Rich and hearty, this Rigatoni Bolognese is one of those dinner recipes I keep coming back to all the time. The bolognese sauce is simmered with ground beef, Italian sausage, and plenty of aromatics for deep, savory flavors.
You don’t need to know any special techniques for this recipe, you just need everyday ingredients and a large Dutch oven. It’s the kind of meal that tastes like it simmered all day, but comes together in a little over an hour.
Quick Look at the Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes, Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Method: Simmered
- Main Ingredients: Ground beef, Italian sausage,crushed tomatoes, rigatoni
- Flavor Profile: Rich, savory, hearty, deeply comforting
- Ideal for: Family dinners, weekend cooking, comfort food
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The Bolognese Sauce
Bolognese sauce, also known as ragù a la bolognese, is a rich meat-based tomato sauce. The sauce starts with a sofrito base (onions, carrots, and celery), which softens and practically melts into the sauce. Red wine is added for even more flavor and body, before simmering with the meat.
The classic way to finish bolognese is with a generous splash of whole milk, which gives it balance and a deeper flavor while also lightening it up a bit.
Ingredient Notes
- Canned crushed tomatoes: Tomatoes are the base of bolognese sauce, so it’s worth using a good-quality brand of canned tomatoes.
- Rigatoni pasta: The ridges hold onto the meaty sauce perfectly. Cook according to package direction until al dente.
- Ground beef and Italian sausage: Use 20 percent fat ground beef. For the sausage, remove the casings from the sausage or buy ground.
- Pancetta: A small amount goes a long way in building deep, savory flavor. Substitutions provided below if you can’t find it.
- Onions, carrot, and celery: This trio (the soffrito) is finely diced and cooked down until it melts into the sauce.
- Garlic and fresh thyme: For flavor. Dried Italian seasoning works if you don’t have fresh thyme on hand.
- Red wine: Use something like Pinot Noir or Merlot, which tend to not be as heavy. Cabernet Sauvignon is heavier and richer.
- Bay leaves: Simmered right in the sauce for subtle depth.
- Whole milk: Stirred in at the end to round out the acidity and add a touch of richness.
- Parmesan cheese, freshly grated is best for serving.
As always, ingredient quantities can be found in the recipe card down below.
Substitutions and Variations
- Pancetta: Swap with thick-cut diced bacon or prosciutto.
- Ground turkey is a common substitution if you want a leaner bolognese.
- Crushed tomatoes: If you can’t find crushed, use canned whole tomatoes and blend.
- Red wine: Omit, or add extra beef broth with a splash of balsamic vinegar.
- Parmesan rind: This is optional, but a great way to add extra savory depth if you simmer one in the sauce.
How to Make Rigatoni Bolognese
- Brown the meat. Cook the ground beef and Italian sausage in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, breaking it up as it browns. Remove and set aside. Do not wipe the pot clean.
- Cook the aromatics. In the same pot, add olive oil and cook the onion, carrot, and celery until softened, scraping up the browned bits. Stir in the garlic, pancetta, and thyme and cook for another 2 minutes. Tip: If the bits start burning, splash in a bit of wine to deglaze.
- Add wine: Pour in the red wine, deglazing any remaining brown bits. Simmer until it’s reduced by about half.
- Simmer the sauce. Add the crushed tomatoes and bay leaves, and return the cooked meat. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer with the lid partially covered for 30-35 minutes.
- Cook rigatoni and add milk: Meanwhile, cook the rigatoni in salted water until al dente, and reserve some pasta water. Set aside. Once the bolognese sauce is ready, add the whole milk (this is my favorite part!).
- Stir in the rigatoni until every inch is coated in that beautiful sauce. Serve with parmesan cheese. Note: If the sauce feels too thick, loosen it with a splash of the reserved pasta water.
Tips for Success
- Fine dice. Dice the onion, carrot, and celery very finely so they melt into the sauce rather than staying chunky. Big pieces won’t break down enough.
- Shortcut for dicing: Use a food processor. I do this all the time and it works great.
- Don’t rush the browning process. Those browned bits at the bottom of the pot are packed with flavor that melt into the bolognese sauce.
- Simmer the sauce with the lid partially covered. This is so the sauce thickens without drying out. Fully covering the pot traps in steam and keeps the sauce thin. While the sauce needs about 30-35 minutes of simmering time, a little longer is even better.
Make Ahead, Freezing, Reheating
Make ahead: The bolognese sauce gets even better the next day! It can be made up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated. Cook the pasta fresh when ready to serve. To reheat, simmer over the stovetop again.
Freezing: Freeze the sauce on its own for up to 3 months, or freeze the fully assembled dish for up to 2 months.
Reheating from frozen: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat over the stovetop, adding a splash of water to loosen the sauce as needed. You can also reheat directly from frozen, covered with a splash of water.
Recipe FAQs
Preferably not, as heavy cream is too heavy and thick. I’d recommend using whole milk or half-and-half works too plus a splash of reserved pasta water.
Yes, absolutely! Try rotini, penne, bowties, or even pappardelle, spaghetti, or fettuccine.
Yes. Simply leave it out, or replace it with a bit of extra beef broth plus a small splash of balsamic vinegar for similar acidity.
Pinot Noir or Merlot are my go-to wines for cooking. Cabernet Sauvignon works too, although it is heavier.
Pairing and Serving Ideas
- Bread! My Cheesy Garlic Bread is the classic choice for scooping up any extra sauce.
- For something a little different, warm Rosemary Focaccia is wonderful.
- Salad: Serve with my Italian Chopped Salad recipe, or just a simple house salad.
- Green and veggie sides: This rigatoni bolognese is meaty, so pair with simple vegetables like my Lemon Green Beans, Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad, or Parmesan Roasted Asparagus.
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Rigatoni Bolognese
Equipment
- 6-quart Dutch oven with lid
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ pound Italian sausage - casings removed
- Olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 large carrot, peeled and finely diced
- 1 large stalk celery, finely diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 ounces pancetta, small-diced - or thick-cut bacon
- 3 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves - or 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1 cup red wine - Pinot Noit or Merlot
- 3 (14-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
- 3 dried bay leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup whole milk - plus more to taste
- ¾ pound rigatoni pasta
- Grated parmesan cheese for garnish
Instructions
- Brown meat: In a large 6-quart Dutch oven, cook and brown the ground beef and Italian sausage over medium-high heat, breaking it up, for about 6 minutes. Remove from the pot and set aside. Note: If your pot is not large enough, cook in batches. If it starts to release too much moisture, absorb it excess with paper towel.
- Saute vegetable base: To the same pot (don’t wipe it clean), add a few drizzles of olive oil and cook the finely diced onions, carrots, and celery over medium-heat for about 6-8 minutes until softened, scraping the brown bits from the pot with a wooden spoon. If the brown bits are burning too fast, add a splash of wine to deglaze.
- Add aromatics and wine: Add the garlic, pancetta, and thyme and cook for about 2 minutes until fragrant. Then, add the 1 cup of red wine, scraping any leftover brown bits. Simmer it down until the wine is about half reduced.
- Add canned tomatoes and return meat: Add the canned crushed tomatoes and bay leaves. Return the cooked meat and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer over low heat for 30-35 minutes, with the lid partially covered.
- Cook rigatoni: Meanwhile, cook the rigatoni in generously salted water according to package directions. Reserve some pasta water for later just in case. Drain and set aside.
- Finish sauce: Once the bolognese sauce is done, finish with ½ cup whole milk or more to taste. Toss the cooked rigatoni into bolognese sauce until evenly combined. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of the reserved pasta water as needed.
- Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese on top. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- It’s important that the veggies are diced very small so that they can soften and melt into the sauce. You don’t want big chunks of veggies in your bolognese.
- Simmer the bolognese sauce with the lid partially covered. This allows the steam to escape for the sauce to thicken nicely without letting it dry out.
- If you don’t want to use wine, simply omit it. If the sauce thickens too much, add a splash of reserved pasta water or as needed.
- Make ahead: Make up to 3 days in advance. Reheat over the stovetop or in the microwave oven.
- Freezing: Freeze sauce only for up to 3 months, or freeze the entire dish for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and reheat. You can also reheat from frozen over the stovetop.
- Meat: Ground turkey or spicy Italian sausage work great too.
- Whole milk: Half-and-half works as well, but I think whole milk is best. Do not use heavy cream (too thick) or skim milk (too diluted).
- Rigatoni: Substitute with your favorite pasta.
- Pancetta: Thick-cut bacon or prosciutto.
- Crushed tomatoes: Buy canned whole tomatoes and then use a blender to crush them.
Patricia says
I love this recipe!! It is a keeper especially for the winter time, it’s warm and nice. I make it with other types of pasta whatever I have. Thank you for the easy directions.
Patty