Bolognese sauce facts for kids

Tagliatelle with bolognese sauce.

Bolognese sauce is a yummy meat sauce often mixed with pasta. In Italy, where it comes from, it's called Ragù alla bolognese. This famous sauce was first made in the city of Bologna, Italy.

Most Italians enjoy Bolognese sauce with tagliatelle. This is a wide, flat type of pasta. But you can also find it served with other ribbon or tube-shaped pastas.

What is Bolognese Sauce?

Spaghetti alla Bolognese.

Bolognese sauce is a rich, slow-cooked meat sauce. It is a main part of Italian cooking. The sauce is known for its deep flavor. It is often served with different kinds of pasta.

Traditional Bolognese Recipe

In 1982, a group from Bologna, Italy, shared the official recipe for Bolognese sauce. They wanted to make sure people knew the true way to make it.

The traditional recipe includes:

• Beef
• Pancetta (a type of bacon)
• Onions
• Carrots
• Celery
• Tomato paste
• Meat broth
• Red wine
• Milk or cream

Some recipes might also add chopped pork or pork sausage. Sometimes, mushrooms are included too.

Bolognese Around the World

Outside of Italy, Bolognese sauce is very popular. It is often served as "Spaghetti Bolognese." This is a plate of spaghetti topped with the sauce. A little bit of grated cheese is usually sprinkled on top.

In places like China, Bolognese sauce is even served with noodles. There, it is sometimes called "Chinese spaghetti."

However, these different ways of making and serving the sauce are not common in Bologna itself. In Bologna, the sauce is often used with béchamel sauce to make lasagna.

Images for kids

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  A bowl of ragù bolognese

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  Tagliatelle al ragù as served in Bologna

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  Spaghetti bolognese with thyme and basil