Ragù alla Bolognese
Ragù alla bolognese is a slow-cooked meat sauce from Bologna in Emilia-Romagna, built on a soffritto with minced beef and pork, white wine, milk, and a little tomato. An official recipe was registered with the Bologna Chamber of Commerce in 1982; traditionally it dresses fresh tagliatelle, not spaghetti.
Ragù alla bolognese (often called Bolognese sauce in English) is a slow-cooked, meat-based sauce that originates from Bologna, the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. **Composition.** It is built on a soffritto of onion, celery, and carrot, combined with minced beef and a smaller amount of fatty pork. Distinctive ingredients include white wine, milk, and a modest amount of tomato (tomato paste or passata) — the sauce is meat-forward, not tomato-forward. It is prepared by sweating, sautéing, and braising, then gently simmered at length to develop a thick, deep-flavored sauce. **Official recipe.** In 1982 the Accademia Italiana della Cucina (Italian Academy of Cuisine) registered an official 'classic Bolognese ragù' recipe with the Bologna Chamber of Commerce; an updated version was published in 2023. **Serving.** Contrary to the international stereotype of 'spaghetti bolognese', the sauce is traditionally served with fresh egg tagliatelle, with pappardelle, fettuccine, rigatoni, and penne as accepted alternatives. It is also the meat layer of Lasagne: The Two-Sauce Layered Bake, paired there with béchamel. **Versus the international version.** Outside Italy, 'Bolognese sauce' usually means a tomato-based sauce with added meat, which more closely resembles southern Italy's ragù alla napoletana than the authentic Bolognese version. For the practical cooking method, see Building a Ragù: Soffritto, Browning, and the Long Simmer.