Pici Pasta with Bolognese Sauce
Homemade pici with Bolognese sauce is Tuscan comfort food at its finest. Thick hand rolled noodles are coated in a rich slow simmered meat sauce. Simple, hearty, and full of authentic flavor, it’s the perfect dish for a cozy Italian style meal.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 86kcal
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 carrots peeled finely chopped ~ 1 cup
- 2 celery stalks finely chopped ~ 1 cup
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 1 pound ground beef chuck 20% fat you could also use ½ ground beef and ½ ground pork
- ½ cup white or red wine use a wine you would actually drink
- 1 teaspoon dried sage I used fresh sage from my garden
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary I used fresh rosemary from my garden
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 28- ounce can San Marzano plum tomatoes pureed or 1 jar of tomato passata
- 1 teaspoon sea salt add more to your taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper add more to your taste
- 1 lb pici pasta or spaghetti or bucatini
- Parmigiano Reggiano grated for serving
Instructions
Make the Bolognese sauce
Sauté the vegetables:
- Heat the oil in a medium saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the soffritto (carrots, celery, onions) and cook for about 7 minutes until the vegetables soften without browning. Season lightly with salt and black pepper.
Brown the meat:
- Add the ground beef (or a mix of beef and pork). Break it up well and cook until it loses all its pink, about 10 minutes. If you want to use diced pancetta, add it now. Stir often. Add the herbs and season again with salt and pepper.
Brown the meat:
- Pour in the wine, stir, and let it reduce.
Add the tomatoes:
- Stir in the tomato sauce. Lower the heat and let the ragu simmer gently for 2–3 hours. Stir every 20 minutes. Keep the heat low enough so it never boils. Add water as needed if it thickens too much. Taste and adjust the seasoning. When done, remove the bay leaf.
- Optional: Once the tomatoes are added, you can transfer everything to a slow cooker. Cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 6 hours.
Cook the pici pasta
Boil the pasta:
- Cook the pici according to the package time (I made homemade pici and cooking time could vary depending on the thickness of the pici). Cook the pasta until it's al dente. Start checking a minute early.
Serve:
- Warm the sauce if needed. Drain the pasta and toss it directly with the ragu. I used tongs to remove it from the pot and transferred to directly to the sauce. Once it's in the sauce, add on the grated Parmigiano Reggiano and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Combine with the sauce and cheese. Serve immediately. Add extra grated Parmigiano Reggiano, if you like.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information presented below is an approximation and may vary depending on the exact ingredients used.
Notes
- Meat: Traditional Bolognese uses both beef and pork, but beef alone works well.
- Bouillon: A spoonful of vegetable or beef bouillon paste (or a cube) boosts the flavor.
- Tomatoes: Choose high-quality San Marzano DOP tomatoes or a good tomato passata. You don’t need sugar when the tomatoes are good.
- Tomato paste: Add a tablespoon if you have it for deeper flavor.
- Slow cooker: After adding the tomatoes, move everything to the slow cooker and simmer on low for 6 hours.
- Simmer time: The longer the sauce cooks, the richer it becomes. It tastes even better the next day.
- Make extra: Double the batch so you can freeze some for an easy future dinner.
Nutrition
Calories: 86kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 22mg | Potassium: 138mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 5100IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 0.2mg
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