Ragù bianco is the white version of the traditional Bolognese sauce, a great classic of Italian cuisine. It's a rich and flavorful pasta sauce made with ground meat and a classic soffritto of carrot, celery, and onion, gently flavored with rosemary.
What is the difference between Ragù Bianco and Ragù alla Bolognese?
The name says it all. This version is “white” (bianco), meaning it's prepared without tomatoes. In addition, I chose to use veal, which is lighter and more delicate than beef. Chicken is also a great option for this recipe.
Ragu bianco is an easy recipe based on a few simple ingredients that, as with all traditional Italian dishes, should be of excellent quality.
The sauce is made by slowly sautéing the minced meat with a fragrant soffritto of carrot, celery, and onion, then deglazing with white wine and gently simmering it with hot broth. The broth can be meat-based or vegetable-based, for a lighter and more delicate result.
Ragù bianco is perfect for seasoning fresh egg pasta, especially tagliatelle or fettuccine, and it's also ideal for stuffing meat cannelloni.
As with many traditional Italian recipes, there are several regional variations, all closely tied to local traditions and typical products.
Follow my step-by-step instructions and tips to make a very aromatic and authentic Italian ragù bianco at home.
Ingredients
Prep Time: 15 Min | Cook Time: 50 Min | Servings: 6
- 500 g (1.1 lb) ground veal, ground chicken, or ground beef
- 1 medium carrot
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 medium onion
- 100 ml (⅖ cup) dry white wine
- 300 ml (1 ¼ cup) meat broth or vegetable broth
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Fine salt, to taste
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 fresh rosemary sprigs
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour or cornstarch
Instructions
Step 1) - First clean and chop the onion, carrot and celery.
In a saucepan, sauté the vegetables with the extra virgin olive oil for about 2 minutes. Keep the heat on medium, taking care not to burn the soffritto.
Step 2) - Add the ground meat. Stir for a few seconds so that the meat is well combined with the vegetables and oil.
Then add a tablespoon of flour or cornstarch and mix very well. This is a little trick that will allow you to get a creamier meat sauce.
Step 3) - Raise the heat and add the white wine. Allow the alcohol to evaporate over high heat. Then reduce the heat to low.
Add the very hot broth until almost all of the meat is covered.
Step 4) - Also add 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, which will give the white ragu sauce its characteristic flavor and aroma.
We recommend tying the rosemary sprigs with kitchen twine to prevent the needles from falling into the meat sauce.
Step 5) - Cover and simmer for at least 35 minutes, the time it takes for all the flavors to blend.
Then, for the last 10 minutes, cook over high heat without the lid to evaporate the liquid. Stir frequently, taking care not to let the sauce stick to the bottom of the saucepan.
This white Bolognese sauce should be thick and consistent without too much liquid.
At this point, adjust the salt and pepper and turn off the heat. The Ragù Bianco is ready!
How to Serve
Ragù Bianco is tasty, easy to make with a few simple ingredients, and perfect as a seasoning for many different recipes.
Potato gnocchi and passatelli are great with this tasty sauce.
This recipe is also perfect for baked preparations such as lasagna or for stuffing cannelloni with lots of bechamel sauce.
You can even use the white Bolognese sauce on slices of toasted homemade bread and make delicious bruschetta for your appetizers!
But the most common use of Ragù Bianco sauce is, of course, as a seasoning for pasta.
Fresh egg pasta, possibly homemade, is great. Tagliatelle or fettuccine are the most common. You can, of course, use any pasta you prefer.
Fettuccine with White Ragu'
Season fantastic homemade fettuccine with freshly made white ragu!
Step 1) - Make handmade fettuccine at home by following our recipe! They are quick and easy to prepare. You can even freeze them if you like!
Step 2) - Cook fresh fettuccine in plenty of salted water for 2 to 3 minutes.
Drain and season with white ragu and a drizzle of oil to taste.
Storage
Ragù Bianco can be kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container for about 2-3 days.
It can also be frozen. Allow the sauce to cool to room temperature, then transfer it to an airtight container.
Be sure to label the container with the freezing date so you can keep track of how long it has been in the freezer.
You can store ragu bianco in the freezer for up to 2 months without significantly affecting the quality or flavor of the sauce.
When you are ready to use this meat sauce, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat it on the stove or in the microwave until it is piping hot.
Ragù Bianco Variations and Regional Versions
Meat Variations for Ragù Bianco
To make ragù bianco, veal is traditionally used because of its delicate flavor and tender texture, but beef works very well too. You can also prepare an excellent white ragù using white meats such as chicken or turkey, which are lighter, lean, and still very flavorful.
For a richer and more intense sauce, many Italian recipes combine veal or beef with a small amount of pork. In some regions, wild boar is also used to create a stronger and more rustic version of ragù bianco. A white ragù made entirely with wild boar is especially popular in central Italy and is often served with wide pasta shapes like pappardelle. Pappardelle al Cinghiale is a very famous Tuscan dish.
Other traditional variations include ragù bianco made with minced rabbit or lamb. Rabbit ragù is particularly common in northern Italy, while lamb is often used around Easter. One well-known Piedmontese specialty is Tajarin al Ragù Bianco di Coniglio, a refined and aromatic pasta dish.
Mixed-Meat Ragù: Ragù dell’Aia
In addition to choosing a single type of meat, ragù bianco can also be prepared using a mix of meats. One of the most interesting examples is Ragù dell’Aia, a traditional farmhouse-style sauce.
The word aia means “farmyard” in Italian, and this ragù is made with the animals traditionally raised by farmers, especially white meats. Chicken and rabbit are the most common, but duck, turkey, or goose can also be added.
Ragù dell’Aia is known for its complex and rustic flavor. Traditionally, all parts of the animal are used, including less noble cuts, and offal such as liver is often added. The result is a deeply flavorful sauce that reflects true Italian rural cooking.
Tuscan White Ragù
In Tuscany, one of the most traditional versions of ragù bianco is made with Chianina beef, a prized cattle breed from the Val di Chiana area and one of the oldest cattle breeds in the world.
In the Tuscan version, a small amount of milk is often added toward the end of cooking. This technique, also used in the classic Bolognese sauce, helps make the ragù creamier and more rounded in flavor.
More Italian Recipes You May Like
- Lasagna Bolognese Recipe
- Tagliatelle Bolognese Recipe
- Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni
- Italian Sausage Ragu Recipe
Recipe Card
Ragu Bianco Recipe (White Bolognese Sauce)
Ingredients
- 500 g ground veal, beef or chicken - 1.1 lb
- 1 medium carrot
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 medium onion
- 100 ml dry white wine - ⅖ cup
- 300 ml meat or vegetable broth - 1 ¼ cup
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- salt - to taste
- ground black pepper - to taste
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour or cornstarch
Instructions
- First clean and chop the onion, carrot and celery.
- In a saucepan, sauté the vegetables with the extra virgin olive oil for about 2 minutes. Keep the heat on medium, taking care not to burn the soffritto.
- Add the ground meat. Stir for a few seconds so that the meat is well combined with the vegetables and oil.
- Then add a tablespoon of flour or cornstarch and mix very well. This is a little trick that will allow you to get a creamier meat sauce.
- Raise the heat and add the white wine. Allow the alcohol to evaporate over high heat. Then reduce the heat to low.
- Add the very hot broth until almost all of the meat is covered.
- Also add 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, which will give the white ragu sauce its characteristic flavor and aroma. We recommend tying the rosemary sprigs with kitchen twine to prevent the needles from falling into the meat sauce.
- Cover and simmer for at least 35 minutes, the time it takes for all the flavors to blend.
- Then, for the last 10 minutes, cook over high heat without the lid to evaporate the liquid. Stir frequently, taking care not to let the sauce stick to the bottom of the saucepan. This white Bolognese sauce should be thick and consistent without too much liquid.
- At this point, adjust the salt and pepper and turn off the heat. The Ragù Bianco is ready!
Susanne von Schenkendorff Mattfeldt says
Thank you for these recipes and especially for all the regional variations. I really enjoy your posts and have successfully replicated your culinary suggestions.