Ragù Bolognese over Fettuccine is one of the great classics of Italian cuisine — a deeply satisfying, soul-warming dish from the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy.
The aroma is heady — savory, sweet from the carrot and onion, with hints of wine and the warm, roasted depth of slowly cooked meat. The taste is profoundly comforting: rich without being heavy, complex without being fussy. It’s the kind of dish that feels like it took all day — but here you get top-quality results in one hour!
Typically, the ragù is a slow-cooked meat sauce, rich and complex in flavor. In this short-cut version, meatloaf mix is used. Beginning with a soffritto — a fragrant base of finely diced onion, celery, and carrot sweated in butter and olive oil, the meat mixture is browned into this base, then married with dry white or red wine, a modest amount of tomato paste, and heavy cream, which softens the acidity and rounds out the sauce.
Flat, ribbon-like egg pasta — such as pappardelle, fettuccine or tagliatelle — is the ideal vehicle. Its broad, slightly porous surface clings to the thick ragù beautifully, and its richness (egg yolk in the dough) complements the butteriness of the sauce. When cooked properly to al dente, it has a satisfying chew and a gentle golden color.
On the plate, the result is a lustrous, amber-brown tangle of pasta, each strand coated in a clinging, meaty sauce studded with tender bits of browned meat. It’s finished with a generous shower of freshly grated Parmesan, which melts slightly into the warmth of the dish and adds a sharp, nutty counterpoint. A drizzle of good olive oil or a knob of butter can be added at the end for gloss.
In lieu of pancetta, we used guanciale since we had exactly 4 ounces on hand.
Weeknight Ragù Bolognese
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 oz. piece pancetta, cut into ½-inch chunks
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium celery stalk, finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper
- ½ cup dry red or white wine
- 1 lb. meatloaf mix
- 6 oz. can tomato paste
- 1⁄2 cup heavy cream
- 1⁄2 oz. Parmesan cheese, finely grated (1⁄4 cup); more for serving
- 1 qt. low-sodium beef broth
- 1⁄4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Directions
- On a 6-quart Instant Pot, select More/High Sauté. Add the oil, pancetta, onion, celery, carrot, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and the pancetta has rendered some fat, 5 to 6 minutes.
- Add the wine and meatloaf mix; cook, breaking up the meat in small pieces, until no longer pink, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste, cream, Parmesan and 1/2 cup water, then distribute the mixture into an even layer.
- Press Cancel, lock the lid in place and move the pressure valve to Sealing. Select Pressure Cook or Manual; making sure pressure level is set to High. Set the cooking time for 15 minutes. When pressure cooking is complete, quick-release the steam by moving the pressure valve to Venting. Press Cancel, then open the pot.
- Stir the parsley into the sauce, then taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve over cooked ribbon-like pasta.
Adapted from a recipe for Milk Street
Accounting for Taste 