- Prep time15 mins
- Cook time1 hr
- Servings4
- DifficultyEasy
- CategoryItalian
Real ragù alla bolognese is a slow braise, not a quick tomato sauce. The soffritto — onion, carrot, celery — melts down first, the meat browns properly, and then everything simmers low for the better part of an hour until the flavors fuse. A splash of milk at the end is the Bolognese secret: it rounds the acidity and gives the sauce its silk.
Ingredients
- 400 g (14 oz) spaghetti
- 500 g (1.1 lb) ground beef (80/20)
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 1 carrot, finely diced
- 1 celery stalk, finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 400 g (14 oz) canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup (240 ml) beef stock
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) whole milk
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and black pepper
- Freshly grated Parmesan and basil, to serve
Method
- Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot. Sauté the onion, carrot and celery with a pinch of salt for 8 minutes, until soft and sweet.
- Add the garlic, then the beef. Break it up and brown well, 8 to 10 minutes — color here means flavor.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook 2 minutes until it darkens. Add the crushed tomatoes, stock, oregano and bay leaf.
- Simmer gently, partially covered, for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick and rich.
- Stir in the milk and simmer 10 minutes more. Season boldly with salt and pepper; remove the bay leaf.
- Cook the spaghetti until just al dente. Toss the pasta directly in the sauce with a splash of pasta water for 1 minute.
- Serve with Parmesan and basil.
Tips for success
- Brown the meat properly — grey, steamed beef makes a flat ragù.
- Tossing the pasta in the sauce (mantecatura) beats pouring sauce on top every time.
- The ragù improves overnight; make it a day ahead if you can.
Watch video tutorial
Prefer to watch it being made? This from BBC Good Food walkthrough covers the same spaghetti bolognese step by step — the spoken narration doubles as an audio tutorial.