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Spicy Bolognese with Pappardelle

This is a serious Sunday sauce that takes ~3 hours but most of that is hands-off simmering. The pancetta and spicy sausage give it way more depth than your typical meat sauce.
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Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

Ingredients (~8 servings)

  • 1 large yellow onion roughly chopped
  • 1 celery stalk roughly chopped
  • 2 medium carrots peeled and roughly chopped
  • 4 oz uncured pancetta
  • 4 cloves fresh garlic
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 1/2 lbs ground beef 80/20
  • 3/4 lb ground spicy Italian sausage
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 can tomato paste 6 oz
  • 1 cup red wine like Chianti
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 5 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 dried bay leaves
  • 1 can San Marzano tomatoes 28 oz, crushed
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken broth more as needed
  • 1 parmesan rind
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese plus more for serving
  • 1 1/2 lbs dried pappardelle pasta

Instructions

  • Pulse onion, carrot, and celery in food processor until finely chopped and set aside.
  • Process garlic and pancetta until finely chopped.
  • Heat olive oil in large heavy pot over medium heat and cook pancetta mixture 3-4 minutes until golden.
  • Add soffritto and cook 5-6 minutes until softened.
  • Add ground beef, Italian sausage, and red pepper flakes and cook undisturbed 3-4 minutes.
  • Break up meat and brown 8-10 minutes total.
  • Push meat aside, add tomato paste to empty space, and cook 2 minutes stirring frequently.
  • Pour in red wine and simmer 5-6 minutes until reduced by half, scraping up browned bits.
  • Add rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, parmesan rind, crushed tomatoes, and 1 1/2 cups chicken broth.
  • Reduce heat to low and simmer 90 minutes, stirring every 15-20 minutes and adding broth if needed.
  • Remove herb sprigs, bay leaves, and parmesan rind.
  • Stir in heavy cream and grated parmesan and simmer 2-3 minutes.
  • Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Cook pappardelle in salted boiling water until al dente and reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining.
  • Toss pasta with sauce, adding reserved pasta water as needed to reach desired consistency.
  • Serve with extra parmesan.