Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese is made with handmade Tagliatelle pasta and a delicious Bolognese sauce taught by an Italian Grandma.
Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese the Way Grandma Used to Make It
There is nothing like slurping a delicious handmade aldente pasta slathered in just the right amount of rich meaty sauce and sprinkled with parmesan to get you in the comfort mode. You are going to need a personal uninterrupted moment to take it all in. Italian cooking does not get any better than this.
Bologna, Italy - the Eating Capital of the World!
I was on a mission to eat my way through Italy. The best place to start this eating extravaganza is in the eating capital of the world- Bologna, Italy.
When you think of the city of Bologna, other than all the beautiful old architecture, churches and crooked towers, you think about their signature dish Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese. I could have eaten Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese on every street corner or at any restaurant in Bologna, but I was after something special.
I was on a mission to have a great home cooked meal made with Italian love. Today I am going to share with you, Bologna's famous dish Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese taught by Carlos and Gabriella from the "Bologna Cooking School".
How to Make A Proper Bolognese Sauce?
A ragu Bolognese sauce is an Italian meat-based sauce for pasta which originated in Bologna, a city in Northern Italy. In Italian, Bolognese sauce is called ragu alla Bolognese, which essentially translates into “meat sauce as it is made in Bologna.”
A true slow Bolognese sauce includes a small amount of tomatoes in a rich sauce with meat and other ingredients that are allowed to simmer slowly to develop beautiful flavors, richness and thickness. Ragu alla Bolognese tends to be served on a thick pasta. In Bologna their favorite is Tagliatelle, as larger pasta shapes hold meat much better than finer pastas.
What is a Soffritto?
The base of Bolognese sauce is a soffritto is an assortment of aromatic and flavorful vegetables such as celery, onions, and carrots sautéed in olive oil. Next, chunks of meat such as beef and pancetta are added to the soffritto to brown. Next comes the wine to cook slowly, then the chopped canned tomatoes, salt and lastly milk. Yes, milk as Carlos explains that this really adds a nice smooth and creamy texture and flavor to the Ragu Alla Bolognese sauce. After tasting Carlos' Ragu all Bolognese sauce, I could not agree more.
It is the long labor of love, slow cooking and stirring that really brings this dish to life. The meat is so tender and the sauce is almost silky in your mouth. The rich flavor of the sauce makes you want to come back for seconds.
How to Make Tagliatelle Pasta?
However, it is the fresh handmade fresh egg Tagliatelle pasta that is really the star of this show. You may ask, how can 2 little ingredients "00" flour and eggs make such a beautiful pasta...it is the labor of love. Carlos and Gabriella showed me and let me taste the difference between pasta that was created by a machine and the pasta that was worked by hand on a wooden board with a wooden rolling-pin. The pasta really has a unique flavor and texture when worked by hand and it is worth the labor.
According to Carlos, Emilia-Romagna is the birthplace of pasta shapes such as lasagna, tagliatelle, garganelli, tortelloni and tortellini. These fresh egg pastas are rolled paper-thin by hand and now I have the new arm muscles to prove it...
Gabriella, from the Bologna Cooking School, is the reason why my fresh pasta tasted so delicious. You can really taste the difference in pasta that has been prepared by hand compared to one that was done in a pasta machine. The pasta created by hand is so delicious and tender.
Gabriella is an energetic 80 something little Italian lady who speaks only Italian and has made pasta every day of her life for as long as Carlos can remember. No English was spoken or was required.
Gabriella taught me very patiently the step by step process on how to create the perfect the dough from scratch. She taught me how to roll out the pasta out to the perfect thickness and then how to shape and cut the pasta. Everything was done by hand and the old fashion way.
I must admit, even though I had attempted to make Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese many times before I came to Bologna, I had never learned so much in one day from such a skilled person. I can share with you the recipe. However, unless you receive a hands on lesson from Carlos and Gabriella you will not be able to understand the complexity in making pasta the traditional Italian way.
If your travels ever take you to Bologna, Italy, I highly suggest the Bologna Cooking School with Carlos and Gabriella as one on the top 3 things to do. Carlos and Gabriella start with a lovely warm welcome tour of the fresh markets and then welcome you to their lovely home to start the pasta making, cooking and the eating. I must warn you that you better come to class very hungry as you will have lots to sample and you do not want to miss out on a thing.
This Post is not sponsored in any way shape or form. We just had an amazing experience with the team in Bologna and wanted to share it with you. If you are a foodie and love to take cooking lessons to learn more about the culture during your trips, we highly recommend this once in a lifetime experience in Bologna, Italy.
Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese
Serves 6 adult or 1 hungry teenager
Ragu alla Bolognese
- 300 grams Ground flank, sirloin, or chuck beef
- 150 grams pancetta
- 300 grams canned crush tomatoes
- 50 grams onion
- 50 grams celery
- 50 grams of carrot
- ½ glass of red wine and the rest for the chef...
- 1 glass of whole milk
- olive oil
- salt to taste
Step 1: Measurements by weights were very important for this dish. Finely chop onion, carrot, celery and place in a sauce pan to cook with about 3 tablespoons of olive oil for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and translucent.
Step 2: Add the pancetta and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes
Step 3: Add the ground beef and brown.
Step 4: Stir in the wine and let simmer on low until the wine completely evaporates.
Step 5: Add the canned diced tomatoes and cover and simmer of low heat for about 40 minutes. Remember to gently stir the ragu about every 10 minutes and give it a little love.
Step 6: Now add the milk and stir until incorporated for a minute or two and then turn off the burner. Set aside while you finish making your pasta by hand.
Sfoglia (egg pasta)
- 60 grams egg (Italian eggs are huge and are bright beautiful yellow because of the corn that the chickens eat. Normal eggs are smaller than Italian eggs so you might have to use 1.5 eggs- weigh your eggs)
- 100 grams of 00 flour
- wooden board
- wooden rolling-pin
Step 1: Place your flour on your wooden board and make a well for the eggs. Leave a little of the flour on the side to work into the dough later a little at a time.
Step 2: Use a fork to scramble the eggs and stir them in slowly to absorb the flour.
Step 3: When the dough becomes thick enough, you can start to work the dough gently pressing it with your palms. After each movement, turn it upside and repeat with working the dough gently with your palms of your hands.
Step 4: Depending on the humidity, you can start to add just little bits of flour at a time until the dough gets to the perfect consistency. After kneading the dough for about 15-20 minutes your dough will thick and will spring back when you poke it. Set aside your dough under a bowl, protected from air, for at least 20 minutes to rest.
Step 5: Check consistency of dough, if too wet or too dry work again accordingly.
Step 6: Place a little flour on your wooden work surface and place the round dough on top in the middle of your wooden board and flatten gently with your hand. Dust your dough with flour. Use the floured wooden spatula starting at the center of the dough and roll dough gently outwards.
Step 7: Repeat the movements of rolling the dough outwards twice and then turn your dough and repeat the process. This is a very difficult process as you do not want to tear the dough and you must get the dough very thin. At some point in time, you must start to use your rolling-pin to move the dough in a counter clock wise direction to finish out the rolling process. (Gently place the dough over the edge of the rolling-pin and roll it up part way and then move the dough sheet 90 degrees counterclockwise and restart the rolling process) The goal is to be able to see through the dough. My benchmark was to be able to read Gabriella's name on her apron through the dough and then I would know that my dough was at the correct thickness.
Step 8: Cutting the Tagliatelle egg pasta: Fold the dough over on itself about 4 times in a multi layer cylinder, in about flat 3 inch segment. With a very sharp knife, cut 7-8mm wide pasta noodles. Keep your knife straight up and down. Scraps or shorter noodles can be kept for soups or other dishes.
Step 9: Grab about 5-6 stings of Tagliatelle pasta and wrap gently around your palms and set aside and repeat with the remaining pasta. (At this point the pasta can be used fresh in the dish or if you want you can dry the pasta and use for later)
Step 10: In a pan of salted boiling water, add your Tagliatelle pasta and cook for about 2 minutes or until aldente. Remove pasta from boiling water.
Step 11: Put pasta is a large pan with some of your Ragu all Bolognese sauce and a bit of your pasta water and stir just until incorporated.
Step 12: Serve Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese with a grating of fresh Parmesan and enjoy the homemade goodness.
Grazie to Carlos and Gabriella at the Bologna Cooking School for a lovely hands on pasta making experience.
Chow!
More Delicious Pasta Recipes
Homemade Tagliatelle Pasta with Zucchini Blossoms
Farfalle Aglio e Olio with Breadcrumbs
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Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese
Ingredients
Ragu alla Bolognese (Sauce)
- 50 grams onion
peeled and chopped finely - 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 50 grams celery
chopped finely - 50 grams Carrot
peeled and chopped finely - 150 grams pancetta
- 300 grams ground beef
Ground flank, sirloin, or chuck beef - ½ glass red wine
the rest for the chef - 300 grams tomatoes crushed
- 6 oz milk
Sfoglia (egg pasta) Tagliatelle
- 100 grams 00 flour
- 60 grams egg
(Italian eggs are huge and are bright beautiful yellow because of the corn that the chickens eat. Normal eggs are smaller than Italian eggs so you might have to use 1.5 eggs- weigh your eggs)
Instructions
Ragu alla Bolognese
- Measurements by weights were very important for this dish. Finely chop onion, carrot, celery and place in a sauce pan to cook with about 3 tablespoons of olive oil for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and translucent.
- Add the pancetta and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes
- Add the ground beef and brown.
- Stir in the wine and let simmer on low until the wine completely evaporates.
- Add the canned diced tomatoes and cover and simmer of low heat for about 40 minutes. Remember to gently stir the ragu about every 10 minutes and give it a little love.
- Now add the milk and stir until incorporated for a minute or two and then turn off the burner. Set aside while you finish making your pasta by hand.
Sfoglia (egg pasta) Tagliatelle
- Place your flour on your wooden board and make a well for the eggs. Leave a little of the flour on the side to work into the dough later a little at a time.
- Use a fork to scramble the eggs and stir them in slowly to absorb the flour.
- When the dough becomes thick enough, you can start to work the dough gently pressing it with your palms. After each movement, turn it upside and repeat with working the dough gently with your palms of your hands.
- Depending on the humidity, you can start to add just little bits of flour at a time until the dough gets to the perfect consistency. After kneading the dough for about 15-20 minutes your dough will thick and will spring back when you poke it. Set aside your dough under a bowl, protected from air, for at least 20 minutes to rest.
- check consistency of dough, if too wet or too dry work again accordingly.
- Place a little flour on your wooden work surface and place the round dough on top in the middle of your wooden board and flatten gently with your hand. Dust your dough with flour. Use the floured wooden spatula starting at the center of the dough and roll dough gently outwards.
- Repeat the movements of rolling the dough outwards twice and then turn your dough and repeat the process. This is a very difficult process as you do not want to tear the dough and you must get the dough very thin. At some point in time, you must start to use your rolling-pin to move the dough in a counter clock wise direction to finish out the rolling process. (Gently place the dough over the edge of the rolling-pin and roll it up part way and then move the dough sheet 90 degrees counterclockwise and restart the rolling process) The goal is to be able to see through the dough. My benchmark was to be able to read Gabriella's name on her apron through the dough and then I would know that my dough was at the correct thickness.
- Cutting the Tagliatelle egg pasta: Fold the dough over on itself about 4 times in a multi layer cylinder, in about flat 3 inch segment. With a very sharp knife, cut 7-8mm wide pasta noodles. Keep your knife straight up and down. Scraps or shorter noodles can be kept for soups or other dishes.
- Grab about 5-6 strings of Tagliatelle pasta and wrap gently around your palms and set aside and repeat with the remaining pasta. (At this point the pasta can be used fresh in the dish or if you want you can dry the pasta and use for later)
- In a pan of salted boiling water, add your Tagliatelle pasta and cook for about 2 minutes or until aldente. Remove pasta from boiling water.
- Put pasta is a large pan with some of your Ragu all Bolognese sauce and a bit of your pasta water and stir just until incorporated.
- Serve Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese with a grating of fresh Parmesan and enjoy the homemade goodness.
Kristy says
What a wonderful thing to do while in Italy! I'm sure this meal tasted fantastic. I know it would have been tops on my list that's for sure! I don't think I'll be hand rolling pasta anytime soon, but I did just get my new pasta maker and this sauce sounds delicious and hearty!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Kristy with our kids taking up much of our day, I totally understand the whole not having time for the pasta from scratch part but do try the ragu as it is really flavorful. Take care, BAM
Kathleen Richardson says
Wonderful recipe, BAM. I watched the video on making the pasta, and although it looks "easy" I know it requires patience, care and a lot of strength.
Healthy World Cuisine says
Hi there Kathleen! I think I have a few new muscles to prove it. It took me over 45 minutes of rolling and cutting to get the pasta just to the perfect thickness. Whew! however, its taste was so worth it. Have a super day. BAM
Villy says
Fantastic! Great job!
bitsandbreadcrumbs says
Bolognese is my husband's absolute favorite and I love it too! Your tagliatelle looks delicious and I'm bookmarking this. The pictures just make me want to spend a day making the pasta and the sauce...but for sure I'll make this sauce sometime soon. Gorgeous food and photos!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thank you so much for your kind words. I am so happy to hear when my posts inspire someone to cook. It just makes my day. Take care, BAM
Jennifer von Ebers (@SlimShoppin) says
Great photos! So jealous!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thanks for stopping by so that I could find your website. Really looking forward to keeping in touch. Take Care, BAM
cravesadventure says
Loving your photos - pasta overload and looks delicious:) Have a Great One!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Really a big carb load but for me it is just a once in awhile very special dish. Take care, BAM
tonettejoyce says
These pictures are incredible;I will be back for more! I have never seen another rolling pin like the one in the pictures since someone lost my nonna's! Thanks for the memories and , as I said, I will be back!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thanks for stopping by and looking forward to keeping in touch. Take care, BAM
Norma Chang says
What a delight experience, how fortunate to have hands-on learning from the best and now you are an expert at making pasta. Love your market photo.
Healthy World Cuisine says
I don't think I am an expert but I am definitely more informed. Actually, a little humor for you... when she was showing me how to form the tortilloni I kept on forming the little packages just like you do a huntun- wonton. (Old habits are hard to break...) Have a great weekend. BAM
gardenfreshtomatoes says
Ah! The mystery of the leaning tower is solved by reading your recipe:
"Half a glass of red wine, and the rest for the chef..."
Maybe the photographer was leaning?
I'm not going to try to make pasta from scratch right now, but that sauce is on the list!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Hi Marie, actually the guy that built it had way too much wine. It leans more than the leaning tower of Pisa. Come and check it out some day... I also agree you just have to have a lot of time to make pasta from scratch but the ragu is something that most everyone can try as it is pretty simple and delicious. Take care, BAM
wok with ray says
Oh how lucky you are for having been to beautiful places like Italy and their delicious food. Have a great week, Bam! 🙂
Healthy World Cuisine says
A really beautiful experience for any avid foodie! Take Care, BAM
dianeskitchentable says
What a great experience. The dish of course looks tantalizing but I can taste the difference in the hand noodles by just watching the process. It has such a rich, egg color. But look at the size of her rolling pin! Wouldn't want to make that Nona angry in her kitchen, that's for sure.
Don't you love the market stalls in Italy? I love looking at photos of how artfully they arrange the produce.
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thanks Diane. I loved the markets in Italy and as a matter of fact I will have little post coming up soon on just that. Take care, BAM
Nami | Just One Cookbook says
You were in Japan so you must know how we adore bolognese!!! And this is my favorite dish growing up, and always ate it at western style restaurants. I'm going to make it with your recipe next time. Too bad I don't have the good pasta. I'll have to figure out where to get very good pasta for this dish!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Nami-san, now is your chance to try to learn how to make the pasta from scratch at home. Give it a try. No special tools required just time and patience. Have a great day. Take care, BAM
yummychunklet says
What a delectable dish of pasta!
Healthy World Cuisine says
This is the kind of dish that no matter how full you are you always want seconds... Take Care, BAM
spree says
What a Fabulous experience Bam! And some lovely photos to prove it! What a joy that must have been!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thanks Spree and I have a very cute new little Italian Apron to boot, so I am very happy little camper... Take care, BAM
sybaritica says
Lovely pix ... and I must try adding the milk to the Ragu. I am thinking that when I have done with all the permutations for my Sunday Gravy experiment, I may use the remains to make a Ragu 🙂
Healthy World Cuisine says
I can't wait to read your Sundays' post! Milk really does another dimension of flavor and creaminess to the ragu. Give it a try and let me know what you think. Take Care, BAM