Recipe: Bolognese Meat Sauce

By Admin on April 9, 2026

• Serves: 4
• Preparation: 15 min
• Cooking: 2 hr

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 40 g/1 ½ oz butter
• 1 onion, cut into 6-mm/¼-inch dice
• 1 celery stick, cut into 6-mm/¼-inch dice
• 1 carrot, cut into 6-mm/¼-inch dice
• 1 clove garlic, crushed (optional)
• 250 g/9 oz minced steak
• 1 tablespoon concentrated tomato purée
• 120ml/4 fl oz dry white wine (optional)
• 120ml/4 fl oz water (plus extra for simmering)
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil and butter in a heavy-based saucepan and stir in the onion. Cover and cook over a medium-low heat for 5–10 minutes or until the onion starts to become translucent, stirring every couple of minutes.
2. Add the celery and carrot. Cover and cook for a further 5–10 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and just starting to brown at the edges.
3. Stir in the garlic, if using, and cook for a further minute.
4. Add the steak, breaking it into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Increase the heat to medium-high. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring, or until the meat loses its red colour and starts to fry.
5. Stir in the tomato purée and cook for a further minute.
6. Stir in the wine (if using) and 120ml/4 fl oz water. If you are not using wine, add a total of 250ml/8 fl oz water. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Turn the heat to low. Cover and cook over a very low heat for 1 ½ hours. The meat should be almost covered with liquid during the first hour of cooking and should bubble slowly. Add an additional 120ml/4 fl oz water if the sauce seems to be drying out.

Variations

This ragù may be made with a combination of meats such as half minced veal and half pork, or half minced steak and 1 Italian sausage, skinned and broken up.

The sauce may also be flavoured with mushrooms. Fry 450 g/1 lb sliced mushrooms in 2 tablespoons butter and add to the ragu 30 minutes before the end of cooking.

Serving suggestion: For timbales or tagliatelle.