RecipesPasta & Co

White ragù sauce – Easy & Delicious!

by Micaela Harrasser

Looking for a rich, comforting meaty sauce for your pasta? Try this white ragù, ie a meaty sauce lacking tomatoes. This version of the classic sauce is made with minced veal and bacon. Simple, easy & deliciousl!
I found minced veal at the butcher. It has a tender and delicate taste that goes very well with the finely chopped bacon (make sure it´s not smoked!). If you cannot get your hands on those types of meats, or simply prefer others, feel free to experiment with other types! The only rule is to have a source that is rich in fat (like bacon, pancetta, bone marrow and so on). Fat will make the sauce tender, rich and incredibly tasty!
Another suggestion is to cook the sauce on low heat for as long as possible. If I am at home and/or have time, I like to use my slow cooker to do the job. I usually cook it for 4-5 hours. The smell at the end is simply out of this world! If you don´t have a slow cooker, do not despair 🙂 use a pressure cooker, or simple pot instead. If using a pot, keep an eye on the volume of the liquid as it might evaporate at a quicker rate. Finally, feel free to add some herbs like rosemary and thyme.
One great advantage of these sauces is that you can make a big batch and freeze most of it into small portions. So that you can defrost it and have a beautiful, rich and comforting pasta sauce in no time during your busy week! Enjoy!

White ragù sauce - Easy & Delicious!

Serves: 4x Prep Time: Cooking Time: Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

  • 300g minced veal
  • 180g bacon (speklap in dutch)
  • 1 bayleaf
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 glass of white wine
  • 500ml vegetable stock
  • soffritto (ie 1 carrot, 1 onion and 1/2 celery stick finely diced)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. In a pan, heat up the oil then add the soffritto. Cook it on medium heat until the veggies become tender and onion translucent, about 5-10 minutes. 
  2. While it cooks, chop the bacon into very small pieces.
  3. Once the veggies are cooked, add the bacon.
  4. Cook it for a couple of minutes or until the pink color is gone from the meat, then add the minced meat. Mix.
  5. Once the minced meat also starts losing the pink color, add the wine.
  6. Cook on high heat until the alcohol has evaporated.
  7. Keep stirring and try to break down the meat as much as possible.
  8. Now, add the bayleaf and vegetable stock.
  9. Mix well, then transfer to a slow cooker, or keep cooking on the stove on low heat with the lid on for at least 2h (the more you cook it, the more flavorful and tender it will become).
  10. After about 1h 50, give it a stir and check if there is too much liquid (the sauce should be quite dry, without too much excess liquid covering the meat).
  11. If there is too much liquid, cook on low-medium heat without lid until enough liquid has evaporated.
  12. The sauce is ready!

Notes

Storage: you can store the sauce in the fridge in an airtight container for up to three days. Alternatively, you can freeze it down.

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