Pork and Beef Rigatoni Bolognese

This satisfying pork and beef rigatoni bolognese is so good it will take you back to Italy!

During our honeymoon in Italy, my husband and I stayed in Florence for four days. Florence is a gorgeous walled medieval city in the Tuscan area of Italy. Tuscany is renowned for the beautiful vistas and amazing wineries that cover it’s rolling hills. It is by far one of the most incredible places I’ve ever had the privilege of visiting. The ancient cities and towns were incredible, and their beauty was only matched by the incredible food and wine produced in the region.

One of my fondest memories from my honeymoon was a daytrip we took to see some of the wineries in the area. We visited a beautiful family vineyard that operated a winery, farm, and restaurant. After touring the vines and farm, we enjoyed an amazing lunch outdoors overlooking the vineyard. That meal was their signature Rigatoni Bolognese. Not only is Tuscany known for their wine, they are also famous for their beef. Bolognese combines both of these into a hearty, satisfying, and refined sauce. It is a favourite meal in our home, and forms the basis of a number of dishes that I make.

This meal is the ultimate comfort food. It has many layers of flavour that combine to make it rich, savoury, and incredibly delicious. The browned beef, pork, and pancetta add a lovely caramelized flavour to the sauce, while the red wine adds a beautiful acidity. The milk adds creaminess to this Rigatoni Bolognese, while the thyme adds herby freshness. Layers upon layers of flavour create a beautiful, robust, and hearty sauce guaranteed to be as big a hit in your home as it is in mine.

TOTAL TIME

• Preparation Time – 10 minutes
• Cooking Time – 4 hours 28 minutes
• Total Time – 4 hours 38 minutes

INGREDIENTS FOR PORK AND BEEF RIGATONI BOLOGNESE

All the ingredients for this Rigatoni Bolognese are easy to source from any local grocer.

Bolognese

• 2 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Onion
• 2 stalks Celery
• 2 Large carrots
• 2 tbsp Butter
• 2 lb Ground beef
• 1 lb Ground pork
• 150 grams Pancetta
• 2 cups Red wine
• 1 cup Milk
• 4 cups Passata
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 1 bunch Thyme

Rigatoni

• 1 box Rigatoni pasta (~500g)
• Water

CAN I MAKE THIS WITH ANOTHER KIND OF PASTA?

You can make this delicious bolognese with any pasta you wish, but I’d suggest using something that will be able to hold up to the hearty sauce. Papardelle, tagliatelle, penne rigate, and spaghetti would all work well in this dish. The only pastas I would avoid are delicate noodles like cappelini that can’t hold up to a heavy sauce, or small shapes like cornetti that will be drowned in a chunky sauce.

WHAT IS KOSHER SALT?

Kosher salt has larger crystals than traditional iodized salt. It is mined from traditional salt mines, but is much less processed than normal table salt. Kosher salt has larger flakes which make it easier to distribute, and therefore less likely to over salt your dish. It also adds some brine flavour and crunch.

WHAT IS PANCETTA?

Pancetta is similar to bacon with one important difference: while bacon is smoked and purchased raw, pancetta is salt cured and dried, which means it is safe to eat without being cooked. It is a beautiful product that originates in Italy, but is very easy to find in most grocery stores. You can buy it in larger chunks or pre diced in most deli departments. I like to save myself some time and purchase it pre diced.

CAN I MAKE THIS SAUCE QUICKER?

Making this sauce takes hours, there’s no way around it. The beautiful complex flavour in this bolognese is created by layering ingredients step by step, until they are finally simmered for hours on the stove top. There’s many ways to make a tasty meat sauce quickly, but they simply won’t have the depth of flavour found in this meal. Don’t try and rush this beautiful bolognese, trust me it’s worth the wait.

CAN I USE OLD WINE IN MY RIGATONI BOLOGNESE?

Often I hear people comment that they have an open bottle that’s starting to go off, so they’ll just use it for cooking. The logic of this fails me. The wine imparts beautiful flavour to this meal, so why would you use a bottle that’s starting to sour? You wouldn’t! This recipe requires a full bottle, so you should be opening a new one regardless. That said, you certainly don’t need to buy an expensive bottle specifically for this meal. Simply use something you enjoy the taste of, because that is the flavour that will be imparted to your dish.

INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS FOR RIGATONI BOLOGNESE

CAN I USE CANNED TOMATOES INSTEAD OF PASSATA?

Passata is crushed, strained, tomatoes. There are many brands of passata, and it is easy to find in most grocery stores. I like to buy Mutti which is bottled in Italy. It is smooth and brightly flavoured with fresh tomatoes. If possible, buy passata that has no spices or herbs so that you can season your sauce to your own tastes.

Canned tomatoes can be purchased whole, diced, or crushed. The two products are mostly interchangeable in terms of taste, but the resulting texture is quite different. I like to use passata because it results in a smooth and velvety sauce that is preferred by my family. If you like a chunkier bolognese sauce, you can use canned tomatoes and simply squish them with your hands before adding them to your pan.

CAN I USE MARGARINE INSTEAD OF BUTTER?

I’m a firm believer that fat has it’s place in cooking. While you could use margarine instead of butter in this recipe, it could alter the taste for no benefit that I can imagine. It’s a small amount of butter, so unless you have a dairy allergy I would simply use it.

CAN I USE BACON INSTEAD OF PANCETTA?

If you can’t find pancetta, I would suggest omitting it entirely. As said above, pancetta has a different flavour than bacon. Substituting one for the other will change the flavour of this dish. You should not use bacon.

CAN I USE DAIRY FREE MILK IN THIS RECIPE?

You can use dairy free milk in this recipe, just make sure you use one that is unflavoured. Milk adds creaminess to this recipe, so I would not suggest leaving it out entirely. If the issue is simply lactose, you can easily use lactose free milk and butter which is something I do to accommodate my husband.

CAN I USE A DIFFERENT OIL THAN OLIVE?

You could use any oil you wish in this delicious sauce, however I strongly suggest you stick with a traditional extra virgin olive oil. There is a significant amount of oil used to sautee the soffritto (minced onion, celery, carrots, and garlic) in this sauce, which means there is an opportunity to build flavour. Olive oil is a delicious and authentic way to build flavour in this sauce.

EQUIPMENT FOR RIGATONI BOLOGNESE

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Below is a list of the main equipment/kitchen tools needed to make this amazing Pork and Beef Rigatoni Bolognese:

• French Oven – I use my Le Creuset French Oven every time I make large quantities of sauce, or slow cooked braised meats. As with all Le Creuset cast iron dishes, it is extremely heavy and coated in enamel which enables it brown meat, then cook sauce evenly for extended periods of time. It’s one of my most prized kitchen tools, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

• Wooden Spoon

• Kitchen Knife – Zwilling J.A. Henkel Kitchen Knife a good kitchen knife is a necessary tool for any home cook. Quality and price point varies widely. This is what I use at home. It’s a perfectly decent knife, while still being very affordable.

• Braising Pan

• Cutting Board

• Kitchen Aid Food Processor – I use my Kitchen Aid Food Processor whenever I need to to finely chop and puree vegetables or a sauce. It works beautifully to chop the soffritto into fine mince.

• Pasta Pot

• Slotted Spoon
  

COOKING DIRECTIONS

This Pork and Beef Rigatoni Bolognese is a labour of love, but is not difficult to prepare. By following several important rules you’re virtually guaranteed spectacular sauce your first time:

1. Make sure to brown your beef, pork, and pancetta before adding the liquids.
2. Always use fresh wine when cooking.
3. Don’t rush your sauce! Complex flavours develop over hours of slow cooking.

MAKE AHEAD STORAGE

There is nothing you can make in advance for this Pork and Beef Rigatoni Bolognese.

This amazing pasta can be stored in the fridge for up to four days, and can be frozen in an airtight container. The Bolognese easily makes enough for 16 servings, so I like to serve one quarter for dinner, then freeze the rest in three separate portions until I plan to use them.

FINISHED DISH

Enjoy your delicious Pork and Beef Rigatoni Bolognese!

OTHER PASTA DISHES

The Best Bolognese Lasagna

Making Pasta from Scratch

Shrimp and Scallop Pasta with Lemon

Easy Parmesan Meatballs with Spaghetti

OTHER PANCETTA DISHES

Fettuccine Carbonara

Quick Penne Alla Vodka with Pancetta

Pancetta Pesto Pasta

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

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