Spaghetti Bolognese Original Recipe

Spaghetti Bolognese Original Recipe or the Bolognese ragu sauce to be more precise is an officially documented recipe in Italy.

Italians take immense pride in their rich culinary heritage — and for good reason. In fact, some traditional Italian dishes even have official recipes to ensure they’re preserved in their authentic form. One of the most iconic examples is Ragù alla Bolognese, the renowned meat sauce from Bologna. The original official recipe was filed with the Bologna Chamber of Commerce and Accademia Italiana della Cucina in Milan, Italy on October 17, 1982.  However, it was updated on April 20, 2023, and this new official recipe for the “true” Ragù alla Bolognese officially replaced the 1982 version.

You’ll find both of these versions below. 1982 Original Official Recipe. Current 2023 Official Recipe.

The updated recipe was developed by a special committee of the Accademia Italiana della Cucina (Italian Culinary Academy). The reason behind this revision, after more than forty years, lies in how ingredients, cooking habits, and kitchen equipment have changed over time. It might sound counterintuitive to “modernize” a traditional dish, but that’s essentially what the committee set out to do.

Interestingly, portion sizes seem to have changed a lot. In 1982 it took 900 grams of key ingredients to feed 4 people. Now its 930 grams to feed six(!).  Thats down by 30%. Were we all greedier back then? Or is there a more pasta – less sauce health thing going on? I would take the number of servings with a big pinch of salt.

NOTE:
Authentic Bolognese ragù is traditionally served with fresh tagliatelle, not spaghetti. So if you’re looking for the true original dish use tagliatelli. Tagliatelle’s wide, flat surface is ideal for holding the rich meat sauce. spaghetti, the UK favourite, is not typical in Bologna for this dish. The official recipes, both historic and updated, specifically mention tagliatelle as the classic pasta pairing.

2023 UPDATED RECIPE FOR REAL RAGÙ ALLA BOLOGNESE

Deposited in the Bologna Chamber of Commerce on 20 April 2023

Traditional Bolognese sauce (Ragù alla Bolognese)

Serves: 6

• Coarsely ground beef (see note): 400 g (1 lb)
• Fresh pork pancetta, slices: 150 g (5¼ oz)
• ½ onion, peeled: 60 g (about 2 oz)
• 1 medium carrot, peeled: 60 g (about 2 oz)
• 1 celery stalk, trimmed: 60 g (about 2 oz)
• 1 glass of red or white wine
• Strained tomatoes: 200 g (7 oz)
• Tomato paste (double-concentrated): 1 tbsp
• 1 glass of whole milk (optional)
• Light meat broth or vegetable broth (or stock cubes)
• Extra virgin olive oil: 3 tbsp
• Salt and pepper

Preparation

1. In a heavy non-stick 10-inch (24–26cm) casserole (aluminium or enamelled cast-iron/Dutch oven or terracotta saucepans can be used), melt the ground or chopped pancetta with olive oil.
2. Using a chef’s or chopping knife, finely chop the onion, celery, and carrot (do not use a food processor); add the vegetables to the oil and pancetta and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until softened but not browned.
3. Raise the heat to medium and add the meat, break it up, then cook for about ten minutes, always stirring, until it sizzles and browns.
4. Add the wine; cook over medium heat until it has completely evaporated. Add the tomato paste and purée. Mix well; add a cup of boiling stock (or water) and simmer, covered, for about 2 hours (or 3 depending on preference and type of meat), adding hot broth (or water) as needed.
5. Add any milk (traditionally used) halfway through the cooking; allow to evaporate completely. Season with salt and pepper before serving. When ready, the sauce will be a rich maroon hue, thick and glossy.

Notes

Traditionally, in Bologna hanger or skirt steak is used (the diaphragm of the beef, which is difficult to find today). In lieu or in addition, favour anterior cuts, rich in collagen, such as shoulder or chuck, brisket, plate or flank. Combinations are acceptable, as is the modern technique of browning the meat separately and then adding it to the softened minced vegetables in the pan.

Permitted variants:

• Mixed beef and pork (about 60% beef)
• Meat minced with a knife
• Cured pancetta instead of fresh pancetta
• A pinch of nutmeg

Unacceptable variants:

• Veal
• Smoked pancetta or bacon
• Only pork
• Garlic, rosemary, parsley or other herbs and spices
• Brandy instead of wine
• Flour as a thickening agent

Ragù alla bolognese can be enriched with:

• Chicken livers, hearts, and gizzards
• Peeled and crumbled pork sausage
• Blanched peas, added at the end of cooking
• Dried porcini, rehydrated

Traditional Bolognese sauce 1982 Original Recipe

Deposited in the Bologna Chamber of Commerce in 1982.

This classic recipe, still widely cited, includes:

Ingredients (for 4):

• 300 g coarsely ground beef (diaphragm, belly, or shoulder)
• 150 g pork pancetta (unsmoked, fresh)
• 50 g carrot
• 50 g celery stalk
• 50 g onion
• 300 g tomato sauce or peeled tomatoes
• ½ glass dry white wine
• ½ glass whole milk
• Olive oil or butter
• Salt and pepper
• Broth as needed
• Optional: ½ glass of fresh cream

Procedure:

1. Dice and finely chop the pancetta, melt it gently in a large pan.
2. Add finely chopped carrot, celery, and onion, sauté gently in oil or butter.
3. Add ground beef, cook and stir until sizzling.
4. Pour in the wine, let it evaporate.
5. Add tomato sauce/peeled tomatoes, simmer for at least 2 hours, adding broth as needed.
6. Stir in the milk towards the end to balance acidity; add salt and pepper to taste.
7. (Optional) Add cream at the end for extra richness.

This 1982 version is characterized by its balance of meat, vegetables, wine, tomatoes, and milk, cooked long and slow, with cream as an optional addition. It was often served with fresh tagliatelle and grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Why The Recipe Was Updated in April 2023

The  original 1982 recipe for Ragù alla Bolognese was updated in April 2023 because things had changed in the 40 years since the recipe was first defined. Ingredients, cooking habits, and equipment had all  evolved. The Italian Academy of Cuisine formed a special Study Committee to survey modern family and restaurant practices, reflecting the way ragù is actually prepared today in Bologna.

Key reasons cited for updating the recipe:

Finding the right ingredients got trickier over the years. Beef diaphragm, which was used, became pretty hard to get hold of, so now they suggest using cuts with lots of collagen instead—things like shoulder or brisket work well.

The way people actually cook it changed too. These days, most cooks brown the meat and veg separately, whereas the old recipe had you chucking it all in together.

People’s tastes shifted as well. What works in home kitchens and restaurants now is just different from how things were done forty years ago—different textures, flavours, that sort of thing.

They didn’t just make this stuff up either. The committee looked at 50 different recipes from Bologna families and local restaurants to figure out what most people were actually doing.

The new version also cleared up what you can mess with and what you can’t. Milk used to be a must, but now it’s up to you. And they dropped cream altogether—turns out that’s more in line with what people prefer nowadays.

Public Reaction To The 2023 Changes

Public reaction to the updated April 2023 Ragù alla Bolognese recipe has been generally respectful, blending tradition with modern practicality:

Locals in Bologna are proud having an official recipe on the books. It meant they could finally point to something concrete when people asked what the real thing was supposed to be. And, the tweaks weren’t massive anyway.

Basically, they reduced the tomato and increased the meat. Afterall its meant to be a meat sauce with tomato not a tomato sauce with meat.

Practical cooks who were happy to use newer ingredients and methods seemed fine with it all. But you always get some die-hards who reckon nothing should ever change.

People outside Italy got quite into it too—mainly because it gave them a proper benchmark against all those dodgy “spaghetti Bolognese” recipes floating around everywhere.

Having a clear list of what you could swap in or out was really handy too for anyone wanting to do it properly. A few old-school types raised their eyebrows of course when they saw some traditional bits had been dropped, but generally people figured the changes just made sense for modern kitchens.