Easy Bolognese Sauce is a simple recipe for the classic, hearty, meat sauce we all love! Learn how to make a flavorful bolognese in no time at all!
Bolognese Sauce:
We love this traditional, hearty, super savory sauce in our house! Bolognese is simply a meat-based sauce that first originated in Bologna, Italy! It’s what we commonly think of when we talk about “spaghetti sauce” on a regular basis. This recipe is typically made with two kinds of meat, I like to use Italian sausage and lean ground beef. This sauce is homemade, so much better than jarred sauce, and incredibly simple! The majority of the cooking time for this recipe is hands-off as the sauce simmers on the stove to make it even more flavorful. If you’re looking for more pasta recipes, try out our simple Garlic Butter Mushroom Pasta too!
How to Make Bolognese:
- You will start by melting butter and olive oil together in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or dutch oven. Then, you will cook your diced onions, carrots, and garlic until softened.
- Next, you will add your beef and sausage to the pot and cook until the meat is no longer pink. At this point, you can drain the grease and return the meat to the pot. If you have used very lean beef, you may not need to drain.
- Now, You will pour in about 1/4 cup of either red wine or beef broth and use a wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add your tomato sauce, whole tomatoes, and seasonings to the pot. Use the back of your wooden spoon to break the whole tomatoes up.
- Once your sauce comes to a simmer, turn the heat to low and continue to simmer for at least 30 minutes and up to one hour for best flavor.
Simply serve this bolognese sauce over your favorite pasta with a generous sprinkling of parmesan cheese! This sauce makes enough for 1 pound of pasta. Bolognese is great with spaghetti, but, our favorites are penne or rigatoni. This bolognese freezes like a charm! If you want to freeze this sauce make sure to let it cool to room temperature first. Then, store the sauce in a large airtight container (or zip-top freezer bag) for up to two months for best results!
Enjoy!
~Nichole
Easy Bolognese Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Large Onion, Finely Diced
- 1/4 Cup Diced Carrots
- 4 Cloves Garlic, Minced
- 1 Pound Ground Beef
- 1 Pound Italian Sausage
- 1/4 Cup Beef Broth or Red Wine
- 28 Ounce Can Whole Tomatoes
- 15 Ounce Can Tomato Sauce
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
- 1/2 Teaspoon Pepper
- 1 Pound Pasta, Cooked
- Parmesan Cheese for serving, optional
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes until tender.
- Add the garlic cloves and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute.
- Add the beef and Italian sausage to the pot and cook, breaking up the meat, until no longer pink.
- If necessary, drain the grease from the meat and return to the pan.
- Pour the wine or beef broth into the pot and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Add the whole tomatoes, tomato sauce, sugar, and seasonings to the pan. Stir, and break up the whole tomatoes with the back of your spoon.
- Allow the mixture to come to a simmer, reduce heat to low and continue simmering for at least 30 minutes and up to one hour for best flavor.
- Serve with your favorite cooked pasta and parmesan cheese.
This is 1 of my FAVE go to recipes! Add a salad, good bread, & let that good red wine flow you put in the sauce & you have a great simple, DELICIOUS meal that is “entertainment worthy” & will “wow” your guests! I’ll use it forever!
I made this as a vegetarian version with beyond meat and followed the exact instructions …. it came out great and everyone said it tasted delicious! Thank you!
I’ve now made this sauce twice in the past couple of weeks (I neglected to freeze the leftovers the first time, but I’m freezing them tonight for sure), and my teenage son and I both LOVE it. It’s so incredibly easy to make, too, and while simmering for the full hour the house smells absolutely amazing. 🙂 This one is going in my forever file!
This was easy and so so delicious. I cooked it for an hour and everyone loved it. I followed the recipe exactly and served it with pappardelle yum
I’d never made bolognese, but always enjoyed it in restaurants. My neighbor brought me a huge plate of delicious spaghetti one evening and I noticed the brown sauce instead of the red that I always made. It was delicious. So, I began a search for an “easy to make brown spaghetti sauce,” and I found this recipe. I made it, it was AWESOME! Instead of embellishing the recipe as I normally would, I stuck to the exact recipe. Amazing! Just Amazing! Thanks for posting.
I made this last Sunday for dinner and it was so good and easy to make that I am making it again tonight , This is a great recipe thank you for sharing it !
Thanks, Kristen! I’m happy that you’re enjoying the recipe! 🙂
It’s a perfect evening for this kind of dish! I haven’t bolognese in ages and now I’m craving this!
Bolognese sauce is one of my fiance’s favorite things – totally pinning this to make for a special dinner sometime soon. He’ll be so surprised!
I love a good bolognese recipe! I’ll be giving this one a try this week for dinner! I just printed it off!! My kids will love it!
You just can’t beat homemade pasta sauce. In Italy, we make it fresh all the time, there’s no buying jarred sauces. 🙂