Beef Bolognese with Sausage

plate of beef bolognese over pasta garnished with basil

4.80 from 10 votes

We tested this Beef Bolognese recipe over and over to get the best flavor! It's made with a high ratio of meat to tomatoes, the way an authentic Bolognese should be!

Prep Time10

Cook Time1 15

Total Time1 25

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Calories: 443kcal

Author: Mamma C

Ingredients

1 medium or large onion (chopped)
4 medium carrots (diced)
2 large celery stalks (diced)
4 cloves garlic (chopped finely)
4 tablespoons salted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ground sweet Italian sausage (can use hot sausage for a spicy dish)
1 pound lean ground beef (85% or 90% works well)
1 cup white wine (Sauvignon Blanc works well, but red can be used)
6 ounces tomato paste
1 ½ cups beef stock
½ cup half and half (can use fat-free if needed)
1 pinch salt
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
4-8 fresh basil leaves
Pasta for serving (optional) (You can cook up to 1.5 pounds of pasta to go with this sauce, but make what you need and save the rest.)
Grated Parmesan cheese for serving

Instructions

Peel and chop the onion and set it aside.
Rinse the carrots, peel them, and trim off the ends. Dice the carrots. Rinse the celery, scrub off any dirt, and dice the celery.
Peel and chop the garlic finely.
Melt the butter with the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic and stir to combine. Cook this "soffritto" until tender.
Stir in the ground beef and sausage, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the meat is no longer pink. (If you see lots of liquid, you can drain some. Leave some for flavor.)
Stir in the wine (use a clean spoon) and let it come to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes, until the wine is evaporated.
Stir in the tomato paste, beef stock, half-and-half, salt and pepper. Heat until boiling, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot, propping the lid open by leaving a wooden spoon resting on the edges of the pot.
Simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. (If serving with pasta, start preparing the pasta when there are about 15 minutes left.)
Tightly roll up a couple of basil leaves at a time into a long cylinder. Use kitchen scissors or a small knife to cut them into thin ribbons. Stir the basil into the sauce when it's done (save some to garnish each serving, if you wish.) Taste the Bolognese to see if additional salt and pepper are needed.
Serve the Bolognese sauce over long pasta such as tagliatelle, pappardelle or fettuccine, topped with grated Parmesan cheese and basil ribbons, if desired.
Store leftover sauce and pasta separately in the refrigerator for up to four days. To reheat, warm up the sauce and pasta separately before combining them, so the Beef Bolognese isn't dry.

Notes

This recipe is the improved version updated in November 2023.
For a low-carb option, serve the Bolognese over cooked spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles.

Nutrition