Whenever I talk to people, I get the impression that everyone thinks italian recipes are complicated and impossible to riproduce. Nothing could be further from the truth! This is the (almost) authentic recipe for a beautiful ragù bolognese that is sure to leave everyone at the table craving for some more.
Click here for the video recipe!
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes to 2h
You are probably confused by the cooking time, well, this recipe is ready to eat in 30 minutes really, but if you want the maximum amount of flavour (and if you can resist the temptation of eating it straight away), you’ll need to let it cook nice and slow for 4 hours.
Ingredients for 4 portions:
- 500gr Mince
- 250 gr good quality Tomato passata
- 100 gr Unsmoked Pancetta or Bacon
- 3 tbsp extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Celery stick
- 1 Carrot
- 1 Onoin
- 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 1 glass (200 ml) Red Wine
- 250ml Vegetable Stock
- Salt and Pepper to taste
(1) Start by cutting your onion, (2) carrot, (3) celery, and (4) bacon. This is the base to many italian dishes, we call it Soffritto; and even if you don’t like celery, just trust the process and chuck it in: you will barely be able to taste it but it will add a new dimension of flavour!
(5) Heat 3tbsp of olive oil in a large saucepan and add your Bacon. Cook until browned.
(6) Add your soffritto to a saucepan with your oil and bacon.
Cook your vegetables until soft, then add your mince.
(7) After your mince gets some colour, add your wine. Cook until you can’t smell the alcohol anymore.
(8) Add your tomato paste, good quality tomato sauce and vegetable stock to the pan, cover with a lid and let it cook for as long as you can resist without eating it. The smell will be incredibly tempting, but don’t let it get to you!
Taste midway through cooking and season with salt and pepper.
You want your ragù to cook for 2 hours ideally, but if you really can’t resist half an hour is enough for a delicious tasting sauce!
And just like that, your ragù is ready! You did it, good job! You can either have it on its own with some bread, chuck it on top of some pasta or rice, or just freeze it in an airtight microwave safe container for up to 1 month!
To defrost:
Stick your ragù in a microwave, crack the lid open (don’t fully open or the sauce is going to explode all over the place) and cook at 800w in 1 minute rounds until the ragù is steamy and the centre isn’t frozen anymore.
If you enjoyed this recipe, check out this Easy Pad Thai recipe!
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