Make this ultimate classic Italian Ragù alla Bolognese (aka bolognese sauce ) for a flavorful trip to Italy. An Italian meat-based sauce that is famous all over the world. Enjoy the pure, authentic flavors of Italian cuisine in this easy and delicious recipe.

This classic sauce is a basic that you need in your recipe book. Delicious with spaghetti or as a filling for lasagna. Not for nothing, a lot of people love a good bolognese ragù. This bolognese sauce is the most delicious sauce to make your pasta dishes even more delightful.

A photo from above of a bowl of spaghetti topped with homemade bolognaise sauce with Parmesan cheese and parsley. A hand holds a spoon. A white background, at the bottom left a white pink tea towel.

Delicious Classic Spaghetti Bolognese Sauce Recipe - Authentic Italian Taste

A perfect bolognese sauce is a hearty meat sauce with a depth of flavor, ground meat, and good ingredients. And because I don't always have a mountain of time to cook, it's also done relatively quickly (and if I want to make it even easier, I grab my slow cooker and make my pasta sauce recipe).

I have been experimenting to get the best ragù bolognese for years because the taste is so important. But now I have the recipe where you can make a delicious Bolognese sauce yourself quickly, easily, and with readily available ingredients. Within half an hour, it is already on the table.

And I don't just make this recipe at home. I also take it on vacation. That's fine because the ingredients are simple, and the recipe is ready quickly. The pan is always scraped out afterward. I serve the sauce with fresh egg pasta like spaghetti and tagliatelle but also use it as a bolognese filling with lasagna alla ragù. This is a versatile basic recipe that you simply must have in your recipe book! Try quickly.

What do you need for Classic Ragu alla Bolognese?

You need the following ingredients to prepare this Italian Ragù alla Bolognese (Bolognese sauce). You can find the correct amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the blog:

Ingredients Italian Ragù alla Bolognese (Bolognese sauce), individually labelled on a white background

Olive oil: Use extra virgin olive oil with a fruity flavor.
Garlic and onion: The basis of the sauce, which gives a lot of flavor.
Ground Beef: Minced beef has a lot of flavor.
Red wine: Use a full-bodied red wine with a deep flavor. A Cabernet Sauvignon, or a Bordeaux. You can also replace the red wine with a white wine. If you don't like or don't want to use wine, replace it with extra broth or tomato juice. The sauce will then have a slightly different taste.
Beef broth: To give the sauce a lot of flavor.
Sieved tomatoes: The basis for this sauce. These tomatoes are sieved and have no seeds or skins.
Tomato paste (Tomato Purée): To get an extra layer of flavor. But make sure you use it properly. To give it its delicious rich, and slightly sweet taste, you need to fry it for at least 2 minutes.
Sugar: A bit of sugar will enhance the flavor of this sauce and make it less acidic.
Bay leaf: The bay leaves resemble thyme and oregano but with a warm undertone.
Thyme and Oregano: Herbs commonly used in Italian cooking. They have a spicy, warm, and woody taste. Oregano adds a little spice.

How to prepare Spaghetti Bolognese style

You can find a printable recipe with a step-by-step description at the bottom of this blog.

4 collage photo preparation Italian Ragù alla Bolognese (Bolognese sauce)

Heat the olive oil in a casserole pan, Dutch oven, or large pot until hot. Add the onion and tomato purée and stir-fry with a wooden spoon for 3 minutes until the onion is translucent, and the purée smells sweet. Add the garlic and stir-fry for thirty seconds. Deglaze with wine. Bring it to a boil and let it cook for 2 minutes.
Fry the minced meat. Pour the strained tomatoes into the pan. Crumble the stock cube over the pan and add the sugar.
Sprinkle the oregano and thyme over the sauce and stir well. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat.
Place the bay leaf on the pan and simmer for 20 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Serve the bolognese sauce with spaghetti or tagliatelle pasta, Parmesan cheese, and finely chopped parsley. Also, a great idea to use as a filling for a classic lasagna.

Tips, Substitutions, and Variations

Ground beef: Can be replaced in this tomato sauce with minced chicken, minced turkey, minced lamb, or half ground pork, half ground beef.
Vegetarian: Instead of minced meat, use a vegetable mixture like slices of mushrooms (porcini mushrooms are great), eggplant, and zucchini, which you fry until tender.
Spicy: Add ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes to this bolognese recipe if you like more spice.
Creamy: Creamy bolognese sauce is made by adding ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream when the sauce has simmered for 20 minutes. Then simmer on low heat for another 10 minutes.
Without wine: Replace the wine with beef stock or tomato juice.
Thicker: If the bolognese ragù is too thin, simmer uncovered for another 10 minutes (or as needed) until it reaches the desired consistency.
Sieved tomatoes: You could use authentic San Marzano tomatoes, chopped and stewed, for this recipe. Which is very traditional, but you can't get them everywhere, and second, they're best in season. Outside season, they lose their delicious flavor. When using sieved tomatoes, your tomatoes are harvested when ripe. And secondly, it makes this recipe so much easier.

A height shot with a pink bowl filled with spaghetti topped with classic bolognese sauce. A white background. In the background a pink tea towel

Did you make this recipe? Tag #byandreajanssen via Instagram. I enjoy seeing what your creation looks like. Video recipes can be found on my YouTube channel. And don't forget to save the recipes on Pinterest so you can easily find them next time!