fathers were born in Calabria (south). I am not unfamiliar with Italian home cooking.. My mother had a high opinion of many of Hazan's recipes and once gave me a copy of one of Hazan's cookbooks. I tried this recipe with high hopes and a few doubts (no garlic? no oregano/sage/rosemary/thyme?). This recipe is BLAND, BLAND, BLAND.

Susbeez

I use porotbello mushrooms instead of meat....delicious

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Marcella Hazan’s Bolognese Sauce Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Can you freeze Marcella Hazan's bolognese sauce? ›

Once done, you can refrigerate the sauce in a tightly sealed container for 3 days, or you can freeze it. Before tossing with pasta, reheat it, letting it simmer for 15 minutes and stirring it once or twice.

How to make bolognese sauce more flavorful? ›

The best tip for intensifying the flavour of your sauce is just to cook it slowly on a low heat for a long time. This reduces the sauce and intensifies the flavours – four hours is not uncommon for my bolognese.

How do you deepen the flavor of Bolognese sauce? ›

6 Things That'll Make Your Spaghetti Bolognese Taste SO Much...
  1. Milk. Adding milk to Bolognese is actually a part of the traditional method. ...
  2. Sundried Tomatoes. I can't get enough of sundried toms, and I have been known to sneak a few straight from the jar (boujee snack alert). ...
  3. Anchovies. ...
  4. Wine. ...
  5. Porcini mushrooms. ...
  6. Sugar.
Nov 20, 2019

What is the difference between bolognese sauce and spaghetti sauce? ›

So what's the difference between Bolognese sauce and spaghetti sauce? The key difference here is that Bolognese contains meat of some sort. Beef, veal, or pork are the most popular options. It just so happens that beef is the most popular choice in Italy.

What is the best jar of bolognese sauce? ›

  • Garofalo Beef Bolognese Pasta Sauce. Garofalo. ...
  • Barilla Meat Bolognese Pasta Sauce. Barilla. ...
  • Viani Alimentari Bolognese Sauce. Viani Alimentari. ...
  • Dolmio Bolognese Original Pasta Sauce. Dolmio. ...
  • M&S Beef Bolognese. M&S. ...
  • Heinz Bolognese Pasta Sauce. Heinz.
Nov 6, 2023

What thickens bolognese sauce? ›

Cornstarch: Make a slurry of half water, half cornstarch and whisk until smooth. Cornstarch is a powerful thickener, so start by whisking in no more than 1 tablespoon of the mixture per 2 cups of simmering sauce; stir and simmer for 2 minutes, check the thickness, and repeat with more slurry as needed.

Why does my bolognese taste bad? ›

Adding salt immediately

Salt helps extract water from food. So if added too soon, it could make everything burn. During the cooking of vegetables, for example, a lot of water is released. If salt is added immediately, the water is extracted too quickly and the vegetables risk burning, giving the sauce a horrible taste.

Why add vinegar to bolognese? ›

And as an added bonus, both the plums and the vinegar have some great benefits for digestion, energy, and as an antibacterial boost. Umeboshi vinegar is a deep reddish purple. Perfect for adding both the depth of flavour and colour into our bolognese sauce!

Why do you put sugar in Bolognese sauce? ›

The reason for sprinkling a pinch of sugar into a simmering saucepan of tomatoes is simple: sugar cuts the acidity of the tomatoes and creates an overall more balanced sauce. The exact acid levels in tomatoes can vary quite a bit depending on whether they're fresh or canned, the tomato variety, and the time of year.

What does adding milk to Bolognese sauce do? ›

According to our Food Director Amira, not only does milk add a rich flavour to the bolognese, but it also “helps cut through the acidity of the tomatoes and red wine”. She adds: “It also makes the mince meat nice and tender, creating that melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness.”

How does Gordon Ramsay make the best spaghetti bolognese? ›

Recipe For Gordon Ramsay's Spaghetti Bolognese
  1. Meat. • 1/2 lb Ground beef.
  2. Produce. • 1 Carrot. • 2 cloves Garlic. • 1 Onion. ...
  3. Canned Goods. • 2 tbsp Tomato puree.
  4. Baking & Spices. • 1 tsp Black pepper. • 1 tsp Salt.
  5. Oils & Vinegars. • 2 tbsp Oil.
  6. Dairy. • 1/2 cup Whole milk.
  7. Beer, Wine & Liquor. • 2 tbsp Red wine.

What makes bolognese taste like bolognese? ›

As far as its taste, it will have a meaty heartiness from the browned meats, a sweet tang from the rich tomatoes, as well as an herbal kick from the various Italian spices used. If you've ever enjoyed a pasta dish with meat and tomato-based sauce, it was likely a variation of a bolognese recipe.

Is bolognese just marinara with meat? ›

I use more tomatoes which is like a marinara and I include meat which is a bolognese style. Traditional bolognese is made with small pieces of meat and not ground beef. It's mostly simmered with broth and uses a small amount of tomato paste. I do have a traditional bolognese sauce you can look at here.

What makes Bolognese sauce thick? ›

As the sauce simmers, the water in it will evaporate and the sauce will get thicker. You can also add a little bit of cornstarch to the sauce to thicken it without changing the flavor. If you don't mind altering the sauce's flavor, try adding grated cheese, tomato paste, or even mashed potatoes to thicken it.

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