Martha Stewart Bolognese Sauce

Martha Stewart Bolognese sauce is a rich, slow-simmered pasta sauce with beef, pork, pancetta and milk that comes together in 4 hours 15 minutes. This make-ahead Sunday dinner meat sauce fits cozy fall suppers, winter family dinners, big holiday pasta nights and freezer meal prep.

Let the sauce simmer at a very low bubble for the full 3 hours, because that gentle cooking turns the milk, wine and stock into a silky sauce. Cut the time short and it tastes thin and tomatoey instead of rich.

Martha starts with a soffritto built on pancetta, then braises the browned meat in wine and milk before any tomato goes in. That order keeps the tomatoes in the background, so the sauce tastes meaty and mellow instead of like a standard red sauce.

Martha Stewart Bolognese Sauce

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: DinnerCuisine: American, ItalianDifficulty: Medium

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

3

hours 

45

minutes

Calories

380

kcal

A loose, chili-like meat sauce that turns thick and velvety after hours of barely-there simmering. Browning the meat well and reducing the wine and milk first builds the deep, mellow flavor.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  

• 3 ounces pancetta, cut into ¼-inch pieces (⅔ cup)
  

• 2/3 cup minced yellow onion (½ medium)
  

• 2/3 cup minced carrot (2 medium)
  

• 2/3 cup minced celery (1 rib)
  

• 1 pound ground beef, such as chuck or sirloin
  

• 1 pound ground pork
  

• 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon tomato paste
  

• 1 cup dry white wine
  

• 1 1/4 cups whole milk
  

• 5 sprigs thyme, tied into a bundle with kitchen twine
  

• 1 bay leaf
  

• 6 to 7 cups Basic Chicken Stock
  

• 1 can (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes, pureed (with juice) in a blender (or through a food mill)
  

• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
  

Directions

• Make the soffritto: Heat 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat until the butter sizzles, then drop the heat to medium. Add the pancetta and cook about 2 1/2 minutes until golden. Then stir in the onion, carrot and celery and cook about 10 minutes until they just start to brown at the edges.
• Brown the meats: Add the ground beef and ground pork and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes. Break the meat up with the back of a wooden spoon until no pink remains. Pour off any excess fat, then stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute to bring out its sweetness.
• Reduce the wine: Pour in the white wine and cook for 6 to 7 minutes, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot until the liquid has evaporated.
• Add the milk: Add 1 cup of the milk and cook about 3 minutes until it reduces by half. Don't worry if it looks slightly curdled, because it smooths out again as it simmers.
• Add tomatoes and stock: Drop in the thyme bundle and bay leaf, then pour in the pureed tomatoes and 6 cups chicken stock. Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
• Simmer the sauce: Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a very low simmer. Cook partially covered for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, skimming the fat from the surface with a ladle now and then. If the sauce ever looks too dry, add up to 1 cup more stock.
• Finish and season: The finished sauce should have the consistency of a loose chili. Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup milk, then taste and adjust the salt and pepper.

Tools for this recipe

• Lodge 6-quart enameled Dutch oven, OXO wooden spoon set, Vitamix E310 blender, Partanna Sicilian extra virgin olive oil, 1 liter. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

How long does Bolognese sauce keep in the fridge?

Let the sauce cool completely, then store it in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It also freezes well for up to 3 months, so I like to portion it out before freezing.

Can I freeze this Bolognese sauce?

Yes, it freezes very well for up to 3 months in airtight containers. Defrost it in the refrigerator before reheating, since thawing it slowly keeps the texture smooth.

Can I make Bolognese sauce ahead of time?

Really, and it's a good one to make a day early because the flavors settle and deepen overnight. Reheat it gently on the stovetop and loosen it with a splash of stock if it has thickened too much.

Why does the sauce look curdled after adding milk?

That's normal when the milk hits the hot, wine-reduced meat, so don't panic. As it simmers for the next few hours it smooths out again into a silky sauce.

Which pasta goes best with Bolognese?

Spaghetti and fettuccine are the classic picks, but just about any pasta works. Wide ribbons like tagliatelle or sturdy shapes like rigatoni hold the thick sauce especially well.