How to Make Bolognese Sauce

I made this recipe as written. It was a masterpiece. I have never made anything like this in my life that tasted this complex. Thank you for the recipe! I have enjoyed watching you on Youtube. (Next time, I might add a little handful of brown sugar at the end to take a little of the acid bite of the tomatoes away, but seriously perfect as is). I ate it without noodles just in a bowl =)

Awesome recipe! Would change just a few things - I would add fresh minced garlic to the sauteed veggies, and add my seasonings there. Cooking them in the oil I find generally brings out more of the flavor. I would also add oregano or Italian seasoning blend - although a great sauce, wasn't super flavorful and that's my preference. Otherwise, I think it's a definite keeper and just in time for the weather to turn chilly. Thank you for sharing!

I liked learning the technique of using the milk but something about the flavor of this was just...off. It tasted too much like wine and not like anything else. I will definitely try using my own seasonings next time!

First time, followed the recipe and instructions and the results were delicious! Second time, like any cook, I wanted to add my own touches: 1) Divided meat 1/2-ground chuck, 1/2 ground sweet Italian sausage; 2) Added 1 tsp. of garlic powder to spices; 3) Used Half & Half instead of 2% milk; and used 2 jars of thick & hearty sauce (time-saver). Flavor, consistency was amazing! Note: Follow stirring instructions, increasing times to obtain desired consistency. SAVE PASTA WATER - A cup of the pasta water will come in handy to loosen up the rich sauce if you find it too thick. I used it and it not only loosened the sauce, but it enhanced it as well.

I made this last night and my Sicilian husband who doesn't like red sauce declared it the best red sauce he's ever eaten! Although I usually stick to the recipe I did make several changes on this one. I added 4 slices of bacon, diced, with the other fats and added 2 cloves of garlic. He hates carrots so I shredded them to hide them in the sauce. I used only Italian sausage for the meat and only used 2.5 links. Substituted Stewed Italian tomatoes for the whole tomatoes, and swapped out the milk with heavy cream. I only used 1/2 tsp. salt and substituted 1 can of low sodium chicken broth for the water. I did skim off the fat before serving which eliminated some of the fat...hey! don't judge me :)

Fabulous- just like our favorite Italian restaurant version! I did add 2 cloves of crushed garlic (because what is Italian without garlic??) and I don’t do alcohol at all so subbed 2 cups beef stock for the white wine. Perfect!

I thought this was an excellent recipe. The taste was fantastic. I doubled the recipe to have leftovers to freeze. I couldn't use the wine in the recipe so I added half chicken broth and half beef broth. The only issues that I found was that it did take longer to simmer each step than stated which wasn't really an issue for such a yummy recipe. It was worth the time. I also felt that it was a little thin when it was done cooking so I had to add some tomato paste at the end to thicken it up. That didn't alter the recipe at all. It was fantastic and I'm glad that I doubled the recipe to freeze some leftovers for future use. Nice job Chef John.

I followed the recipe without making any changes and the flavour was so very different to the "meat sauce" I've made in the past. Certainly more time consuming but worth it!

I followed the recipe exactly, as I usually do with a new recipe. This was so amazingly perfect, I will probably never make any changes. Well, maybe I'll double it. The sauce only improves with long cooking time. And I really don't like chopping carrots.

Well done Chef John. I made this recipe but used 1lb of beef and 1 cup of carrots, celery and onion. I also grated almost 1 whole nutmeg . Then at the end, I put fresh basil and Parmesan Reggiano to dress. It was fantastic! The most important thing I found with this recipe, is that cooking each layer of recipe on medium heat will make it soo much more savory. All these years and I have been trying to sear the meat on high to brown it... hard to believe such a simple change results in such a drastic difference in the end product!

Made exactly per Chef John. Added the available simmering times. This is magnificent. Chef John, you have me so spoiled for your recipes and instructions! I have yet to fail.....now, for a second time, will you marry me chef john???

Great recipe!! Easy to make and tastes great. I would only add that the timing is a little off. The recipe suggests 5 minutes for most of the steps where I found I had to let it cook 10-15 minutes to get the sauce to the perfect consistency. That's my only criticism. Otherwise, great sauce to try especially on a cold Sunday afternoon!!!

I added some spinach at the end of cooking before serving and that just knocked the recipe out of the park!!! It added a great earthy flavor. We're a family of 6, kids are young and everyone loved it!! Most had 2nd helpings :) A fabulous base recipe! Agree with other comments about adding garlic,seasonings and cooking time. The secret is the longer it simmers, the better, IMO. Also, is different from the Bolognese that I know. Definitely a keeper recipe to experiment with (y) Thanks Chef!

My kids love it! That's huge...

Loved this recipe, added 4 cloves of garlic minced, which was sautéed with the other vegetables, used meatloaf mix (veal, pork, beef mix) for the meat and my usual Italian seasonings. I did not use cayenne but some red pepper flakes instead. I followed the rest to a T and it was outrageously delicious. My 1st attempt at Bolognese thank you chef for a wonderful addition to our most loved pasta sauces

I like this a lot, however I made the following substitutions: I added two chopped cloves of garlic with the vegetables.I added a quarter teaspoon of fennel seed. I added one 8 ounce can of tomato paste.I omitted the 2 cups of water.

I made this for Sunday dinner. It was a HUGE hit. We had about 8 people for dinner so I made a double batch. The only thing I changed was; I used 1.25 pounds of 'meatball mix' (pork, beef and veal) and about a pound of 85% ground beef.

Made as written & loved it!!!

Since the first time I've made this i continually get requests to make it again.

Let me just say, this is the 'real deal'. I visited Bologna in the fall (what a unsung gem!) and had to have the sauce that made it famous before leaving. It was love at first bite and so different from the Americanized versions I was used to: the emphasis was on the beef rather than the tomatoes and spices. This is the purists' version, folks, and I first came upon it when the NY Times published it (the differences: Ms. Hazan used whole milk but no cayenne). The only thing I changed was to add canned beef broth at the end instead of water. This sauce freezes well and is now in my regular rotation. Thank you Marcella and Chef John!

Great recipe! Made it as called for but without the cayenne pepper. As mentioned by many already, the timing on the steps took longer than the approx. 5 minutes given. This was easy, delicious and worth the extra time. Thanks again Chef John!

What a fantastic sauce! I really wanted to try this recipe without any alterations for as authentic a sauce as I could make, so I followed the directions and ingredients exactly. The milk took quite a bit longer to cook down than expected - an hour or so, but everything else went as planned. The flavor is so rich and the meat is so tender. This may not turn into a regular dinner for us simply because of the time and planning involved, but I'll keep it in mind when I want something authentic and different from all the other sauces.

My husband and kids enjoyed this. I had to substitute almond milk for a dairy allergy but otherwise, made exactly as written. Will make again.

This sauce is DELICIOUS! Wow! I don't think I've ever tasted a bolognese this good. I did substitute half a cup of the white wine for red wine, to add a bit of depth. I also added watered-down beef broth whilst simmering the sauce, to keep it moist. Overall, this one's a keeper!

I've made this several times now. It's a regular request from my partner. All of the liquid reductions give it a rich and complex flavor. Love the addition of nutmeg. My house smells lovely while this sauce simmers on the stove.

I made it with no changes. My husband and I absolutely loved it! It was even better reheated for 2 more meals (since there's just two of us)

This is the first time I've tried bolognese sauce, although I make an extremely good puttanesca, so I'm no stranger to sauce making. I can't quite put my finger on it but I didn't love the flavor profile of this recipe. Too much wine maybe? Not rich enough? One thing I did notice is that I felt the sauce was too salty. This is surprising because I followed the seasonings to a T (I usually just eyeball seasonings), and I generally like salty things. In fact, I was worried, while cooking it, that the called for amount (1 1/2 teaspoons) wouldn't be enough... But after tasting the finished product, I wish I'd held back. I suggest adding half the salt while cooking and add more at the end if needed.

Followed recipe and turned out delicious. Definitely a keeper! One thing I will say is it takes longer than 5 minutes for milk and/or wine to evaporate more like 10-15 minutes for each liquid to evaporate. My grandson gave it 2 thumbs up - he's the spaghetti sauce connoisseur!

This recipe turned out amazing! However, I was skeptical every step of the way. It's hard to believe that it will ever cook down to a proper thickness. I simmered for 4.5 hours, and sure enough it was exactly what I was wanting and craving! Good recipe for a cold day, this made my house smell delicious with out overwhelming us.

By far, the best Bolognese Sauce I’ve ever had!

Love the ease with which this sauce is made. Superb store-bought results

The recipe is fine and it tastes pretty good. My issue is that it is a very labor intensive recipe with adding things in and cooking them down. Repeat. After all that effort I can honestly say cooking a pound of meat in good jarred spaghetti sauce tastes just as good and only takes a half hour. To me this was not worth the time.

Great recipe and tastes absolutely amazing. Just like a lot of others here I also added a few cloves of minced garlic along with the veggies. Maybe it was because I used my le creuset instead of a large pan, but it took me about 25 minutes to summer out my milk and about 35-40 minutes to reduced my wine, both were at a constant simmer. Not a huge deal of course, but even in a large pan with greater surface area I just don't see reducing down 2 cups of wine in 5 minutes. All in all tastes amazing as usual chef John. I always love your videos.

Excellent recipe, according to my customer (wife). I didn't have time to simmer it for the full three hours, but it turned out very good anyway. I added some garlic, because who ever heard of an Italian sauce without garlic? And I added some Italian herbs just because. Other than that I followed the recipe fairly closely.

I used lean ground pork to sub for some of the beef (also lean). I didn't have two cups of white wine, so I used a mix of chicken broth and cooking marsala. Smelled great! I took the advice of another reader and put it in the crockpot on low, but it tasted burnt after that. I would recommend just doing the whole thing on the stove. I'll give it a second chance though.

I followed the recipe exactly, cutting it in 1/2. After 4 hours it was nice and thick and had a horrible flavor, or should I say, no flavor.

I’m a novice cook. This was probably the 4th dish I made for my family. Needless to say, I am now the family cook. Everything was fantastic. Personally I’d put a tiny bit less wine but still excellent!

It's really good, but I couldn't help but add basil to it... It just seemed so weird not putting basil in a tomato sauce.

I liked this! Didn't have ground beef, so I used my ground turkey and added green pepper to the sauteed veggies, and a long green hot pepper instead of cayenne pepper. Plan to cook this again with beef. Delicious!

I doubled the recipe, used whole milk, we had ground turkey and Italian sausage on hand instead of beef. It was hard to keep from sampling while cooking, but it was worth the wait at the end. I have some picky eaters to contend with, so the process of cooking the sauce down reduced the small bids that they would otherwise whine about. This will be a regular at our table!

The first time I made this the only change I made was to use 1LB ground beef and 1/2LB ground pork instead of 1-1/2 LBS ground beef. DELICIOUS! The second time, beef and pork the same. But instead of 2 cups water I used 2 cups store bought chicken broth. MORE DELICIOUS! Tasted ALMOST like Mom’s!

Love this recipe. The flavors are amazing, and it’s easily one of the best recipes I’ve ever made. The only reason I don’t give it five stars is because the times given in the recipe are far too short from what I’ve experienced. I’ve made this recipe probably six times now, and as an example, when it says that the milk will pretty much finish evaporating and cooking down in five minutes – well, that’s just not accurate. This recipe takes MUCH longer to make than is stated. Other than that, I wouldn’t change a thing.?. Yourself a favor and eat it over rigatoni. It’s the best shaped Pasta for Bolognese - all of the meat gets trapped in the tube and it is a miraculous bite!

I have made this twice. Both times it took longer than described. The flavor builds and expands into the best sauce I have ever tasted. I will continue to invest the time to make this and consider it time well spent.

DIdn't have whole tomatoes so used tomato sauce. Used 1 lb ground beef and 1 lb ground italian sausage. Cooked the pasta directly in the sauce for 12 minutes.

This recipe is INCREDIBLE. The sauce turned out perfect and had amazing flavor. I will definitely be making this again as my new secret weapon recipe! I did make a few small tweaks though. I left out the cayenne pepper (I don't like spicy things), and the times listed in the recipe weren't that accurate for me. Definitely ignore the "5 minutes" suggestions throughout... you need more time to soften the vegetables and let the various liquids thicken and evaporate. I likened it to making risotto... a lot of babysitting and waiting. I hate when the veggies are crunchy, so I cook the heck out of mine before adding in the meat. It made a big difference. I also didn't need to cook for the 3-6 hours as suggested. Mine looked to be the right consistency after about 2.5 hours (including the initial mixing/browning steps) so I pulled it off the heat and served it at that point. I may consider cooking it longer (and just adding water throughout) next time when I have more time to let the flavor develop, but even with the shorter time, this turned out fantastically.

Delicious and easy to make sauce is now a favorite at my house.

Wow, this is a disappointment. Followed the recipe and used a very good quality wine. The wine was overpowering and the the overall taste of the sauce bland. As of this typing I have added fresh Italian flat leaf parsley and fresh basil along with some freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese in hopes to salvage some taste. I like Chef John too, but not a fan of this recipe.

I've made this several times. The first time I followed the recipe exactly, but didn't have time to let it cook so the veggies didn't break down. Definitely let it cook for several hours. It's so much better. Chef John knows what he is talking about. If yours didn't turn out you did something wrong. I have since added garlic because I am a garlic lover, but everything else is exactly as CJ recommends.

This turned out perfect! It took me all day to make it, and yes I did simmer it for the recommended 6hrs. While I did use more Italian herbs that came from my garden & I went a little too heavy on the cayenne pepper, my husband along with our (adult) youngest daughter have requested I make it at least once a month!

I made it ,i use my home made sauce delicious

Delicious! Made this for dinner last night, and my Italian hubby was a happy camper!

Good but could have used a little more seasoning and tomatoes.

The recipe was easy to make. Mine only took 4 hours of simmering to reach a "creamy" teexture.

Wow! This recipe us well worth the time! I made a few personal changes, but I am in love with this recipe!!

Excellent recipe ! I added a bit more nutmeg than the recipe called for and it perked-up the flavor a lot.

Served over Pappardella and topped with Burrata

I made this for the first time. Easy directions. Very tasty. I will make it again

Just an outstanding tasting Bolognese. Thank you Chef! Only comment is it takes double the time to burn off the milk and wine, so 10 minutes, not five. Even then I had more in the mixture then suggested but after adding tomatoes and cooking for five hours, it boiled off and tasted amazing.

Incredible! I usually make meat sauce, but this tops it all. My company complemented so much on this recipe. I will make it again. It was very rewarding to watch it change throughout the cooking stages. Try it, you will not be disappointed!

Delicious but time consuming. The times given for reducing the milk and wine are way off. At a simmer, each took close to 30 minutes. I used 1 lb of 80/20 ground chuck and half a pound of Italian sausage. I also added about a tsp. of Italian seasoning, minced garlic from a jar and a squirt of tomato paste. I added the canned tomatoes straight to the meat mixture and used a potato masher to break them up. It simmered for 4 hrs. I added a cup or so of pasta water at the end. Wonderful over pasta and even better the next day.

I’m sure

Sooo very good!

I've made this five times since I first found this recipe. (6 weeks ago) My family loves it. My only change is using 1 cup of white wine only because the first time I made it I only had 1 cup. Because everyone loved the sauce the first time, I've stuck with that change. I have a batch simmering right now for tonight. Great recipe! Thanks Chef John! I've learned quite a bit over the years from your videos.

I cooked 3 slices of finely sliced bacon until it's crisp then added the butter and olive oil and than followed the recipe. I skimmed some of the fat off the finished dish. The bolognese came out silky and luscious. I will be making this again. Thank you for a wonderful recipe.

This is absolutely the best quick bolognese I've never tried. It doesn't look like much (I find the photo to give it a much richer red look than the sauce actually has), but it is delicious. And fast! I didn't make any changes to the recipe. It's great just like it is.

Amazing!!!!

Really easy, great sauce to use on any pasta and freeze the rest!

Perfect bolognese sauce! I loved it...my new favorite go-to recipe!

Thanks Chef John, this has been part of our extended rotation now for a couple of years. The recipe is fantastic as it is and has added a sophisticated recipe to my reportoire. Thanks again.

This sauce was pretty good but took longer than stated in the recipe or video.Even with the minimum 3 hours of simmering, I needed about 4 1/2 hour from start to finish and you can't be away form the stove for long, as you need to stir the sauce every few minutes .. I am not sure the end result is worth all that time !

I love, and have tried many of Chef John's recipes. I needed to tweak this a bit because we don't eat beef, but it still came out delicious. I added 1.3 lbs ground turkey, 2 Tablespoons Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed, 1 Tablespoon basil, and 1 Tablespoon parsley. I also added 1 can of tomato paste for a bit more color and flavor. Could not have done this without the basic info from Chef John!

First time this Italian has made bolognese sauce. I watched the video first and followed the directions exactly, having to add much more time than the 5 minutes to reduce the milk then the wine. I simmered it the full 6 hours. It was absolutely delicious. I've never made a sauce without using garlic, but didnt miss it one bit. Honestly a wonderful, rich, thick, perfect sauce. Thanks for another great video!

I used garlic as w well. Also I like a bit richer tomato flavor so added tomato paste as well as some Italian red wine instead of so much water

Tasted so good! I changed it up a little and added 2 cloves of garlic and a can of tomato paste like others had in the reviews.

another hit by Chef John! This is now a family fave and monthly regular

it's bland. there is no garlic or bell peppers in the recipe, almost no seasoning, no italian seasonings at all. it was not at all appealing for this household, ymmv.

Absolutely delicious. I did it exactly as he advised with one exception. I had cut up steak I had to use so I didn't use ground beef. Seriously, this is like one of the best sauces I've made!

Simply delicious, follow the directions and the sauce is rich and delicious has a depth of flavor that I have never been able to get before.

I made this exactly as written and I loved it. Worth the effort and time.

First time ever making Bolognese Sauce...it was terrific!

I have made many Bolognese recipes, and this one is our family favorite. Chef John has tweaked Marcella Hazan’s classic recipe just a little to make it easier and perhaps a tiny bit more American. But this remains a delightful Italian Bolognese. You do not need to add garlic and Italian seasonings — it is wonderful as written. The only thing I do differently is to spend more time really boiling off the milk and then the wine. It takes me closer to 45 minutes total to get down to the barely saucy meat described in the recipe. Yum!

Great tasty sauce! I added 1 1/2 cup red wine instead of white. I also added fresh chopped garlic and pesto as I sautéed the the vegetables. I also added 3 small cans of tomato sauce along with the plum tomatoes and added red pepper flakes. Go easy on the water, adding as you go.

Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I followed the recipe exactly, except I only had whole milk to use. Because it was a dreary, gray day in Montana, I actually simmered/heated each layer a bit longer. The depth and flavor of this Bolognese is amazing! I served it over home made pasta noodles with a touch of freshly shredded Parmasean.

We loved it! My husband was impressed, even though I didn't have the time to cook for 6 hours it was delicious at 3.5hrs and I'm sure tomorrow will be even better!

OMG this was outrageous! I always thought bolognese was just meat sauce. This recipe made the most delicious sauce I’ve ever had. My husband is an excellent cook and he couldn’t stop going on about it. After reading reviewers notes I used heavy cream instead of milk and slivered a couple large cloves of garlic. I diced and crisped (in a separate pan) a few slices of uncured bacon, seared some oxtail and added with the bacon after the beef was browned, and used less white wine, just what I had in an open bottle. Served with Gluten Free Barilla pene, simply amazing!!!

Instead of carrots, I used finely chopped orange and yellow peppers. The sauce was amazing !! Thanks chef John !

Loved it!

Good, but i did add garlic, and only had one cup of white wine, so i substituted one cup of red. After letting it simmer down into a thick sauce it was awesome!

I really wanted to like this and took the time to do it right. I added Italian seasoning and garlic with the veggies, but the end result was too oily, a bit bland, just off a bit. I did skim as much of the fat off the top as possible. I've made better. Needed to dr. it up a bit

We loved this sauce. I followed the directions to a T except I used 1 lb ground beef and 1/2 lb mild Italian sausage, added a small pinch of white sugar to the tomatoes to cut down on the acidity and used only 1 3/4 cup of wine. It was wonderful and I will most definitely be adding this to my regular rotation.

This was amazing! I sauteed veges with the hamburger, so didn't use olive oil or butter. I also didn't have any crushed tomatoes but I did have tomato sauce. I put in 2 cans, as well as a small can of tomato paste to thicken it up. I added some garlic, a bay leaf and a pinch of Italian seasoning. I used chicken broth instead of water. Very complex flavors. Will definitely make again!

The most delicious sauce I ever made! The only changes I made were- didn’t add wine, added garlic, used crushed tomatoes, cooked for only 3 hours because I couldn’t wait any longer! So so good! Try it! You will not be disappointed!

We made this last weekend, and ran out so fast I had to make it again and double the recipe this weekend!

Mamma came over on the boat. I wanted to try something traditional but made differently than my family would....so except for a couple Italian sausage links ....and doubling the ingredients I made this exactly.....and will continue to make this and enjoy it....outstanding......thank you!

This is a very good recipe. Next time I would add garlic with the vegies and seasonings as another reviewer suggested. I also prefer adding some hot italian sausage. I'd prefer the hint of spice to come from the pork sausage.

Love this recipe. Fun to make, delicious to eat!

I made this recipe tonight for my husband and I followed the recipe to a T but it turned out very watery and not very flavorful. I won't be making this recipe again.

YUM - made this as written and it was so delicious. It takes forever to make (each reducing step takes probably 30 minutes), and I ended up transferring the tomato mixture to my slow cooker so I could simmer it for 8 hours. The end result was fabulous, so much depth of flavor.

So easy to make. I have made it exactly as the recipe calls for and I have made it with changes. My family loves it both ways. Changes: 50/50 Beef and italian sweet sausage. Pinot Noir works very well with the recipe. Do not leave out the milk or nutmeg; that is what gives it the signature bolognese consistency and flavor!