Go Back
–+ servings
a bowl of pappardelle pasta covered in bolognese sauce, on a table with more food

Easy Bolognese Pappardelle Pasta Recipe

20 minutes prep + 1 hour 30 minutes cook
6 servings
The best, easy Bolognese pappardelle pasta with a hearty, homemade Bolognese sauce, parmesan cheese, and fresh basil. A comfort food dish that's great year-round!

Ingredients 
US Customary - Metric

  • 1 lb ground beef , 80/20 ratio
  • 1/2 lb ground pork, or mild Italian sausage
  • 2 tbsp cooking oil
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 large sweet onion, diced
  • 2 large carrots, diced
  • 2 celery sticks, diced
  • 6 garlic cloves, finely minced
  • 1 tbsp EACH: fresh thyme; fresh chopped rosemary; fresh oregano
  • 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp white sugar
  • ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup red wine, or beef broth
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 28 oz canned diced tomatoes
  • 6 oz tomato paste
  • 8 large basil leaves, chopped
  • 1 to 2 cups grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 lb pappardelle pasta

Instructions

Preparing the Sauce:

  • Preheat a large pot over medium-high heat and add a drizzle of cooking oil. Once hot, fry the ground meat in batches; avoid over-crowding the pan. Break up the meat as it cooks, frying it until it’s well browned.
  • Remove the browned meat from the pot and add in the butter, onion, celery, and carrots. Sauté this mixture over medium heat for about 7 to 9 minutes, until the onion is tender and translucent.
  • Next, add in the garlic, thyme, rosemary, oregano, salt, sugar, and black pepper. Toss and cook for 1 minute, then pour in the red wine. Cook the mixture for a few minutes, until the wine is nicely reduced.
  • Add in the beef broth, milk, diced tomatoes, and tomato pasta and stir everything together. Add the browned beef back into the pot. Bring the sauce up to a simmer, then cover and reduce the heat to a medium-low.

Cooking the Bolognese:

  • Simmer the Bolognese sauce for 1 to 3 hours, depending on the time you have; minimum of 30 minutes. The longer cooking time will result in a richer sauce. Stir the sauce occasionally.
  • When the sauce is almost done cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pappardelle pasta according to package instructions to al dente.
  • Once the Bolognese sauce is cooked, remove it from the heat and stir in the chopped basil leaves.

Putting the Dish Together:

  • Add the cooked pappardelle pasta directly into the sauce, sprinkle in 1 to 2 cups of parmesan cheese, and toss everything together.
  • Enjoy this delicious Bolognese pappardelle with more grated parmesan cheese over each bowl. Garnish with fresh basil leaves for a bright pop of color!
  • Reheat any leftovers on the stovetop by cooking the pasta over medium heat until it’s warmed. Add additional beef broth to reconstitute the sauce.

Nutrition

Serving: 1(1/6th) of dish | Calories: 854kcal | Carbohydrates: 78g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 174mg | Sodium: 1592mg | Potassium: 1343mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 5022IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 339mg | Iron: 6mg