Tagliatelle Bolognese Recipe || A meaty, rich bolognese sauce tossed over tagliatelle pasta and served with fresh basil and parmesan reggiano.
Let’s talk about the deliciousness that is this tagliatelle bolognese recipe. A comfort food classic and one that wins over even the pickiest of eaters. Because everyone loves a big bowlful of pasta with a thick, rich, meaty sauce topped with generous amounts of fresh basil and parmesan.
Just look at all the yumminess…
About Authentic Italian Bolognese Sauce
Traditional Bolognese sauce is dense, meat-centric, veggie-loaded, and served over tagliatelle pasta. The base is a trifecta of chopped onion, celery, carrots, and lots of ground meat, typically a mixture of beef and pork. Tomatoes or tomato paste are often added, but in smaller quantities (than a typical marina sauce), with milk, white wine, and broth (chicken or beef) rounding out the liquids.
My simple, family-friendly bolognese sauce recipe uses a touch more tomato than might typically be used in an authentic Italian recipe (one can of whole tomatoes, blitzed, plus tomato paste). In keeping with tradition though, I add milk and beef broth for a rich, creamy sauce, but forgo the wine that is traditionally called for. Two pounds of extra lean ground beef, which can easily be swapped for a beef-pork mixture, makes this a filling, super meaty, flavor-rich sauce.
How to make this tagliatelle bolognese recipe
- A food processor makes this sauce bananas easy. Forget chopping. Just wash/peel the onion, carrots, and celery — cut all into quarters (or large chunks), and toss right in. Pulse into small bites.
- Heat a good glug of olive oil in a large stovetop pot (4-quart capacity) and toss in the veggies. Add garlic and let cook over medium-high heat for five to seven minutes.
- Add in the beef and let brown, breaking up with a wooden spoon as you stir, for 6-8 minutes.
- Now, add the milk, broth, tomato paste, and the whole tomatoes that have been quickly blitzed in the food processor.
- Add salt and pepper and let simmer for, at minimum, one hour. The Bolognese will transform into a rich, thick sauce, ready for tossing with tagliatelle and topped with basil and parm.
- This bolognese sauce is perfect for making the night before serving. The flavor will only get better.
I love serving this sauce with tagliatelle, but whatever pasta you have on hand will be delish. If you give this recipe a try, let me know in the comments below. I love to hear from you!
xo Bri
P.S. If you’re craving pasta, check out my 15-minute, weeknight-friendly Spinach Pesto Pasta, one of our ultimate favs.
Tagliatelle Bolognese Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 medium yellow onions peeled and quartered
- 2 medium carrots peeled and quartered
- 2 large celery sticks washed and quartered
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- olive oil as needed
- 2 lbs ground beef or a mixture of beef and pork
- 1 cup beef or chicken stock
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 can tomato paste
- 1 can whole tomatoes
- 1-1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
- fresh basil to serve
- grated parmesan reggiano to serve
Instructions
- In a large, high capacity food processor, toss onions, carrots and celery chunks. Process until finely chopped.
- In a large (4 qt) stovetop pot, add a glug of olive oil and heat over medium-high for a minute or two. Add in the chopped veggies and garlic and let cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add ground beef (breaking into small pieces with a wooden spoon) and brown. This will take 6-8 minutes.
- Throw the canned tomatoes into the food processor and quickly blitz until no chunks remain.
- Into the stovetop pot, stir in broth (beef or chicken), milk, tomato paste, and the whole tomatoes that have been blitzed.
- Add salt and pepper and let simmer for one hour to an hour and a half. The sauce will transform and thicken into a rich, flavor-packed, pasta-ready sauce.
Notes
Did you make this recipe? Tag @mondaysundaykitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #mondaysundaykitchen!
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