Spaghetti Bolognese

  • Level: Intermediate
  • Yield: 4 servings (plus enough sauce for at least 2 more meals)
  • Total: 3 hr 25 min
  • Prep: 15 min
  • Cook: 3 hr 10 min
Advertisement

Ingredients

Handful fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces

Extra-virgin olive oil

2 medium onions, finely chopped

4 celery stalks, finely chopped

4 carrots, peeled and finely chopped

8 large garlic cloves, minced

2 pounds ground veal

2 pounds ground beef

2 cups dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio

3 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, drained and crushed by hand

2 quarts chicken stock

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cups milk

1 pound dried spaghetti

Large spoonful ricotta cheese

Handful freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving

Directions

  1. In a large heavy-bottomed pot, heat a 2-count of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring, until the vegetables are very tender but not browned. 
  2. Raise the heat a bit. Take the ground veal and beef, break it up into chunks and add it to the pan. Cook, breaking up the clumps with a wooden spoon, until the meat is no longer pink. Add the wine and simmer until the wine has evaporated. Then add the tomatoes and stock and season with salt and pepper. Lower the heat and simmer very slowly for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, stirring now and then, until the sauce is very thick. Now add the milk - the milk will make the meat nice and tender - and simmer again until thickened, another 20 to 30 minutes. Taste again for salt and pepper. Mash the sauce against the side of the pan to really blend it. Transfer half of the sauce to containers and refrigerate for up to a week, or freeze for up to several months. 
  3. Bring a big pot of lightly salted water to a boil for the spaghetti. When you're ready to serve, drop the spaghetti into the boiling water and cook until tender yet firm ("al dente", as they say in Italian) 7 to 8 minutes. Drain and put the spaghetti into a big pasta bowl. Return the sauce remaining in the pot to a simmer and stir in the ricotta cheese. Pour the sauce over the drained spaghetti and give it a good toss. Garnish with a handful of grated Parmigiano, the basil, and a drizzle of olive oil. Pass more grated cheese at the table.

Let's Get Cooking!

Sign up for the Recipe of the Day newsletter to receive editor-picked recipes,tips and videos delivered to your inbox daily. Privacy Policy

Thanks for subscribing to the Recipe of the Day newsletter. Check out all our other great newsletters from Easy Recipes, Healthy Eating Ideas and Chef Recipe Videos.

We're sorry, there was an error signing you up. Please try again later.

Advertisement

Anonymous

After reading a few reviews that said it wouldn’t thicken I’ve come to the conclusion that it wasn’t being cooked uncovered (the instructions don’t actually specify this.) I’ve cooked this recipe several times, with great results, but I added a few tweaks that really kicked it up a notch. First I used 1 pound each of ground pork, veal, and beef. I used the full 2 cups of wine but used only 1 1/2 quarts of beef stock. I also added 3 bay leaves, a chunk of Parmesan rind and 1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms. I cut the milk down to 1 1/2 cups also. For me this is the perfect pot of sauce.<br />Mangia Friends!

See All Reviews