Most Bolognese sauces I’ve had are made with beef or a variety of meats consist of ground beef, veal, and/or pork. I thought I change it up by making it all pork and I have to say, it’s definitely not lacking in taste. For a pork meat sauce, this has some pretty robust flavors. If you are not into red meat, this is a good alternative. Bon appétit!
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pounds of pork butt, ground
- olive oil for cooking
- 1 slice of pancetta about 1/2″ thick, coarsely chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 small carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 ribs of celery, chopped
- 1 beefsteak tomato, diced
- 3 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves stripped and chopped
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, crushed (using the tip of your fingers)
- salt and pepper to season
- 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
- 1/2 cup of white wine
- 1 (28 ounce) can of ground tomatoes (or you can use crushed tomatoes)
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can of chicken broth
- 1/2 cup of half and half
- fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
- parmesan cheese, shaved for garnish
Preparation:
In a medium pot over medium high heat crumble and lightly brown pork with olive oil. Once cooked, use a slotted spoon to transfer meat into a bowl. Set aside. Remove any grease left in the pot.
Drizzle in olive oil and add pancetta. Brown pancetta, about 5 minutes then add onions, garlic, carrots, celery, beefsteak tomatoes, thyme, bay leaf and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper but don’t add too much salt as the pancetta will give off some salty flavor. Cook about 8-10 minutes then add in tomato paste. Mix tomato paste then add white wine. Let it bubble and reduce, about 1 minute. Add ground tomatoes, chicken broth, half and half and cooked pork. Stir to combine. Cover pot and let it simmer for 30-45 minutes. Stir occasionally. At this point the sauce is ready. Discard bay leaf and check for seasoning. Serve this with fresh garlic pappardelle. Garnish with finely chopped parsley and shaved parmesan cheese.
uni homemaker 
I loved the fresh garlic pappardelle you paired with this. The wide noodles capture all that bolognese yumminess! Pics look fantastic too! 🙂
Thank you my love! 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed it.
yum yum anne..looks delish..i love how you just used pork (you know im pro pig) the parm curls ontop just make it look so elegant…lovely post..sarah
Thank you for the lovely comment, Sarah! 🙂
Very originalAnne thanks for sharing!!!
Thank you for stopping by Massi and as always, for the kind words! 🙂
This looks lovely. My Mum used to make a pork bolognese for us when we were kids. That is now over 40 years ago. I can still taste it.
Best,
Conor
Thank you Conor! Everything always taste better from Mom. My Mom used to make this wonderful pork stew when I was a child. I tried to replicate it but it’s still not quite the same.
I love it! I sometimes make pasta with a tomato and pork sauce and LOVE it, but your recipe (pancetta, celery, pepper flakes…) sounds really fantastic!
Thanks Darya! 🙂 I always prefer these tomato-base pasta sauces the next day –it’s thicker and more flavorful.
Anne, I just HAD to hop on and leave you a comment to tell you this looks so delicious! The photos are just gorgeous! And the pancetta (yum), pork butt (one of my favorite cuts of meat), and the addition of carrots … brilliant. Not many people know that carrots make tomato sauces sweet … but you do =) Can’t wait to make this soon — thanks so much for sharing!
Awwww… shucks, Christina. You always have such lovely things to say. 🙂 Always a pleasure to hear from you. 🙂 Thank you for the kind words. I hope you are doing well. *BIG hugs*
This looks awesome – I love that you’re using pancetta! I’m gonna try this – for sure!
Thanks Cecile! I hope you’ll enjoy this as much as I have. 🙂
Sounds delicious! Packed full of wonderful veg, too. Yum!
Thanks Johnny! I always feel the need to try and incorporate veggies whenever I can.
I love a great Bolognese sauce and your photos of it are fantastic!
Thank you so much Lesley! 🙂
Pork is a brilliant carrier of flavours. This is a great recipe!
Thank you so much! 🙂
Comfort food at it’s finest. I love nothing more than a bowl of pasta with meaty bolognese to make me relax after a good long day.
Thanks Jayne! 🙂
This looks delicious Anne! I have never tried to make a bolognese with all pork, but will have to give it a try thanks to you! Beautiful photos!
Always lovely to hear from you Lindsay and thank you for the kind words. 😉 Xox!
I, too, will be posting a meat sauce later tonight but it isn’t a Bolognese. Yours here sounds delicious. The combo of pork and pancetta would really bring a ton of flavor to the sauce pan. Yum!
Oooh!!! I’ll be on the lookout for your post.
Thanks John, always appreciate your comment. 🙂
Beautiful photos! Looks delicious.
Thank you so much!
Oh I haven’t made an all pork ragu in ages, but I always love them. Shall bookmark your gorgeous recipe, thanks!
Thanks Louisa! 🙂
Yummy… Pork and pasta can be good friends 🙂
Yes, they are in this dish. 😉
Looks like a bowl of comfort Anne! Very beautiful dish!
Thanks so much Jan! Always a pleasure to hear from you. 🙂
Looks wonderful. I will have to try this one.
Thank you! I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I have.
your pork bolognese is so eye-catching and mouth-watering, and of course, the pictures are great as always xD
Thank you Trang for the lovely comment. 🙂
Anne, this is one of the best bolognese I have seen. Love the fresh garlic pappardelle !!
Thanks for the lovely comment Judy. Always great to hear from you! 🙂
This looks like a winner, so I’ll have to try it. Thanks for sharing and thanks for checking out my blog, too!
I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I have. Thanks for popping over!
This looks delicious! As strange as it is, I’ve never had bolognese before…but yours looks so yummy, and it makes me want to try this out 🙂
Thank you! If you dig pork, you’ll dig this sauce. Thanks for popping over. 🙂