Discover the Authentic Ragù alla Bolognese with the Foodie Sisters
To prepare the original Italian Ragù alla Bolognese Recipe, Foodie Sisters in Italy, Benedetta and Valeria, invited a very special guest… their mom, Mamma Giuliana! For the first time together in video, Benedetta, Valeria, and Mamma Giuliana will show you how to make this family favorite, Ragù alla Bolognese.
The Italian Ragu alla Bolognese meat sauce has been adapted worldwide, often with untraditional ingredients like mushrooms, bell peppers, parsley, and garlic. In fact, true ragù from Bologna uses just a few simple ingredients and relies on long, slow cooking to develop its rich flavor.
Mamma Giuliana, who has her own series of kitchen tips and a YouTube channel, uses the official recipe from the Bologna Chamber of Commerce. Filed on 17th October 1982, this recipe remains the classic version of this Italian favorite.
Once you prepare the ingredients, let the sauce bubble gently for 2 hours, checking occasionally. Your house will fill with a delicious aroma. In the end, you’ll have a show-stopping meat sauce to toss with pasta or layer with pasta sheets and béchamel sauce for lasagne.
Ragù alla Bolognese (Serves 4)
Ingredients
- 300g (10.6 oz) minced beef
- 300g (10.6 oz) tomato passata
- 150g (5.3 oz) pancetta
- 50g (1.8 oz) carrot
- 50g (1.8 oz) celery (just the stalk rib)
- 50g (1.8 oz) onion
- ½ glass dry white wine
- ½ glass whole milk
- Salt
- Pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
-
Begin with finely chopping or mincing the pancetta until it reaches the consistency of the minced beef.
- Heat a splash of extra virgin olive oil in a large saucepan. After that add the pancetta and cook on high until soft and the fat has rendered.
- Finely chop the onion, carrot, and celery. Add to the pan and lower the heat. Cook gently until soft.
- Increase the heat and add the minced beef. Cook until browned. Pour in the white wine and let the alcohol evaporate.
- Add the tomato passata, mix well, and reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add water or stock if it becomes too dry.
- Add the milk 5 minutes before the end of cooking time. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
Learn Real Italian Cooking in Rome
If you love discovering authentic Italian kitchen secrets, imagine learning them in a real Roman home.
With Local Aromas, you can cook alongside Mamma Giuliana in her own kitchen. You choose the menu, roll up your sleeves, and prepare traditional dishes just as her family has for generations.
You will cook, laugh, and share stories before sitting down together to enjoy the meal you created.
It is not just a cooking class. It is lunch or dinner at Mamma’s — warm, personal, and unforgettable. 💛
Make Italy Feel Like Home With the Local Aromas Family
If your heart beats a little faster when you cook Italian food… if setting the table feels like an act of love… then you belong with us.
Inside the Local Aromas Family, you are not just learning recipes. You are stepping into a community of people who share your passion for Italy, its flavors, and its way of life.
Casa means home in Italian. And that is exactly what this membership is designed to become for you. A place where Italy feels close, familiar, and part of your everyday life — right in your own kitchen.
With Casa, you cook alongside real Italians, learn traditions passed down through generations, and finally understand the why behind every ingredient and technique. At the same time, you connect with others who love Italy just as much as you do.
Through live cooking sessions, traditional recipes, food and wine deep dives, and heartfelt conversations, you do not just gain skills. You gain confidence, inspiration, and a sense of belonging.
Because Italy is not just a place.
It is a feeling.
And here, it feels like home.