Bolognese Sauce
Updated Sep 26, 2025
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This speedy Bolognese sauce recipe is a family keeper — rich, hearty, and full of flavor without the fuss of all-day simmering. Ground sirloin, a classic soffrito base of carrots, celery, and onion, red wine, and a silky finish of cream and Parmesan make this sauce perfectly balanced and ready in less than an hour. Serve it over pasta for a comforting meal that kids and grown-ups both love.
When you want that big, comforting flavor of a classic Bolognese but don’t have all day to simmer, this quick and easy recipe has you covered. It’s packed with fresh onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, a splash of red wine, and finishes with a touch of cream and Parmesan for richness without heaviness. Serve over your favorite pasta, or use in a meaty lasagna instead of classic meat sauce.
Once you’ve made this incredible sauce whip up an easy Escarole Salad, Winter Salad, Sicilian Orange Salad, or Sautéed Broccoli and enjoy yourself a wonderful meal.
“Seeing quarts of this sauce in my freezer makes me so happy…so very yummy!” – Annie
By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy.
What's In This Post?
Traditional Bolognese usually involves a much longer cooking period but this Bolognese Sauce is a quick and easy weeknight version.
What Is Bolognese Sauce?
Bolognese sauce is a traditional meat-based pasta sauce originating in Bologna, Italy. Bolognese sauce is very similar and often confused with ragu. However, ragu often has large chunks of vegetables and meat, while Bolognese is more finely chopped. Bolognese also usually has some dairy in it, like whole milk (as in this recipe) or cream, and also some grated cheese, such as Parmesan.
The definition of true Bolognese sauce, like all Italian pasta sauces, is a matter of opinion. My family’s opinion is that this was great, and my opinion is that this is very easy and quick and that it’s a great make-ahead dish. Traditional Bolognese usually involves a much longer cooking period, but this is a weeknight version.
If you’d like to make it with half ground beef and half ground pork, that’s also a classic Bolognese meat sauce combo. This quick Bolognese recipe makes a sauce that is very thick, truly a ragu.
Big Batch Bolognese
I want to start by telling you to double this recipe. Originally, the recipe was, in fact, twice the amount that you see here, but because not everyone feels the need to hoard pasta sauce as though they live in a very specific and slightly disturbing reality show, I offer a more family-size recipe. You see before you a restrained Bolognese recipe designed to make enough sauce for one pound of pasta, which is the amount that most normal people are usually looking for.
This is the kind of food I think of as snow day food — wonderful to make and scent your house on a snowy day, amazing to come home to after a day of sledding or shoveling or skiing, and when extra kids trail into your house with their wet boots, just make more pasta, maybe add some more tomato puree or sauce to the pot, and watch the sauce magically expand.
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- Ground sirloin – Feel free to use a mix of ground pork as well if you would like.
- Onion, carrots, and celery – The combination of these three ingredients makes the flavorful base called a soffrito, often used in Italian cooking.
- Garlic cloves – For depth of flavor and aromatics.
- Dry red wine – The wine adds a lot of depth to the dish.
- Tomato puree – The flavorful base of the sauce.
- Tomato paste – For a rich umami flavor.
- Dried oregano
- Red pepper flakes – A touch of spiciness.
- Whole milk – For richness and creaminess.
- Parmesan cheese – For a tangy and salty finish.
- Dried linguine – Or the pasta of your choice!
- Slivered fresh basil leaves – For fresh (for serving; optional)
How to Make Bolognese Sauce
- Sauté the beef: In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, heat one tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the beef until browned, drain in a colander, and set aside.
- Make the sauce base: Heat the remaining oil, cook the onions, carrots, and celery until tender and lightly browned, add the garlic, and sauté a bit longer. Season with salt and pepper, and add the red wine, tomato puree, tomato paste, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Return the browned beef to the pot and simmer for 20 minutes until the sauce is nicely thickened.
- Add the dairy: Add the milk and 1/2 cup Parmesan and cook for another 10 minutes until the sauce is creamy and thick.
- Cook the pasta: Boil and salt a pot of water, and cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
- Compose and enjoy: Add the Bolognese sauce and stir to coat the pasta well with the sauce. Serve hot, sprinkled with fresh basil if desired.
What Kids Can Do
If you want to get the kids involved, let them peel the carrots, measure the ingredients, and stir the sauce with supervision. When he was 14, my older son Jack made this entire sauce from start to finish — yes, I was there to guide — and felt pretty pleased about it.
Make Ahead and Storage
You can make the entire recipe up to 3 or 4 days ahead of time, or you can make the sauce through Step 2 and keep it in the fridge for the same amount of time, and then heat it up and finish with the milk and the Parmesan.
Leftovers heat up beautifully in a pot over low heat. You may want to add a bit of chicken broth or even a bit of water to loosen up the sauce.
You can also freeze the sauce after Step 2, and then defrost it, heat it, and add the milk and cheese when you are ready to serve.
Recipes that Use Bolognese Sauce
What to Serve With Bolognese Sauce
FAQs
This recipe skips the all-day simmer by using lean ground sirloin and a shorter simmer time, plus a touch of cream and Parmesan for rich, balanced flavor. And it’s all ready in less than an hour.
Yes! Freeze in airtight containers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat gently before serving.
Ooh, pasta bolognese is a topic some people can get a little heated about, or at least have firm opinions on. Tagliatelle or pappardelle are typical pairings for Bolognese sauce in Italian restaurants, as is spaghetti, but any long flat noodle, from fettuccine to linguine, is good.
On the other hand, chunky tubular shapes also work very well and can catch some of the sauce in their centers, which is nice. Ziti, rigatoni, even penne. The only shapes I would stay away from are very skinny pasta, like angel hair, or tiny pasta shapes, which will get a bit lost in the thick meat sauce.
The red wine adds depth and richness, but can be substituted with beef broth if preferred.
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It
Quick and Easy Bolognese Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
- 1 ½ pounds ground sirloin
- 1 large onion (finely chopped)
- 2 carrots (peeled and finely chopped)
- 2 stalks celery (finely chopped)
- 3 garlic cloves (minced)
- Coarse or kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 1 (35-ounce) can tomato puree
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- Generous pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
- ¾ cup whole milk
- ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (plus extra for serving)
- 1 pound dried linguine
- ½ cup slivered fresh basil leaves (for serving; optional)
Instructions
- In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, heat one tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the beef and sauté for 6 to 8 minutes, until it is browned, then drain in a colander and set aside.
- Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in the same pot, then add the onions, carrots, and celery for 5 minutes until tender and lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for another minute until you can smell the garlic. Season with salt and pepper, add the red wine and stir and scrape any bits from the bottom. Add the tomato puree, tomato paste, oregano, and red pepper flakes if using. Return the browned beef to the pot and simmer for 20 minutes until the sauce is nicely thickened.
- Add the milk and 1/2 cup Parmesan and cook for another 10 minutes until the sauce is creamy and thick.
- Meanwhile, heat a large pot of water over high heat until it is boiling, salt the water generously, return the water to a boil, and cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain the pasta, and return it to the pot. Add the Bolognese sauce and stir to coat the pasta well with the sauce. Serve hot, sprinkled with fresh basil if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
More Tomato Sauce Recipes
- Homemade Marinara Sauce
- Penne alla Vodka
- Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce
- Fresh Heirloom Tomato Pasta Sauce
Just in case: 10 Things To Make With Leftover Ground Beef!
Seeing quarts of this sauce in my freezer make me so happy, so very yummy.