Italian recipe

Tagliatelle al Ragù Bolognese

Name: Tagliatelle al Ragù Bolognese
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Total time: 2 h 55 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Italian cuisine
Ingredients: 500 g fresh egg tagliatelle; 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil; 100 g onion, finely diced; 80 g carrot, finely diced; 80 g celery, finely diced; 350 g ground beef; 200 g ground pork; 180 ml dry white wine; 250 g tomato passata; 250 ml whole milk; 300 ml low-salt beef stock; 80 g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated; 5 g fine salt, divided; 2 g ground black pepper

Wide egg tagliatelle with a slowly cooked Bolognese ragù of beef, pork, soffritto, wine, tomato and milk. Long gentle cooking turns the sauce cohesive rather than tomato-heavy.

Italy

Prep: 25 min
Cook: 2 hr 30 min
Total: 2 hr 55 min
Servings: 6

Wide tagliatelle ribbons coated in Bolognese ragù with Parmigiano — **Real finished-dish photograph**Photograph by https://www.flickr.com/photos/wordridden/Source page · Original file · CC BY 2.0Cropped, resized, and compressed by Recipe Nest Vault.

Ingredients

500 g
fresh egg tagliatelle
30 ml
extra-virgin olive oil
100 g
onion, finely diced
80 g
carrot, finely diced
80 g
celery, finely diced
350 g
ground beef
200 g
ground pork
180 ml
dry white wine
250 g
tomato passata
250 ml
whole milk
300 ml
low-salt beef stock
80 g
Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
5 g
fine salt, divided
2 g
ground black pepper

Method

01
Soften the soffritto
Heat oil in a heavy pot over medium-low heat. Add onion, carrot, celery and 2 g salt; cook 10–12 minutes until very soft and sweet without browning.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
02
Brown the meats
Raise to medium-high. Add beef and pork in loose chunks and cook 10–12 minutes, breaking them up, until moisture evaporates and the meat develops browned spots.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
03
Reduce the wine
Add wine and scrape the bottom. Boil 4–5 minutes until the sharp alcohol smell fades and only a shallow glossy coating remains.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
04
Braise slowly
Stir in passata, milk, stock, remaining salt and pepper. Bring just to a simmer, then cook uncovered over very low heat for 110–120 minutes, stirring every 15–20 minutes, until thick and cohesive.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
05
Cook and sauce the tagliatelle
Boil the fresh tagliatelle in well-salted water for 2–4 minutes until just tender. Transfer directly to the ragù with 80 ml pasta water and toss 1 minute; loosen only if needed.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
06
Finish with Parmigiano
Divide into warm bowls and finish with Parmigiano. Serve the sauce clinging to the ribbons rather than pooled underneath.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph

Practical notes

Tips

Brown in batches so the pan stays hot; crowding turns searing into steaming.
Keep the braise at a gentle simmer; hard boiling can toughen meat and muddy the sauce.

Common mistakes

Do not rush the browning stage; pale meat gives a flatter sauce.
Add salt in stages because stock, cured meat and cheese can concentrate as the liquid reduces.

Substitutions

Use an equal amount of unsalted stock when replacing wine, then finish with a small splash of mild vinegar for acidity.
Choose a cut with similar connective tissue and thickness so the braising time stays predictable.

Storage

Cool leftovers promptly and refrigerate within 2 hours at 0–4°C for up to 2 days. Reheat gently with a splash of water; creamy pasta is best eaten fresh.

Cultural context

In Bologna, ragù is traditionally paired with egg tagliatelle rather than treated as a generic tomato sauce for spaghetti.

Sources and photo credit

This standardized method was independently rewritten after cross-checking the references below. Recipe Nest Vault does not claim that the credited photographer cooked from this exact version.

Recipe references

Tagliatelle ragù bolognese 01 — Photograph by https://www.flickr.com/photos/wordridden/; CC BY 2.0.

Step illustrations: Original illustrations created by Recipe Nest Vault with OpenAI image_gen.

Back to Italian recipes

Tagliatelle al Ragù Bolognese

Ingredients

Method

Soften the soffritto

Brown the meats

Reduce the wine

Braise slowly

Cook and sauce the tagliatelle

Finish with Parmigiano

Sources and photo credit

Recipe references

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