{"id":11507,"date":"2026-09-27T21:10:42","date_gmt":"2026-09-27T21:10:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bhiggs.x10hosting.com\/foodie\/?p=11507"},"modified":"2026-09-27T21:33:50","modified_gmt":"2026-09-27T21:33:50","slug":"ragu-bolognese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bhiggs.x10hosting.com\/foodie\/ragu-bolognese\/","title":{"rendered":"Rag\u00f9 Bolognese"},"content":{"rendered":"
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<\/div>\n\t<\/g><\/svg><\/span> Print Recipe<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n

<\/span>Rag\u00f9 Bolognese<\/span><\/h2>\n
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This recipe makes enough rag\u00f9 for lasagna Bolognese with enough leftovers for another night's pasta dinner. <\/span>
<\/div>Try to purchase pancetta in a large chunk from the deli counter, and if it comes in casing-like plastic, make sure to remove and discard the wrap before use. The next best option is packaged already diced pancetta; if pre-sliced is the only option, it will work, but will cost a lot more and requires less time in the food processor. <\/span>
<\/div>We add a bit of powdered gelatin to give the rag\u00f9 a rich, velvety body that otherwise would require a lengthy simmer to achieve. The finished rag\u00f9 can be cooled to room temperature and refrigerated for up to three days.<\/span>
<\/div>Don\u2019t trim the fat from the beef and pork<\/strong>. The fat makes the rag\u00f9 rich and supple, and carries the flavors of the other ingredients. <\/span>
<\/div>Don\u2019t process the beef and pork too finely;<\/strong> a coarse grind yields the best-textured sauce.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Cook Time<\/span>4 hours<\/span><\/span> hrs<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Active Time, plus Cooling<\/span>40 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Total Time<\/span>4 hours<\/span><\/span> hrs<\/span> 40 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n\n
Servings: <\/span>8<\/span> cups (approx.)<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n
Author: <\/span>Diane Unger & Courtney Hill – Milk Street<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n

<\/span>Ingredients<\/span><\/h3>

<\/span>Meat<\/span><\/h4>
  • 1\u00bd<\/span> lbs<\/span> beef short ribs<\/span> boneless<\/span><\/li>
  • 1<\/span> 8-oz piece<\/span> pancetta<\/span><\/li>
  • 1<\/span> lb<\/span> pork shoulder<\/span> boneless<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/div>

    <\/span>Produce<\/span><\/h4>
    • 4<\/span> bay leaves<\/span><\/li>
    • 1<\/span> medium<\/span> carrot<\/span><\/li>
    • 1<\/span> medium<\/span> celery stalk<\/span><\/li>
    • 2<\/span> 28-oz cans<\/span> whole tomatoes<\/span><\/li>
    • 1<\/span> large<\/span> yellow onion<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/div>

      <\/span>Canned Goods<\/span><\/h4>
      • 2<\/span> cups<\/span> beef broth<\/span> low-sodium<\/span><\/li>
      • \u00bc<\/span> cup<\/span> tomato paste<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/div>

        <\/span>Baking & Spices<\/span><\/h4>
        • 1<\/span> Kosher salt and ground black pepper<\/span><\/li>
        • \u00bd<\/span> tsp<\/span> red pepper flakes<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/div>

          <\/span>Oils & Vinegars<\/span><\/h4>
          • 3<\/span> Tbsp<\/span> extra-virgin olive oil<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/div>

            <\/span>Dairy<\/span><\/h4>
            • 4<\/span> Tbsp<\/span> salted butter<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/div>

              <\/span>Desserts<\/span><\/h4>
              • 2<\/span> Tbsp<\/span> unflavored powdered gelatin<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/div>

                <\/span>Beer, Wine & Liquor<\/span><\/h4>
                • \u00bd<\/span> cup<\/span> dry white wine<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n

                  <\/span>Instructions<\/span><\/h3>
                  • In a large Dutch oven<\/strong>, combine the butter and oil. In a food processor, pulse the onion, celery and carrot until roughly chopped, about 5 pulses. Transfer to the Dutch oven. One can at a time, add the tomatoes with juices to the food processor and puree until smooth; transfer to a medium bowl. Add half the beef to the food processor and pulse until coarsely ground, 5 to 10 pulses, then transfer to another medium bowl; repeat with the remaining beef. Repeat with the pork, in batches, adding it to the beef. Finally, process the pancetta to a coarse paste, about 30 seconds; add to the other meats.<\/span><\/div><\/li>
                  • Set the pot over medium-high<\/strong> and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until the paste begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until the pot is almost dry, about 1 minute. Stir in the ground meats, then stir in the broth, tomatoes, bay and pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover, reduce to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender, the sauce is thick and the volume has reduced to about 8 cups, 2\u00bd to 3 hours. Remove the pot from the heat.<\/span><\/div><\/li>
                  • Pour \u00bc cup water<\/strong> into a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the top; let stand for 5 minutes to soften. Meanwhile, taste and season the rag\u00f9 with salt and pepper, then remove and discard the bay. Stir in the softened gelatin until fully dissolved.<\/span><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n
                    <\/div>\n

                    <\/span>Notes<\/span><\/h3>
                    We learned how to make rag\u00f9 Bolognese at chef Alberto Bettini\u2019s Michelin-starred Amerigo restaurant outside Bologna. After several tests in the Milk Street kitchen, we determined beef and pork that we ground ourselves in a food processor yielded superlative flavor and texture; supermarket ground meats made insipid sauces. Also, try to purchase pancetta in a large chunk from the deli counter, and if it comes in casing-like plastic, make sure to remove and discard the wrap before use. The next best option is packaged already diced pancetta; if pre-sliced is the only option, it will work, but will cost a lot more.<\/span>
                    <\/div>\nSince the rag\u00f9 demands several hours of slow simmering, we depend on the oven to get the job done, as its even, steady heat means hands-off cooking. The amount of fat that rises to the surface of the finished sauce will vary, depending on the fattiness of the meats. When cooking is complete, skim off and discard as little or as much as you like, bearing in mind that at least some is desirable for silkiness and richness of flavor.<\/span>
                    <\/div>\nThe finished rag\u00f9 can be cooled to room temperature and refrigerated for up to three days. This recipe makes enough sauce for lasagna Bolognese, with leftovers for another night\u2019s pasta dinner.<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11521,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3772,618,179,697],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sauce-salsa","category-baked","category-italian","category-stove-top"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/bhiggs.x10hosting.com\/foodie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/RaguBolognese-scaled.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bhiggs.x10hosting.com\/foodie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bhiggs.x10hosting.com\/foodie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bhiggs.x10hosting.com\/foodie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bhiggs.x10hosting.com\/foodie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bhiggs.x10hosting.com\/foodie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11507"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/bhiggs.x10hosting.com\/foodie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11507\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11523,"href":"https:\/\/bhiggs.x10hosting.com\/foodie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11507\/revisions\/11523"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bhiggs.x10hosting.com\/foodie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11521"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bhiggs.x10hosting.com\/foodie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bhiggs.x10hosting.com\/foodie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bhiggs.x10hosting.com\/foodie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}