Name: Bolognese Beef Ragù
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 4 h
Total time: 4 h 40 min
Yield: 16
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 2 Tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil 30 ml; 1/4 lb pancetta 100 g; 1 shallot; 2 ribs celery; 2 carrots; 1 lb ground beef 500 g; 1 lb ground pork 500 g; 1 cup red wine 250 ml; 5.5 fl oz. tomato paste 156 ml; 23 fl oz. Passata 680 ml; salt and pepper to taste

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By Rebecca St.Clair

This delicious bolognese beef ragù recipe is inspired by classic Italian home cooking. Layers of flavour from a slow-cooked blend of hearty meat, veggies, tomatoes, and red wine. It’s thick, bold, and endlessly satisfying.

This Italian-style beef ragù is the ultimate comfort food. Perfect for pasta and fills your kitchen with the from-scratch taste of delicious home cooking. With simple ingredients and old-world flavour, it’s part of a hearty meal for cozy nights or special gatherings. Perfect for pairing with pappardelle, tagliatelle, polenta, or layered in lasagna.

A large plate with green spinach pasta and beef ragù on top. There is a forkful resting on top.

Warm, savoury, and full of depth, this Italian beef ragù is a classic sauce that brings family and friends to the table. This classic recipe will become your next family recipe tradition.

A large Dutch over with beef bolognese inside. A wooman is holding up a spoonful.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Packed with flavour – This recipe is made with a handful of ingredients that are rich and flavourful.
Slow simmered – Cooked low and slow to allow the richness and intense flavour of each ingredient to shine through.
Tradition – This recipe is filled with generations of love and tradition.
Rich and thick – This recipe is a full bodied and extra hearty.

A large bowl with a serving of spinach pasta and beef bolognese on top. There is more in the background.

How to store Bolognese Beef Ragù Recipe

Fridge

Beef ragù tastes even better the next day, after all the ingredients have had a chance to mix and mingle together in the fridge overnight.

Allow the beef ragù to cool to room temperature.
Place the sauce in an airtight container.
Store in the freezer for up to 4 days.

Freezer

This recipe makes a big batch and is a great meal prep. Freeze the sauce on it’s own or make it into a lasagna and freeze as a delicious meal prep recipe.

Allow the beef ragù to cool to room temperature.
Place the sauce in an airtight container. Make sure to leave at least an inch of heat space at the top. The sauce will expand as it freezes.
Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

What is the difference between ragù and bolognese sauce?

Ragù is a general term for a meat based sauce. The ingredients and thickness of this sauce very across Italy. Ragù is generally made with ground meat, veggies, tomato (sometimes), wine, and herbs.

Bolognese is a type of ragù originating in Bologna. It’s made up of finely chopped beef (sometimes pork), soffritto (onion, carrot, celery), wine, tomato purée, with milk or cream.

It is a very thick ragù, often served with tagliatelle, or layered into lasagnas.

This recipe is a Bolognese-style ragù.

A large Dutch oven full of beef bolognese. There is a large serving spoon inside.

What to make with Bolognese Beef Ragù Recipe

Tagliatelle Bolognese This is a classic pairing for bolognese. However feel free to serve this sauce on your favourite pasta, like pappardelle or penne.

Lasagna This meaty sauce is perfect for pasta bakes, lasagna being the most popular. You can also use it in casseroles like baked ziti, or spoon it over baked stuffed shells.

Classic comfort food This hearty sauce can be used to add a twist to some of your favourite comfort food meals like Shepherd’s pie, stuffed peppers or tomatoes, and open-faced sandwiches like Sloppy Joes.

A side view of a lasagna that has been cut.

Ingredients

Olive oil – For frying, use extra virgin.
Pancetta – Adds a rich, savoury, depth of flavour.
Ground beef – Provides the meaty base flavour.
Ground pork – Adds a distinct flavour and richness.
Shallot – Cut very finely to use in the soffritto. Can be replaced with 1/2 an onion.
Celery – Cut very finely to use in the soffritto.
Carrot – Cut very finely to use in the soffritto.
Red wine – Used to deglaze the pan and add the perfect contrast of acidity. Can be replaced by the same amount of white wine.
Tomato paste – Provides a rich, concentrated tomato flavour.
Tomato sauce – Use passata or your favourite tomato sauce.
Salt and pepper – Flavour.

How to make Bolognese Beef Ragù Recipe

Heat a large Dutch oven to medium-low heat.
Dice, very finely, 1/4 lb. of pancetta, or use a food processor for a no-chop version.
Add 2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to the Dutch oven. Once heated, add the pancetta.
Allow it to fry and release the fat into the pan. Stir occasionally.
Meanwhile, chop 1 shallot, 2 ribs of celery, and 2 carrots very finely or add to a food processor until you have a fine vegetable mixture.

A large Dutch oven with pancetta frying in the bottom.

A woman holding up a wooden spoon with a mixture of carrot, celery, and shallot.

6. Add this to the pan with with pancetta and fry a few minutes.

7. Cover and allow the vegetables to cook and soften 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

8. Add 1 lb. ground beef and 1 lb. ground pork to the pan. Stir and break up the meat. Allow it to cook until the pink just disappears.

9. Add in 1 cup of red wine and stir to deglaze the bottom of the pan.

10. Cook and stir until the wine is absorbed into the meat mixture.

11. Add in 1 can of tomato paste, and 1 jar of passata or tomato sauce of choice.

12. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to incorporate everything into the sauce.

13. Cover the pan, leaving a little crack for some steam to escape.

14. Allow the sauce to simmer on low heat for 4 hours. (Check and stir a few times throughout the process.

15. Remove from the heat. The sauce should be very thick and flavourful.

16. Adjust the salt and pepper to your taste.

17. The sauce is ready to use in your favourite recipe.