Tagliatelle al Ragù
The Bologna ragù, which contains almost no tomato and cooks for three hours. Served on fresh egg tagliatelle and never on spaghetti.
Photograph credit: TAGLIATELLE, ragu bolognese 'vecchia scuola' & parmigiano reggiano 48 mos. by T.Tseng · CC BY 2.0 · Flickr
Build the Meal Around Tagliatelle al Ragù
- A glass of Sangiovese
- Green salad
- More parmesan
Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Ciabatta, Citrus Fennel Salad, Fave e Cicoria.
How to Make Tagliatelle al Ragù
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Cook the pancetta in the oil and butter until its fat runs, 6 minutes. Add the onion, carrot and celery and sweat 15 minutes over low heat without colouring.
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Add both minces and cook 15 minutes over medium heat, breaking them up, until browned and the pan is dry.
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Pour in the milk and simmer until it has completely evaporated, about 20 minutes. Do not skip or shorten this.
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Add the wine and reduce it away entirely, another 15 minutes.
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Stir in the tomato purée, the stock, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Bring to the barest blip.
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Cook uncovered 150 minutes, stirring occasionally and topping up with a little water if it dries. It should end up terracotta-coloured and glossy.
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Make the pasta: work the flour and eggs to a firm dough, knead 10 minutes, rest 30 minutes, roll thin and cut into 8 mm ribbons. Boil 90 seconds and toss with the ragù and parmesan.
Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.
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Worth Knowing Before You Cook
Milk first, cooked away completely. It is the whole difference.
Two spoons of purée, not a tin of tomatoes.
Three hours at a blip. There is no fast version.
If You're Missing Something
- A dry vermouth keeps for longer than an open bottle of white wine and is the closer swap than a random white left in the fridge; for an alcohol-free version, use the same amount of stock with a squeeze of lemon.
Storing and Reheating
The ragù keeps 4 days refrigerated and is better on day two. It freezes for 3 months.
Common Questions
How long does Tagliatelle al Ragù take to make?
30 minutes of preparation and 3 hours 30 minutes of cooking, plus 30 minutes of resting, so allow 4 hours 30 minutes from start to finish. The recipe serves 6.
Tagliatelle al Ragù Nutrition
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. The calories include 5 g of alcohol a serving, which is not part of the protein, carbohydrate or fat. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
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