homemade bolognese sauce with pasta

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 Homemade bolognese sauce with pasta is one of my favorite dishes! I mean, what is there not to love? Homemade bolognese sauce is rich in flavor yet, it is delicate and comforting. I promise the labor of love is very well worth it for this dish! 

The homemade pappardelle completely transforms this dish! The recipe to make homemade pasta is below! If you choose not to make pasta from scratch,  you can use store-bought pappardelle noodles as well.  

This hearty dish is a perfect recipe to save for colder months! Once the leaves start to change colors on the trees, I start to crave a dish that warms my soul. And homemade bolognese sauce with my favorite pasta does just that. When the days start to get shorter outside, I like to spend a little extra time in the kitchen, rolling homemade pasta and making delicious homemade meals for my family. 

Traditional bolognese sauce is made with fresh tomatoes, in my recipe I opt for my homemade marinara sauce, but you can use crushed tomatoes instead if you would like to keep this more traditional. 

The best pasta to use for this dish is homemade egg noodles, but store-bought noodles are just as good if you are on a time crunch. 

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How to make homemade pappardelle pasta?

I have a full recipe and guide for making pasta from scratch here on the blog.

INGREDIENTS HOMEMADE PASTA

• 2 1/4 cup flour
• 3 room-temperature eggs
• 3 tbl warm water
• extra flour for dusting

TOOLS YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE EASY HOMEMADE PASTA 

• Measuring cups and spoons
• Pasta machine ( this is the one I use and love)
• Ziploc bag

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE PASTA

Place the flour on a clean countertop, gather it into a circle then make a well in the middle. Crack the eggs into the middle and pour the water. Slowly start mixing the flour with the eggs and water till it combines. Knead the dough on the countertop until it is smooth. Doing this by hand will take about 10 minutes to combine.

The dough shouldn’t be too sticky when you touch it, it shouldn’t stick to your finger. If it does, dust your work surface with flour and knead until smooth and firm. (Add 1 tbl of flour at a time and knead till it all comes together)

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Divide the dough into 4, and round them into a ball shape. Then place the dough into a Ziploc bag for 30 minutes-1 hour. This helps the dough to fully absorb the moisture and it gives the gluten a chance to relax. This step makes the dough easier to work with — keeps it from shrinking and snapping back as you stretch it.

Okay, your pasta dough has been portioned, and has had time to relax. Now you’re ready to make some pasta noodles! Dust the countertop with flour. work with one part at a time, and keep the other ones covered with a towel so they don’t dry out.

ROLL THE PASTA SHEETS

If you are using a pasta machine, dust the blade with a little bit of flour just to ensure the dough will not stick to the metal. You can also roll the pasta sheets using a rolling pin.

Flatten the dough on the end you’ll be feeding into the pasta machine. The rollers will catch it and pull it through. Set the rollers to the largest (thickest) setting ( on my pasta maker this setting is 1). Feed the dough through the machine.

Repeat this process, narrowing the roller settings as you go, until the dough is the desired thickness. I rolled mine to the size 7 on my machine.

Dust the sheets with flour, now work with one sheet at a time. To make pappardelle noodles roll the sheet into a log and cut across the log into 1-inch width pieces. Then unravel the noodles and sprinkle the cut noodles with flour to prevent them from sticking together. Let the pappardelle lay flat on the table while you prepare the homemade bolognese sauce.

Ingredients for homemade bolognese sauce with pasta

• 32 oz of homemade marinara sauce ( or you can use Rao’s sauce)
• 1 pound ground beef – 20% fat
• 1 pound ground pork – or Italian sausage
• 1 onion
• 3 medium carrots
• 3 celery sticks
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup white wine- chardonnay
• 1/2 cup whole milk- do not skip the milk 
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• rind from the parmesan cheese ( If you have it)
• 1 cup pasta water 
• 1 tsp salt (more to taste)
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper 
• 2 tbl olive oil
• 2 tbl butter
• 1/4 cup of fresh herbs (divided)- you can use basil, parsley, or sage. 
• a large pot of water ( to boil the noodles)

How to make homemade bolognese sauce

Wash and chop the vegetables the same size into small cubes. 

To a preheated deep pan, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons butter, chopped onions, carrots, and celery. Let it saute on medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring on occasion to ensure nothing is burning. 

Take the vegetables out into a clean small bowl. In the same pan add 2 more tablespoons of olive oil then add 1 pound of ground pork, 1 pound ground beef, 3 pressed garlic cloves, and 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh herbs (I used sage). Saute on medium-high heat until all the liquid has evaporated ( this may take up to 10 minutes.) Once the liquid has evaporated, let the meat brown up a bit. This will give the sauce a really good flavor. Add 1/2 cup of white wine (do not use red wine) to the pan. With a wooden spoon scrape the bottom of the pot to deglaze. 

Return the vegetables to the pan with the meat, then add in the marina sauce, whole milk ( you can use half & half or heavy cream), and 1 rind from parmesan cheese (if you have it) this adds to the flavor.

Mix everything to combine then cover the pan with a lid and let the bolognese sauce simmer on low heat on your stove for 2 hours. 

Bring a large pot to a boil and add a generous amount of salt, next add your homemade pasta and cook it for 4 minutes or until they are al dente. ( if using store-bought noodles, cook according to the package instructions.) 

Remove the parmesan rind from the homemade bolognese sauce then  1/2 cup of freshly grated parmesan, and mix it well. Next, add 1 cup of pasta water to the pasta sauce. Drain the noodles, and add them directly into the meat sauce. Mix gently to not tear the pasta. Serve while hot! Add some freshly grated parmesan on top and some chopped fresh basil and enjoy! 

Store any leftovers of homemade bolognese sauce with pasta in an airtight container in the fridge. 

Make ahead

Cook the sauce as instructed above, then transfer it to a slow cooker, cover it with a lid, and leave it on low til you are ready to serve it. Boil fresh noodles then add them to the sauce. This spaghetti sauce can also be frozen. To freeze cool your bolognese sauce completely then transfer to an airtight container or ziploc bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

What’s the Best Pasta for Bolognese?

In Italy, bolognese sauce is often served with pappardelle or tagliatelle, as the broad ribbons hold up well in the thicker sauce. However, you can serve it with your preferred pasta, including spaghetti noodles for classic spaghetti bolognese.

 STORING FRESH PASTA

 You can store fresh pasta in the freezer in an airtight container for up to a month. Or dry the pasta completely then store it in an airtight container.