Pappardelle bolognese is a classic pasta dish from Bologna, Italy. We make extra-wide handmade pappardelle noodles and toss them with a rich, slow-cooked meat sauce. It’s silky, hearty, and unbelievably delicious!
Why I love it:
This is my all-time favorite bolognese recipe. I’ve been making it for years, ever since I studied Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. Her version is the gold standard—simple ingredients, slow cooking, incredible depth of flavor—and I’ve adapted it only slightly over time to make it my own.
The result is everything you’d hope for in an authentic ragù from Bologna: tender meat, mellow tomato, and just the right balance of milk and wine to round out the sauce.
When we pair it with silky, homemade pappardelle, it tastes like a dream straight from the best restaurants in Emilia-Romagna. I lived and cooked in Tuscany for six months and this dish instantly transports me back to long Sunday lunches at the winery.
The meat sauce is slow-cooked for 3–4 hours, until it’s thick, glossy, and flavorful enough to stand on its own. Then we toss in fresh pasta, a splash of cooking water to help it cling, and a generous shower of Parmigiano Reggiano. Using the real cheese from Parma makes a world of difference!
Bolognese shines with wide ribbons like pappardelle, or with ridged shapes like garganelli and farfalle that grab onto the sauce. Need a refresher? Here’s my pasta dough recipe and rolling guide. In a pinch, dried fettuccine works beautifully too
And if your family loves these classic Italian crowd-pleasers, you’ll also want to try my spaghetti and giant meatballs recipe. It’s another Italian-American comfort dish I’ve refined over years of testing, and it never fails to impress!
how to make pappardelle bolognese:
pappardelle bolognese
Pappardelle bolognese is a classic pasta dish from Bologna, Italy. We make extra-wide homemade pappardelle noodles and toss them with a rich, slow-cooked meat sauce. It’s silky, hearty, and unbelievably delicious!
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: 6
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 1 large carrot, peeled and finely diced
- 2 celery stalks, finely diced
- ¾ lb ground beef
- ¾ lb ground pork
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 ½ cups dry white wine
- 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 lb pasta dough
- all-purpose flour, for rolling
- semolina flour, for dusting
- ½ cup finely grated parmesan, plus more for serving
Instructions
- To make the bolognese, heat butter and olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft but not browned, about 10 minutes.
- Add the beef and pork, season with salt and pepper, and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until crumbled and just barely pink, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the milk and let it simmer gently, stirring often, until completely evaporated, about 30 minutes.
- Add wine and simmer until evaporated and the pot is almost dry, 15- 20 minutes.
- Stir in tomatoes and bay leaf, season with salt and pepper, and cook uncovered at a gentle simmer until meat is very tender and sauce is thick, 2 ½- 3 hours. As the sauce cooks, stir in ½ cup of water if needed to prevent sticking. The sauce is done when tender, flavorful, and oil separates from the surface.
- While sauce cooks, make the pappardelle. Cut the pasta dough into 4 pieces and work with one at a time, keeping the rest covered with plastic wrap to prevent drying.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the pasta dough into a very thin sheet, about 1/32 inch thick. If using a pasta roller, start on the widest setting and gradually roll it to the second to last setting (setting 7 on the Kitchen Aid attachment).
- Dust a baking sheet with semolina flour. Use a sharp knife or pasta cutter to cut the sheet into 1 ½” wide stripes and transfer to the baking sheet to prevent sticking. Refrigerate for up to 8 hours, loosely covered.
- When the bolognese sauce is ready, cook fresh pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 3- 5 minutes.
- Use tongs to transfer cooked pasta to the bolognese along with ½ cup cooking liquid and grated parmesan. Cook over medium heat, stirring and tossing, until the sauce loosely clings to the pasta, about 1 minute.
- Divide among bowls and spoon extra bolognese on top. Serve, passing more parmesan.
Notes
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 cups pasta with sauce
- Calories: 659
- Sugar: 9.6g
- Sodium: 613mg
- Fat: 35g
- Saturated Fat: 13g
- Unsaturated Fat: 17.7g
- Trans Fat: 0.7g
- Carbohydrates: 36g
- Fiber: 3.3g
- Protein: 40g
- Cholesterol: 150mg
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