This easy pappardelle Bolognese is extra meaty, with ground beef, Italian sausage and chopped chicken simmered in a creamy pasta sauce. The wide, bouncy pappardelle noodles stand up to this hearty ragu.
Pappardelle Bolognese
Updated on Oct. 15, 2024
Pappardelle Bolognese is the epitome of comfort food, with its aroma of rich sauce that wafts through the house. For this recipe, you’ll combine tomato paste and vegetables with a mix of ground beef, sausage, chicken and cream. Everything is slow-cooked together on the stovetop for several hours, and the final product is a hearty sauce that’s served atop a bed of wide noodles. It’s impressive enough for a date night, and since most of the cooking is passive, it’s simple enough to make a batch for the family to eat throughout the week.
What is Bolognese sauce?
Bolognese is a traditional meat sauce from Bologna, Italy, where the municipality has an official recipe for its namesake dish. This classic Italian recipe varies from household to household, but it generally features ground beef, pancetta, chopped mirepoix vegetables, wine, broth and milk or cream. Sometimes it includes tomatoes, but not always. It’s served over a wide pasta like pappardelle, so the dish is also known as pappardelle alla Bolognese.
Ingredients for Pappardelle Bolognese
- Vegetables: Traditionally, Bolognese starts with mirepoix, a mix of diced vegetables that includes onion, celery and carrot. In this recipe, the vegetables are pulsed with garlic in a food processor.
- Ground beef and Italian sausage: This recipe calls for both ground beef and pork sausage, which are combined to give the sauce a rich, meaty base.
- Chicken breasts: If you have leftover chicken, use it!
- Olive oil and butter: Use both fats to cook the vegetables. The butter helps bring up the smoke point of the olive oil and adds flavor.
- Spices: Because there are so many flavorful components to this dish, season this recipe with only a pinch of nutmeg, salt and pepper.
- White wine: Dry white wine—or really any white cooking wine—works best for this sauce.
- Beef broth: Use your preferred brand of store-bought beef broth or substitute chicken broth if you have it on hand.
- Heavy whipping cream: Heavy whipping cream is an important ingredient because it cuts the acidity of the tomatoes. Use half-and-half or full-fat milk if needed.
- Tomato paste: Concentrated tomato paste is a key ingredient in this sauce, adding acidity and sweetness that balances out the other flavors.
- Cooked pasta: It can’t be a great pasta recipe without perfectly cooked pasta. Use fresh, hot pappardelle for your sauce, or substitute tagliatelle, another wide noodle.
- Parmesan: Freshly grated Parmesan puts the finishing touch on this dish.
Directions
Step 1: Cook the vegetables
Pulse the onions, celery, carrot and garlic in a food processor until they’re finely chopped.
In a Dutch oven, heat the oil and butter over medium heat. Add the vegetable mixture and nutmeg.
Cook and stir for six to eight minutes or until the onions are translucent and the vegetables are softened.
Editor’s Tip: Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the food processor bowl as needed.
Step 2: Cook the beef
Add the ground beef to the pan. Cook for six to eight minutes longer or until the beef is no longer pink, breaking the beef into crumbles. Stir in the salt and pepper. Remove everything with a slotted spoon and discard the drippings from the pot.
Step 3: Cook the sausage and chicken
In the same pot, cook the sausage over medium heat for six to eight minutes or until it’s no longer pink, breaking it into crumbles. Drain any fat, then return the beef and vegetables to the pan.
Stir in the wine and bring it to a boil. Cook, stirring frequently, until the wine has evaporated.
Add the broth and chicken breasts to the Dutch oven and return the sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the sauce, covered, for 12 to 15 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the chicken reads 165°F.
Remove the chicken and let it cool slightly. As soon as it’s cool enough to handle, finely chop the chicken.
Step 4: Simmer the Bolognese
Add the cream and tomato paste to the Dutch oven and bring everything back up to a boil, stirring occasionally.
Return the chicken to the pot, then reduce the heat and simmer the sauce, covered, for three to four hours or until the flavors are well blended. Continue to stir occasionally while it’s cooking so that the bottom of the pan doesn’t burn.
Serve the Bolognese tossed with hot pappardelle and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.
Recipe Variations
- Omit the chicken: If you prefer a beef and pork sauce, leave out the chicken in this Bolognese pappardelle. You don’t have to substitute anything, but you can bulk up the ground beef and Italian sausage a bit to make up for not using chicken.
- Use red wine: Traditionally, white wine is used for pappardelle Bolognese, but you can use red wine instead for a slightly bolder flavor.
- Make Bolognese with pancetta: Add finely chopped pancetta to the sauce for another layer of flavor and richness. You can substitute pancetta for chicken or Italian sausage, or use it in addition to the other ingredients.
How to Store Pappardelle Bolognese
Cool the Bolognese down to room temperature before storing it in an airtight container in the fridge. It’s best to store the sauce separately from the pasta, but if it has already been mixed together, it’s no big deal.
How long does pappardelle Bolognese last?
The Bolognese sauce will last up to four days in the fridge. You can also store it in the freezer for up to three months.
Can you freeze pappardelle Bolognese?
You can absolutely freeze this sauce, and you’ll be glad you did! Freeze the sauce on its own, and when you’re ready to eat it, cook some fresh pasta and combine them. Add extra broth as needed to thin out the sauce.
How do you reheat pappardelle Bolognese?
If frozen, allow your Bolognese sauce to thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat it on the stove or in the microwave.
Pappardelle Bolognese Tips
What other types of pasta can you serve with Bolognese?
Instead of pappardelle, try tagliatelle, another wide, flat noodle that will hold up to this heavy sauce. Fettuccine will also work well. Avoid angel hair or spaghetti, which can both be overburdened by the sauce.
What can you serve with pappardelle Bolognese?
Serve your pappardelle Bolognese with garlic bread to sop up the sauce, and something green and fresh like a Caesar salad or steamed green beans or broccoli.
What if my Bolognese is too thick?
If your sauce thickens too much as it cooks, add some extra broth, extra wine or even a bit of water to thin it out. It can get particularly thick after it sits in the fridge, so adding a little liquid will bring it right back to the desired consistency.
Pappardelle Bolognese
Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
3 hours 30 min
Yield
12 servings (2-1/4 quarts)
Ingredients
- 2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
- 2 celery ribs, coarsely chopped
- 1 medium carrot, coarsely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 pound ground beef
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1-1/2 pounds bulk Italian sausage
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) beef broth
- 1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 3 cans (6 ounces each) tomato paste
- Hot cooked pasta
- Grated Parmesan cheese, optional
Directions
- Place onions, celery, carrot and garlic in a food processor; pulse until finely chopped. In a Dutch oven, heat oil and butter over medium heat. Add vegetable mixture and nutmeg; cook and stir 6-8 minutes or until vegetables are softened.
- Add beef; cook 6-8 minutes longer or until beef is no longer pink, breaking up beef into crumbles. Stir in salt and pepper. Remove with a slotted spoon; discard drippings from pot.
- In same pot, cook sausage over medium heat 6-8 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking into crumbles; drain. Return beef mixture to pan. Stir in wine. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until wine is evaporated. Add broth and chicken breasts; return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 12-15 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in chicken reads 165°. Remove chicken; cool slightly. Finely chop chicken.
- Add cream and tomato paste to pot; bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Return chicken to pot; reduce heat and simmer, covered, 3-4 hours or until flavors are blended, stirring occasionally. Serve with pasta. If desired, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Nutrition Facts
3/4 cup: 461 calories, 35g fat (16g saturated fat), 112mg cholesterol, 712mg sodium, 13g carbohydrate (6g sugars, 2g fiber), 21g protein.
Loading Popular in the Community
My robust ragu combines ground beef, sausage and chicken. Serve it over any type of pasta, or baked or fried polenta. It's even good on its own with a slice of hot buttered garlic bread. —Caroline Brody, Forest Hills, New York
Recipe Creator
Loading Reviews
