Rigatoni Bolognese
This Rigatoni Bolognese is intensely appetizing, with a perfect combination of seasoning and depth of flavors. It's a restaurant quality dish that tastes amazing and is easy to make.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 tablespoons onion, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons carrots, minced
- 3 tablespoons celery, minced
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 12 ounces ground meat, Italian sausage recommended, casings removed
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup red wine, Italian red wine, such as Sangiovese
- 1 can whole tomatoes, 28 oz, with juices reserved and tomatoes chopped fine
- 2 bay leaves
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- 1 lb rigatoni pasta, uncooked
- Parmesan cheese, freshly shredded
Instructions
- Melt 3 Tb butter in Dutch oven or a heavy large pot, over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery and cook 5-7 minutes until softened.
- If using unseasoned ground meat, mix about 1/2 tsp salt into meat before adding it to the pot. Add meat to pot and cook, breaking up large pieces of ground meat with wooden spoon, until cooked through.
- Stir in whole milk. Bring to simmer. Cook for 10-15 minutes. Stir in wine, bring back to simmer, and cook another 10-15 minutes.
- Stir in chopped tomatoes, tomato juices, and bay leaves. Bring to simmer again. Once it is back to a good simmer, reduce heat even lower so that sauce is just barely simmering, with occasional bubble or two at surface. Let sauce barely simmer, uncovered, for about 3 hours. Stir only occasionally.
- Once sauce finishes simmering, it should appear visibly reduced. At this point, skim excess oil off the top of sauce. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
- Bring generously-salted water to boil in a large pot. Cook pasta until al dente, and reserve 1/2 cup or more of the pasta water. Drain rest of the water and return pasta to the pot.
- Add Bolognese sauce and the remaining 2 TB of butter to the pasta, tossing to combine. Add some pasta water as needed for saucier consistency. Serve warm, with freshly shredded Parmesan.
Notes
- Rigatoni bolognese is a classic Italian dish that's all about the slow-cooked meaty sauce. Use a heavy large pot or a Dutch oven for this recipe. It allows for even heat distribution and prevents the sauce from burning.
- Cook your rigatoni pasta until it is al dente. This means it's still slightly firm when bitten. It will continue to cook a little more when you toss it with the sauce.
- Wine Pairing Note: Pasta Bolognese goes beautifully with a light, bright Italian red, such as Sangiovese or Chianti.
- You can use any other pasta of your choice as well.
- This recipe is part of our Pastas and Pizzas Recipe Collection.
- We love serving this Rigatoni Bolognese with some crusty, chewy French Bread or Olive Garden Style Bread Sticks
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 537kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 134mg | Potassium: 398mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 360IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 2mg