Breakup Bolognese Recipe
Breakup Bolognese is a rich and hearty Italian meat sauce featuring a blend of ground meats simmered slowly with pancetta, aromatics, tomato paste, white wine, and parmesan, served over tender pappardelle or tagliatelle pasta. This recipe uses a food processor to finely mince the pancetta and vegetables for a deeply flavored base, resulting in a luscious, thick sauce perfect for a comforting meal.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
Scale
Base Ingredients
- 4 ounces pancetta, chopped
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 1 large carrot, roughly chopped
- 1 rib celery, roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Flavor Enhancers
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons minced anchovies or anchovy paste
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
Meat
- 1 pound meatloaf mix or 1/3 pound each ground beef chuck, ground veal, and ground pork
Liquids and Cheese
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 4 cups beef broth
- 3/4 cup grated (1 1/2 ounces) parmesan, plus more for serving
- Parmesan rind, optional
Pasta
- 1 pound pappardelle or tagliatelle pasta
Instructions
- Mince the pancetta and aromatics: Pulse the pancetta in a food processor for about 15 pulses until finely chopped. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and continue pulsing about 20 more times until the mixture reaches a paste-like consistency. Scrape down the sides as needed to ensure even mincing.
- Cook the aromatics: Melt butter in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta mixture and black pepper. Cook while stirring and scraping the pot bottom until the onion’s released liquid evaporates and dark bits form on the pot bottom, about 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, anchovy paste, and garlic; cook until the color darkens to a rust shade, about 1 minute.
- Cook the meat: Lower heat to medium and add the meat. Break it up with a wooden spoon into small pieces and cook until no longer pink, 3 to 6 minutes.
- Build the sauce: Stir in white wine, deglazing the pot by scraping browned bits off the bottom. Let simmer until the wine has mostly evaporated, 2 to 4 minutes. Add beef broth, grated parmesan, and optional parmesan rind. Return to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and let sauce simmer gently until thickened and most liquid evaporates, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook the pasta and serve: Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 3/4 cup pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta well and return to the pot. Place the pot over medium-low heat, add the bolognese sauce and a splash of reserved pasta water. Toss thoroughly with tongs, adding more pasta water as needed to coat the pasta completely, about 1 to 2 minutes. Serve topped with extra grated parmesan.
Notes
- For an authentic texture and flavor, use a mixture of ground beef chuck, veal, and pork, or substitute with meatloaf mix as preferred.
- Anchovies add umami depth but can be omitted if desired.
- Simmering the sauce low and slow allows flavors to concentrate and sauce to thicken perfectly.
- Reserve some pasta water to help bind the sauce and pasta together for a silky finish.
- Leftover sauce can be refrigerated up to 4 days or frozen for up to 6 months. Reheat gently on stovetop before serving.
Keywords: Bolognese sauce, pasta sauce, Italian meat sauce, pappardelle sauce, tagliatelle bolognese, pancetta Bolognese
Find it online: https://flavorsbymaya.com/breakup-bolognese-recipe/
