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.
ChgoJohn says
I'd meant to come back to this post once my connectivity issues were resolved ...
This post brought back so many memories, BAM, of Mom rolling out pasta dough and cutting the noodles by hand. I can almost here her blade slicing through the folded pasta sheet. (We called it sfoglia.) She was so fast and the noodles so perfect. Although I've got a machine and a variety of rollers, I like to cut them by hand, too. I'm nowhere near as adept as she was but it is nice to reconnect with the past. I have her rolling-pin and must teach myself how to use it.
Nothing like learning a recipe and process from the "real thing" and this Bolognese sauce sounds delicious. It is similar to the one I make though not at all similar to my family's sauces. Then again, the Bartolini were from Le Marche and Dad's family was from San Marino. If anything, I guess Mom's sauce would have been a Ragu alla Marchigiani. 🙂
What a great trip and experience, BAM! Bringing back this kind of knowledge is the best type of souvenir.
Healthy World Cuisine says
Bonjourno John! Your words are so touching and really bring the spirit of this experience to the reader. I was thinking of you as I was writing this post. I think that because you have experienced being surrounded by home expert cooks most of your life, and being one yourself, you can truly attest to this almost spiritual experience of creating sfoglia by hand. Actually one cannot really explain it well in words, it must be "experienced". I would love to try your family's Ragu alla Machigiani. Each family and region has so many delightful recipes and I love trying them all. Guess what I made this week? "Trofie de Pesto"- recipe coming soon. Take care, BAM
Lisa says
I LOVE making pasta...it's so therapeutic and rewarding..not to mention homemade holds the sauces better than boxed! To learn pasta making at the Bologna Cooking School..OMG..how could an experience like that be topped? The sauce too! I'm just in awe of this! I'm so glad you shared it with us! It looks out of this world..and now I am dying for that plate in the first photo!!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thank you Lisa! A beautiful rewarding experience. I must admit though you had better come very hungry to this cooking lesson as there is a lot of delicious different Italian dishes to try and you don't want to miss out on a thing. Portion sizes a bit bigger than in Asia... LOL Take Care, BAM
On Top Of Spaghetti says
Wow, that's pretty amazing! I wouldn't dare try the pasta making, at least not yet, because my relationship with rolling pins still needs some work! But I am sooo going to try the Bolognese sauce! I make mine without veggies but with lots of tomato and spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, and usually cook it in the slow cooker. I'm looking forward to switching things up and trying this, especially the milk which I'd never heard of before and find intriguing! A beautiful post about a fantastic experience. Thanks for sharing.
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thank you for your lovely comment and your version of sauce sounds very lovely as well. Don't worry making homemade pasta from scratch. Coming very soon to Healthy World Cuisine I will be posting a very fun and delicious pasta that do not require rolling pins... Stay tuned as it is coming soon. Take care, BAM
ChopinandMysaucepan says
Dear BAM,
That shot of the egg and flour really says it all! Nothing beats freshly made pasta and your tagliatelle looks as vibrant yellow and fresh as they come!
Healthy World Cuisine says
I think it is the very special Italian eggs. The chickens are free range organic and only fed corn and their eggs are really vibrant yellow. Just beautiful eggs. Take care, BAM
Tandy says
Wow, what an experience! I will look into the cooking school 🙂
Healthy World Cuisine says
I promise you will not be disappointed. Look them up if you head to Bologna. Take care, BAM
Geni - Sweet and Crumby says
Such a fantastic experience and we are so lucky you shared it with us. Now I am dying to go there and learn from these masters too. Your bolognese looks amazing!!!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thanks Geni! It was a life long dream of mine to visit Bologna. I can't think of a better way to celebrate the experience than with a foodie cooking lesson from the pros. I am so glad I booked that lesson! Take Care, BAM
Charlotte says
So glad you are back with Italian recipes!I have been wanting to buy a pasta making machine for tagliatelle, but admire how these all made by hand..with all this exercise, I am sure the delicious dish was well deserved! I am trying homemade gnocchi this week-end..wish me luck 😉
Sibella at bakingwithsibella.com says
I loved reading every word of this post - very, very interesting! Love all the photos. I make my bolognese sauce the same with a diffrence that I add some cream to it at the end instead of milk. Homemade tagliatelle look amazing. I will still have to work on that skill. 🙂
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thank you kindly Sibella. I love how each little chef add their own special ingredients that make their recipes unique. I agree wholeheartedly. Making home made pasta from scratch requires practice, practice and more practice to get it right. Actually, yesterday was international pasta day and I made homemade Trofie de pesto and I can't wait to share that recipe with you. Take care, BAM
sweetsimplestuff says
How fortunate you were to have such a wonderful experience 😉 Thank you for sharing!
Healthy World Cuisine says
You are very welcome. On a side note I am hosting a Halloween gathering for a group of teenagers. On my way to your website to get some good ideas for some spooky treats. Have a super day! Take care, BAM
lambyknits01 says
Wow! What an amazing trip 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Very special Indeed. Bologna is a foodies paradise!
Profiteroles & Ponytails says
I want to go to Bologna! (And, I want a new rolling pin!) I can't imagine a better way to learn about a region than to take a cooking class with the locals. It's encouraging to know how much you felt you learned in only one day. Beautiful post Bam.
Healthy World Cuisine says
Did you see the length of those rolling pins? Incredible and you need a really big working space to use them. The amazing part is that my instructions were mostly all in Italian. I am not fluent in this language but actions speak louder than words. It is the watching the doing and the feeling the dough that will always stay imprinted in my memory. I still have so much to learn but I feel like this class gave me a jump start to learn more. Take care, BAM
spicegirlfla says
I'm soo jealous! One day I hope to eat my way through Italy!! I can appreciate what you're saying about hands on training is the best way to learn. The sauce looks amazing. I've missed stopping by and have so much to catch up on!
Healthy World Cuisine says
I think eating your way through Italy is every foodies dream. Put that one on your bucket list as you are sure to love it. I also have a lot of back posts to catch up on yours as well. Take care, BAM
Karen says
I had tagliatelle last night but not with bolognese sauce...sounds wonderful.
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thanks Karen. Are you back from your trip yet? I am loving reading about your explorations. Take Care, BAM
erika says
Oh man that sounds like the exact type of thing I would love to do if I ever went to Italy! Thanks for the great recommendation 🙂 And gorgeous photos, as usual!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Taking a hands on cooking lesson is the perfect way to learn the cultures, customs, language and some of the culinary treats you have always wanted to learn how to make. Picking a great school is not always an easy task as you have to do it by chance and on the computer, however, I really lucked out and chose a great team at the Bologna Cooking School. Take care, BAM
Jasline says
Amazing Bobbi! I didn't know there's so much knowledge and history in one little Bolognese - I've seriously underestimated it! I will definitely try to cook it slowly and add milk into mine in the future. Pasta making is also something I've not ventured into before and you've provided very detailed steps in making them. I hope I can find some 00 flour to make them! Have a great week ahead Bobbi!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thank you Jasline!
Maybe only you will bet a bit of humor out of this little story... I was learning how to make tortilloni stuffed with ricotta and spinach. Even though she showed me the process, my hands kept on wrapping the tortilloni like a "huntun" or wonton. I had to break myself of that old habit.
I think you would be fantastic at homemade pasta making as if you can make jiaozi and huntun from scratch you can so make egg pasta. Have a super day.BAM