There are few things more comforting than a pasta with a classic Italian ragu bolognese. This slow-cooked meat sauce hailing from the northern Italian city of Bologna is a favourite for a reason; it is absolutely delicious.
The slow-cooked sauce can be used on everything from pasta to a filling for lasagne. It’s not complicated and has incredible depth of flavour, though the traditional does tend to use a fair amount of wine. It is, however, possible to make this without using wine, without sacrificing anything.
How to Make Bolognese Sauce without Wine
I start this recipe with something slightly unconventional, but it’s a trick I’ve used in recipes like my beef stew or my chicken piccata, and that is fortifying some chicken stock with a bit of powdered gelatin.
Especially if you’re using store-bought stock, I find this lends a great mouthfeel to the finished sauce while adding virtually no extra effort.
All you need to do is sprinkle some unflavoured powdered gelatin over a bit of chicken stock. Then set it aside until it’s needed.
Moving on, let’s get to the sauce itself – and I start with browning the beef. No need to season it beforehand – it will have plenty of time to take on all of the flavours of the sauce while it is simmering. In fact, not seasoning the beef actually allows it to brown a little bit faster.
Add some oil to a large Dutch oven and set it over medium heat. Once it’s shimmering, add the minced beef and cook, stirring to break it up, until it is browned and fond is collecting on the bottom of the pan. At this point, use a slotted spoon to remove the beef from the pot, put it on a plate and set it aside.
Now, go ahead and add some butter to the pan. Once it’s melted and foamy, add some finely diced carrot, onion and celery (I tend to just use a food processor to chop these, but you can use a knife with no problem). Season with salt and cook, stirring every so often, until the veggies are softened.
Then, add in some garlic and a bit of tomato paste and cook for a few minutes, just until fragrant.
At this point, you can go ahead and add the beef (and any juices that have accumulated) back into the pot along with the gelatin-fortified stock from earlier and some whole, peeled tomatoes that you’ve crushed with your hands.
I also like to add in a couple of bay leaves along with a splash of both sherry vinegar and fish sauce. Those last two ingredients add a level of complexity that you wouldn’t otherwise get in the sauce and make the lack of wine not something to be missed.
Now all you need to do is bring the sauce up to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, and allow the sauce to bubble away, uncovered, until it’s thick and the liquid has mostly reduced. Make sure to stir every so often, but otherwise, it’s relatively hands-off for the next 2-3 hours.
Once you’ve reached the desired stage, remove the sauce from the heat and stir in a bit of cream along with a generous amount of parmesan cheese. Taste to adjust for seasoning, and add in some salt and pepper if you think it needs it.
At this point, your sauce is done! You can go ahead and use it in a lasagne or slather it over some tagliatelle, but know that it also freezes exceptionally well.
Ragu Bolognese Without Wine
Ingredients
- 250 ml (1 cup) chicken stock (see note 1)
- 7 g (1 ½ tsp) powdered gelatin
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 kg (2 lb) minced beef
- 30 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter
- 2 ribs celery finely minced
- 1-2 carrots peeled and finely minced
- 1 yellow onion finely minced
- 8 g (1 ½ tsp) salt divided (see note 2)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 (400g/14oz) can whole peeled tomatoes crushed with hands
- 2 tsp sherry vinegar
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- 100 g (1 cup) parmesan cheese finely grated
- 60 ml (¼ cup) cream
Instructions
- Add the chicken stock to a large dish or measuring jug. At a height, sprinkle the gelatin over the stock, ensuring it's evenly distributed. Set aside until needed.
- Add the oil to a large saucepan or Dutch oven and set over medium heat. Once shimmering, add the minced beef. Breaking the beef up with a spoon, cook until it begins to brown and bits stick to the bottom of the pan – about 5-10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the beef from the pan and set aside.
- Add the butter to the pan. Once melted and foamy, add the celery, carrots and onion along with half of the salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables have softened and are beginning to turn translucent – about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1-2 more minutes, until fragrant and the tomato paste has darkened.
- Stir in the browned beef along with any accumulated juices. Pour in the chicken stock and gelatin mixture. Add the tomatoes, sherry vinegar, fish sauce, bay leaves and remaining salt. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, and allow to very gently bubble, stirring every so often, until the sauce is thick and very little liquid remains, 2-3 hours.
- Off heat, stir in the parmesan cheese and the cream. Taste to adjust for seasoning, adding salt and pepper where needed. Serve as desired.
Notes
- For best results, use unsalted stock so you can control the seasoning of the final dish.
- For best results, measure salt by weight, as different salts vary in crystal size and density.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is automatically generated and provided as guidance only. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Bolognese is the ultimate comfort food for a reason: it’s complex and extremely tasty – and also relatively simple to make!
Are you after an alcohol-free Bolognese? Have any questions about the recipe? Let me know in the comments!
