This classic Italian Pasta Bolognese features a rich, slow-cooked sauce built from minced celery, carrots, and onion, simmered with ground beef chuck and crushed tomatoes for nearly two hours, then enriched with heavy cream and Parmesan for a deeply flavored, comforting meal.
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Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Roughly chop the celery, carrots, onion, and garlic. Place them in a food processor and pulse until finely minced.
In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and butter over medium-high heat.
Add the minced vegetables to the pot and season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft.
Stir in the tomato paste and cook for about 5 minutes, allowing it to darken slightly to build flavor.
Add the ground beef to the pot. Break it up with a spoon and cook until browned all the way through, about 8-10 minutes.
Pour in the chicken stock and crushed tomatoes.
Add the oregano, chili flakes, 1/2 tablespoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Stir well to combine.
Bring the sauce to a boil, then cover with a lid and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 1 hour and 35 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
Carefully remove the pot from the oven. Stir in the heavy cream and shredded Parmesan cheese until well combined.
Cover the pot again and return it to the oven to finish cooking for another 15-20 minutes.
While the sauce finishes, cook the pasta in a separate pot of boiling water according to package instructions.
Remove the finished sauce from the oven. Using a spider strainer, transfer the cooked pasta directly into the sauce.
Stir everything together until the pasta is fully coated in the bolognese sauce.
Serve in bowls, garnished with additional Parmesan cheese and freshly chopped parsley.
Refrigerate cooled sauce up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months; reheat gently on the stovetop and toss with freshly cooked pasta.
Dutch oven with lid · food processor
The sauce bakes covered in a 325°F oven for 1 hour 35 minutes, then another 15-20 minutes after adding cream and Parmesan, for a total of approximately 2 hours.
Yes. Prepare and cool the sauce completely, then refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months. Reheat gently on the stovetop before serving with freshly cooked pasta.
Cooking the tomato paste for 5 minutes allows it to caramelize and deepen in color, which builds richer, more complex flavor in the final sauce.
The recipe calls for Mezzi Rigatoni, but any short, ridged pasta like penne, rigatoni, or fusilli will hold the thick, creamy sauce well.
Ground beef chuck is ideal for its fat content and flavor, but ground veal, a 50/50 beef-pork blend, or ground lamb are authentic alternatives.
