Bolognese has always been a comfort food for me. I remember the first time my mom made it and I was fascinated by the cooking method. How the wine and milk both evaporated completely and didn't curdle seemed like pure magic. I usually make a big batch every fall with whatever ground meat we have on hand and freeze bags of it for easy weeknight meals. This venison bolognese is a family favorite that I love to have on hand!
Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- Rich and Unique Flavor: Bolognese gets its exceptional flavor from the secret ingredient: time. Meaty venison is the star of the sauce but what makes this sauce special is the veggies simmered to flavorful perfection with milk (yes, really!) and red wine. The meat and the veggies come together to make a perfect sauce!
- Wholesome: This bolognese recipe is packed with veggies and lean venison meat for a wholesome meal. This is one of my favorite dishes to make when the air starts to get crisp and I have lots of garden veggies to use.
- Comforting: The flavor of bolognese that's been simmering for the better part of a day can't be beat. Served with some homemade pasta, it's the ultimate comfort food! For more Italian comfort food, try skillet venison lasagna!
Ingredient Notes:
- Ground Venison: Any ground red meat (elk, moose, pronghorn, beef, lamb, etc.) can be used in place of ground venison.
- Pancetta: Since venison is a lean meat, the pancetta provides some added fat and richness to the sauce. You can use bacon or prosciutto or omit it if you'd like.
- Diced Tomatoes: Crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and even roasted fresh tomatoes can be used in place of diced tomatoes. The consistency of the sauce will change based on what you use, but it will still taste great!
- Red Wine: Dry red wine is preferred over sweet red wine for this recipe. The vegetables provide enough sweetness to the sauce. If you prefer to not cook with wine, you can replace the wine with broth and a little bit of balsamic vinegar. But, wine is an essential ingredient for bolognese so the flavor profile will be different if you substitute it.
Equipment Notes:
- Dutch Oven: This recipe uses a Dutch oven because it holds heat well for a long time. You can also use another heavy pot or large pot. Once the milk and wine have been evaporated and all of the ingredients have been added, you can cook the bolognese in a slow cooker or Instant Pot.
Step by Step Instructions:
How To Make Venison Bolognese:
Bolognese is a special sauce but not because it uses a bunch of fancy ingredients. It's the combination of simple flavors and the magic of slow cooking that make this sauce so delicious. Read below for how to make it!
Step 1: Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pancetta to the pan and cook until the fat has rendered and the pancetta is crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the pancetta from the pan and set aside.
Step 2: Turn the heat down to low. If there isn't much rendered fat from the pancetta in the pan, add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan. Then, add onion, garlic, carrots, and celery to the pan. Cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Don't allow the vegetables to brown.
Step 3: Add ground meat to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Break up the chunks and cook until the meat is browned, about 10 minutes. Add cooked pancetta back to the pan.
Step 4: Then, add the wine to the pan. Cook until the wine has evaporated, about 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently.
Step 5: Add the milk to the pan. Cook until the milk has evaporated, about 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently.
Step 6: Add in tomatoes, tomato paste, and parmesan rind. Simmer on very low heat for 4-6 hours, stirring occasionally. If the sauce starts to get dry, add in some water a couple of tablespoons at a time.
Pro Tip: Instead of hand-dicing the vegetables, you can chop them in the food processor instead to save time.
How To Cool Pasta Sauce:
Bolognese is a great recipe to make a big batch for future meals. However, it should be cooled properly in order to avoid bacterial growth.
- Pour the sauce into a shallow dish like a glass baking dish. Spread the sauce into a thin layer. Let the sauce cool at room temperature uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Place the dish in the fridge uncovered and let it cool the rest of the way, stirring occasionally to redistribute the warm and cold spots. The FDA recommends cooling food to 70°F in 2 hours and to 41°F in a total of 6 hours. The time starts as soon as you finish cooking the food.
- Bolognese sauce freezes very well and works great for easy weeknight meals.
- Once the sauce has been cooled to 41°F or below using the cooling instructions above, it can be frozen. Portion the sauce into freezer zippered bags. Lay bags flat on a sheet pan and freeze until solid.
- Store bags in the freezer for up to 6 months. Thaw under refrigeration and heat in a pot on the stove or in the microwave.
Pro Tip: Place your pan of sauce on top of some ice packs in the fridge to speed up the cooling process.
Bolognese vs. Ragu:
Ragu is a broad Italian term used to describe a hearty meat sauce typically served with pasta (al dente, of course). There are several different types of ragu, one of them being ragu alla bolognese which is typically made with ground beef.
Authentic bolognese is made with white wine. But for my personal version, I like to use red wine because it adds a deeper flavor. Bolognese is traditionally served with tagliatelle, a long, flat pasta similar to fettuccine.
What to Serve with Bolognese:
Bolognese is best served with homemade pasta or high-quality store-bought pasta. Top it with fresh grated parmesan and fresh basil for a beautiful presentation and extra flavor.
Additionally, a simple green salad with homemade honey mustard dressing and toasted Dutch oven sourdough bread make great side dishes for bolognese. No matter how you choose to serve it, you'll never want to go back to your typical spaghetti sauce again!
Recipe FAQ's:
The addition of ground meat, pancetta, wine, milk, and soffrito (carrots, celery, and onions) and the long cooking time are what sets bolognese apart from other styles of ragu sauce.
Bolognese is so much more than a typical meat sauce. Marinara is a simple tomato-based sauce while bolognese has a rich flavor from wine, milk, several vegetables, and a long cooking time.
Proper field care is the first step to having great-tasting venison. For ground meat, the best way to remove off-flavors is to drain out the myoglobin (the red liquid that seeps out of meat when it thaws) while the meat thaws. This can be achieved by letting the meat thaw in a paper towel-lined bowl in the fridge. The paper towels absorb the excess liquid and remove off-flavors from the meat.
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Recipe:
Venison Bolognese (Venison Ragu Pasta Sauce)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 oz pancetta (or bacon), diced
- 1 cup onion, finely diced (about 1 medium onion)
- 1 tablespoon garlic, grated (about 2-3 cloves)
- 1 cup carrots, finely diced (about 3-4 medium carrots)
- ½ cup celery, finely diced (about 1-2 stalks)
- 1 lb ground venison
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (more as needed)
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 cans diced tomatoes (14.5 oz each)
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 parmesan rind (optional)
- 1 lb dry pasta (or fresh pasta)
- fresh basil, for garnish
- freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add pancetta to the pan and cook until the fat has rendered and the pancetta is crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the pancetta from the pan and set aside.
- Turn the heat down to low. If there isn't much rendered fat from the pancetta in the pan, add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan. Add onion, garlic, carrots, and celery to the pan. Cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Don't allow the vegetables to brown.
- Add ground meat to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Break up the chunks and cook until the meat is browned, about 10 minutes. Add cooked pancetta back to the pan.
- Add the wine to the pan. Cook until the wine has evaporated, about 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the milk to the pan. Cook until the milk has evaporated, about 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add in tomatoes, tomato paste, and parmesan rind. Simmer on very low heat for 4-6 hours, stirring occasionally. If the sauce starts to get dry, add in some water a couple of tablespoons at a time.
- Cook pasta according to the package or recipe directions. Reserve ⅓ cup pasta water. Stir reserved pasta water into bolognese. Drain pasta and toss with sauce. Top with fresh basil and parmesan cheese.
Cooling Instructions:
- Bolognese is a great recipe to make a big batch for future meals. But, it should be cooled properly in order to avoid bacterial growth.
- Pour the sauce into a shallow dish like a glass baking dish. Spread the sauce into a thin layer. Let the sauce cool at room temperature uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Place the dish in the fridge uncovered and let it cool the rest of the way, stirring occasionally to redistribute the warm and cold spots. The FDA recommends cooling food to 70°F in 2 hours and to 41°F in a total of 6 hours. The time starts as soon as you finish cooking the food.
Freezing Instructions:
- Bolognese sauce freezes very well and works great for easy weeknight meals.
- Once the sauce has been cooled to 41°F or below using the cooling instructions above, it can be frozen. Portion the sauce into freezer zippered bags. Lay bags flat on a sheet pan and freeze until solid.
- Store bags in the freezer for up to 6 months. Thaw under refrigeration and heat in a pot on the stove or in the microwave.
Notes
- Any ground red meat (elk, moose, pronghorn, beef, lamb, etc.) can be used in place of ground venison.
- Since venison is a lean meat, the pancetta provides some added fat and richness to the sauce. You can use bacon or prosciutto or omit it if you'd like.
- Crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and even roasted fresh tomatoes can be used in place of diced tomatoes. The consistency of the sauce will change based on what you use, but it will still taste great!
- Dry red wine is preferred over sweet red wine for this recipe. The vegetables provide enough sweetness to the sauce. If you prefer to not cook with wine, you can replace the wine with broth and a little bit of balsamic vinegar. But, wine is an essential ingredient for bolognese so the flavor profile will be different if you substitute it.
- This recipe uses a Dutch oven because it holds heat well for a long time. You can also use another heavy pot or large pot. Once the milk and wine have been evaporated and all of the ingredients have been added, you can cook the bolognese in a slow cooker or Instant Pot.
- Instead of hand-dicing the vegetables, you can chop them in the food processor instead to save time.
- If you're making a large batch and cooling it, place your pan of sauce on top of some ice packs in the fridge to speed up the cooling process.
Kait West says
I love a good bolognese! I need a bigger dutch oven because this made a lot of sauce. I froze what we didn't eat and I know my future self will thank me for it. I used bacon because I could not find pancetta in my small town and it worked just fine.
Annie Weisz says
This is one of my favorite freezer meal recipes. It reheats really well!