Forget what you’ve heard. Bolognese no longer requires milk in it to be official, nor is it hard to make. Simmer a pot of this rich, meaty, ragù alla bolognese (no milk recipe) and toss it with some homemade pasta for your next Sunday supper. Inspired by the authorized recipe for bolognese governed by the Bologna, Italy, Chamber of Commerce.

There is such a thing as good fortune. I know because I’ve experienced it. The first time I ever tasted bolognese Sauce I was lucky enough to be in Bologna, the home of ragù bolognese. I wasn’t much of meat sauce lover but I was raised to be a thoughtful guest so I accepted the plate of pappardelle with bolognese from my host with few expectations.

I wasn’t prepared for what was set in front of me. Nor was I prepared with how it tasted. Delicate. Sweet. Rich with meat that was so tender it melted in my mouth and hugged the pappardelle.

Bolognese—you had me at hello.

Ragù bolognese research epiphany

It took many years later to make bolognese because frankly, I was afraid. Bolognese has a reputation for reputation for a long cooking time, which I mistook for being a difficult cooking process.

My goal is to give you the confidence to make the best bolognese sauce.

I first turned to my Italian cooking bible, The Essentials of Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan, the queen of Italian cooking. It has never let me down. And I made her renowned recipe for ragù bolognese.

It was, of course, fabulous but I wasn’t finished researching.

You’d think I’d consult my grandmas’ recipe books, but my family is from southern Italy (Reggio Calabria and Naples) and meat sauce or bolognese is more local to northern Italy. Meat sauce wasn’t a staple for our family .

As I studied more about the traditional recipe for bolognese, I realized how nuanced of a dish it was with my usual references of Serious Eats, Food and Wine, and Bon Appetit each having their own and sometimes differing opinions.

Every recipe had its own nuance, which is perfectly acceptable in Italian cooking. Almost ready to develop my own bolognese recipe , I stumbled upon a major update in my research.

Milk was no longer a required ingredient!

The role of milk in bolognese

Milk has always been a benchmark ingredient in bolognese. If a recipe didn’t have it, many wouldn’t consider it bolognese.

Historically, milk was seen as a way to tenderize tough cuts of meat used in bolognese. It also helped mellow the gaminess of meats like wild boar used in Italian cuisine. Milk also serves to help balance the acidity of the tomatoes.

All over Italy, there are standards, parameters and whole committees to manage protected ingredients like San Marzano tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Chianti wine and more.

Bolognese isn’t any different. The city of Bologna has an official recipe for bolognese with specific ingredient qualifiers for what bolognese is and what it isn’t (teaser: it’s not a tomato sauce).

And, in April of 2023, the former “approved recipe standards” for bolognese were revised.

Whether it’s because leaner cuts of meat are available today or to help consumers with dairy dietary restrictions, the Accademia Italiana Della Cucina that governs the bolognese recipe decreed that authentic bolognese sauce no longer “requires” milk.

So—I was ready and made the controversial decision to eliminate milk from this ragù bolognese recipe.

Let the debate begin!

Bolognese without milk: the new “rules”

Here are the bolognese “rules” I’m following from the official recipe:

Ground Meat Mixture. A minced combo of beef and two kinds of pork (pancetta) but not veal, smoked pancetta or bacon.

↠You’ll use a combo of ground beef, fresh ground pork, and diced unsmoked pancetta.

Wine. Typically white but red wine is ok. Never brandy or another alcohol.

↠White wine is the choice for this recipe.

Tomato. A blend of passata (tomato puree) and paste.

↠The passata I recommend is Mutti Passata in addition to tomato paste.

Soffritto. Sometimes also called the “holy trinity” in cooking. Soffritto is a vegetable mixture of diced onion, carrots and celery.

↠Not changing one thing here!

Equipment needed for bolognese

Traditionally, bolognese is made in a terracotta pot, similar to a chambra but an enameled cast iron dutch oven (the wider the better) is a perfect choice. Either way you want a large pot so the bolognese can beautifully brown.

How to make bolognese, step by step

Bolognese is all about adding ingredients in layers and cooking each layer until it is dry or absorbed which helps achieve an intense depth of flavor.

Here are the steps:

Signs of a good bolognese

The sauce should cling to the pasta. This is achieved by the added pasta water and the butter. You shouldn’t see meat separated from the pasta.

The meat should be so finely minced from the long, slow cook and it and the vegetables should practically melt in your mouth.

The best pasta for bolognese

A long pasta noodle gives the bolognese sauce lots of real estate to cling. My favorite types of pasta for bolognese are:

Tagliatelle. A delicate egg pasta, tagliatelle pasta is wider than fettuccine but narrower than pappardelle.

Pappardelle. A ribbon pasta. You can buy dried pappardelle or cut your own from a fresh pasta recipe with a pasta cutter (love this doube flat and fluted pasta wheel.

Spaghetti. I know I don’t have to tell you what spaghetti is. It is a great alternative to one of the wider pasta types.

Storage, reheating and freezing tips

Store. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Reheat. The sauce will dry out even more when refrigerated. Add some pasta water, if available, to the sauce in a saucepan and heat over low heat until warmed through.

Freeze. Bolognese freezes beautifully. Freeze in a freezer-safe container or resealable bag for up to 3 months. Defrost completely before following the reheat tips above.

📖 Recipe