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Spaghetti Bolognese or Ragu |
I just hope photography doesn’t take me that long to figure out.
Recipe

Spaghetti Bolognese
Ingredients
1 c chopped onions
3 cloves chopped garlic
3 T butter
1 stalk chopped celery
¼ c chopped carrot
1 ¼ lbs ground turkey (Yes, you could use beef)
12 oz Italian sausage (chicken or pork; preferably bulk, not links)
Salt
1 c dry white wine
1 ¼ c milk
⅛ t freshly grated nutmeg
½ can tomato sauce
2 14 oz cans chopped Italian tomatoes with their juice
Bay leaf, red pepper flakes, black pepper
Instructions
Put onions, oil and butter in a heavy pot over medium heat. When almost translucent, add garlic. Add carrot and celery and cook for two minutes.
Add turkey and sausage crumbling it with a fork. Add 1t salt and cook until the meat has lost its raw, red color. DO NOT LET IT BROWN. Add wine and turn up heat to medium high and cook until the wine has evaporated, stirring occasionally.
Turn heat back to medium and add milk and freshly grated nutmeg. And rest of seasonings. I like my sauce on the spicy side so I add a good amount of black pepper and red pepper flakes. Stir a lot.
When milk has evaporated, add tomatoes and sauce. Stir well. When tomtoes start to bubble, turn heat to low. This should simmer with just an occasional bubble for 3-4 hours. Stir here and there. Correct for salt.
Cook your spaghetti al dente and serve.
Invite your single friends over. They Will ask to come back. Additionally, I am told that you can only make true bolognese in Bologna. My schedule is open.
Bolognese Meat Sauce
Cathy Trochelman says
I still have little ones at home and can't stand it when my hubby calls from his work trips to tell me about the amazing meals he's enjoying! I'm not a fan of cooking just for myself, or even just for myself and the kids!
Kitchen Riffs says
It's so odd because I love pasta, but I almost never make a bolognese sauce! All sorts of other red sauces, yes. But almost never this particular one. And I do like it. Anyway, your version looks superb, but I'm with you - if you have to be in Bologna to make it for real, my passport is up-to-date! And recipes like this are great because you always make a lot, so you have a lot to freeze - just freeze them in individual size containers. That way you can pull out just 1 container for yourself, or 2 (or more) when it's 2 or more for dinner. Nice post - thanks.
Abbe says
This is really a meat sauce with tomatoes thrown in. The focus is meat and of course cooking with milk. It does make a difference. I add the 1/2 can of sauce because I like it. And yes, this was adapted from a recipe by Marcella but I thought she might gasp if she saw I used turkey! And yes I am ready for Italy, but is Italy ready for me? Thanks for reading!