On January the 1st a few years ago I got up early (early given the dinner and party the night before), and I made my first ragù, the well renowned Italian meat sauce, with my grandma. I can see the scandal in your eyes: how can it be possible? you have been writing about food for several years now, you hold your own Tuscan cooking classes and you dare say you have never made a meat sauce before? Candidly I will answer: no! No, because, in my opinion, the meat sauce is something that requires the dedication of a Sunday morning or of a holiday, it requires you to get up early and it necessitates your total attention.
Mum’s or Grandma’s make ragù. I generally enter the kitchen and the meat sauce is already there, simmering on the stove. A pot partially covered, a mystery to me until a few months ago. Thanks to the time I had as a gift for Christmas (time, precious time, one of the most beautiful gifts, a little time for me and my passions), I decided it was the right moment to learn how to make our family meat sauce.
This is not the Bolognese sauce by the book… this is just the sauce I feel mine, the sauce of my mum, of my grandma and of those who sit at table with us. Now I’ll tell you how to make it step by step, as my grandma did with me in that wonderful morning! 
This is the modern meat sauce, made according my grandmother’s likes. My great-grandmother Pia used to make it adding the chicken livers, or, more often, the rabbit livers. Apart from this particular – and the fact that this time I added dried mushrooms, following again grandma’s advice – this is the meat sauce that has been made in my family for over 80 years! They used an enamel pan, the deepest pan, but today I’ve used my reliable Staub pan, perfect for the meat sauce.
The ragù was the sauce that was used to dress the pasta on holidays or special occasions, such as threshing or harvesting. On a daily basis there was always a broth or a soup, but on that special days! They used the homemade egg noodles, made right on the moment, or very rarely bought pasta.
While my grandma was explaining me how to make the meat sauce step by step according her own rules, she began to tell me about her memories related to this sauce. Shortly after her marriage, Aunt Valeria used to visit regularly my grandma. Aunt Valeria, my grandfather’s sister, was from Melfi, from the South of Italy, therefore belonging to a rich food culture, a very different culture from the Tuscan one, but of course not less fascinating.
Every Sunday Aunt Valeria used to hear a noise in the kitchen, a continuous tac tac tac tac she couldn’t define. It was grandma who was using the two-handled chopping knife on the chopping board. I can still remember that chopping board, over used and with a small hollow in the center made by the past time and the rhythmic movements of the blade. Aunt Valeria loved that meat sauce! She understood that to make it she needed the ground meat and the chopped vegetables, so she decided to try it. She wanted to overdo herself and make the best ragù ever, so she decided to increase the amount of meat and instead cut the presence of vegetables… but it was not even remotely similar to grandma’s one, and she was so disappointed!
As my grandmother told me, that’s not how it works! To save money and increase the final volume of the meat sauce they used a lots of vegetables… that’s the trick to a successful meat sauce, along with, of course, a wooden spoon and a very slow cooking!
My Big Fat Italian Meat Sauce
- Total Time: 105 minutes
- Yield: Serves 6
- Diet: Omnivore
Description
A hearty, flavorful meat sauce perfect for pasta. Giulia Scarpaleggia shares her familys treasured recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 red onion
- 2 red spring onions
- 2 large carrots
- 3 stalks celery
- extra virgin olive oil
- 0.7 oz (20 g) butter
- 3.5 oz (100 g) mixed dried mushrooms
- 1 lb (454 g) ground pork
- 1.5 lbs (700 g) ground beef
- 1 and 1/2 tbs salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 glass red wine
- 6.4 cups (1500 ml) tomato sauce
Instructions
- Cover the bottom of a heavy large saucepan with extra virgin olive oil, add butter and chopped vegetables. Sauté for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are lightly golden and soft.
- Soak mushrooms in a cup of hot water until soft.
- Add meat and sauté over medium heat, stirring constantly to break up lumps. Stir continuously to cook evenly and mix with vegetables. Cook for 20 minutes, until moisture evaporates, scraping the bottom of the pan. Season with salt and pepper.
- Pour in red wine gradually, in three additions, stirring and letting it evaporate between additions. This will take about 10 minutes.
- Add tomato sauce, stirring thoroughly. Simmer for 5 minutes, then add squeezed and chopped mushrooms and strained mushroom water.
- Partially cover and simmer for at least 1.5 hours, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.
Notes
- For deeper flavor, brown the ground meats separately before combining with the vegetables.
- To reduce the acidity of the sauce, use half tomato sauce and half crushed tomatoes.
- Store leftover sauce in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze for longer storage.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 85 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Braising
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 10
- Sodium: 700
- Fat: 25
- Saturated Fat: 10
- Unsaturated Fat: 12
- Carbohydrates: 40
- Fiber: 5
- Protein: 35
- Cholesterol: 100
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should this Italian meat sauce simmer?
A proper long-simmered meat sauce needs at least 2 to 3 hours on low heat. This time allows the flavors to meld and the sauce to reduce into something rich and deeply savory.
What combination of meats works best for this sauce?
A mix of ground beef and pork gives the best flavor and texture. The pork adds fat and sweetness, while the beef provides body. Some versions include veal for extra richness.
Can I make this meat sauce ahead and freeze it?
This sauce freezes very well for up to 3 months. In fact, many cooks say it tastes even better after being frozen and reheated because the flavors continue to develop. Cool it completely before transferring to freezer containers.
Beautiful! I make one about twice a month, my toddler adores it. Your photos are enticing!
Wonderful story and the recipe looks amazing. I just returned from the grocery store and I’m going to try it tonight. I got fresh mushrooms rather than dried though, and I’m wondering — will I need to change anything in the recipe to use fresh mushrooms?
Hi Jens, you can use fresh mushrooms! Sauté them with extra virgin olive oil, garlic and parsley until cooked. Then chop the mushrooms and add them in the last 30 minutes of simmering. It will result a rich and flavourful meat sauce! Happy cooking!
Thanks for the advice Giulia – fantastic recipe! The 1.5 hour clock just rang 20 seconds ago, and I can’t wait to sink my teeth into it!
Oh, and I spent the past half-hour experimenting with the salt and acid levels, by putting a few tablespoons of the sauce into separate containers and mixing in small amounts of soy sauce (for saltiness and umami), white wine vinegar (for acidity) or sambal oelek chili paste (for extra heat), and I wound up making the following changes:
1. Added 125 ml of cream (38%) for a slightly creamier texture
2. Added 25 ml of white wine vinegar (opens up the flavor like you wouldn’t believe – try it!!)
3. Added a couple of splashes of soy sauce for a savory boost (I didn’t use more than a tiny bit of salt in the first round of seasoning)
All of these were added during the last 30 minutes of simmering and really made the sauce come alive. Don’t get me wrong; before the changes, the sauce was already excellent; traditional, almost minimalist for a bolognese, exactly like my mother used to make it — but I wanted it to ‘pop’ a bit more, and the cream-vinegar-soy made that happen :-)
Correction: I actually used terragon vinegar, not plain white wine vinegar – that may or may not have impacted the flavor.
It is really interesting as flavour combo, barely believable here in Tuscany, but not less interesting! thank you for letting me know your gorgeous experiment!
Beautifully told story. Brava.
I love ‘heritage’ recipes like this, it’s what makes the kitchen the soul of the house.
Grandma Pia is spot on !!!! i find this ragu’ is infriquently made now days,
(I only made it for the first time a couple of months ago, would u believe)
I like it now on egg tagliatelle. Yum Yum
I’m still confused about how much tomato sauce goes into this recipe. Is it 6.4 cups? Or is it 1 1/2 cups according to your response? Is it 1 1/2 pounds? Please advise.
Hi,
Giulia stated 1,5l which is approximately 6,4 (or 6,5 to make it easier) cups of tomato sauce.
I believe what Juls wrote was either around 6.5 cups, or 1.5 liters. I would think that anything between 6 and 7 US cups would be doable, as tomatoes differ in juiciness depending on whether the puree is canned, home-made, or from fresh.
I used 1,5 l of home made tomato puree, it was quite liquid, not too thick.
Obviously it all depends on the tomatoes.
My Sunday smells r a little different then yours….but I’m going to try your recipe.
Great story and great memories :) I really see how Italian and Croatian cuisine are similar in some aspects. I totally agree with your grandma on the slow cooking part and usage of dry mushrooms (I love them). We too make this sauce often, we call it the Bolognese sauce and usually serve it with spaghetti.
I really like your recipe!
Really? It is so interesting, our are two cultures very very close to eachother!
I loved the story, the photographs and the recipe!
This looks delicious! Can you clarify how much tomato sauce is used? How much is 6,4 cups? I hope that question makes sense. Was the sauce homemade or from cans?
Yes, sure! the tomato sauce was home made, from the previous summer, and it was about 1,5 l! It was just tomatoes, a simple tomato puree!