Ragù di Carne (Tuscan-Style Meat Sauce)

By
Danette St. Onge
Danette St. Onge
Danette St. Onge
Danette St. Onge is a food writer specializing in international cuisines. She authored "The Better-Than-Takeout Thai Cookbook" and has also served as the Italian Food Expert for The Spruce Eats.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 12/9/21
Tuscan style ragu meat sauce recipe

​The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 85 mins
Total: 95 mins
Servings: 4 to 6 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
231 Calories
12g Fat
15g Carbs
13g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 231
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 12g 16%
Saturated Fat 3g 17%
Cholesterol 36mg 12%
Sodium 227mg 10%
Total Carbohydrate 15g 6%
Dietary Fiber 3g 11%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 13g
Vitamin C 10mg 52%
Calcium 40mg 3%
Iron 2mg 13%
Potassium 670mg 14%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Ragù di carne is the classic Italian meat sauce and, while there are many different regional versions, this one has a Tuscan spin. As with most good Italian sauces, it starts with an Italian soffritto—finely chopped carrot, celery, and onion sautéed in olive oil—that is basically the same thing as the French mirepoix.

Unlike the meat sauce often made in the U.S., an authentic Italian-style ragù is mostly meat with very little tomato, but you can make your sauce with more or less liquid depending on your taste and how you intend to use it. For example, if it is part of a lasagna made with dried pasta noodles, make the sauce more liquidy, while if you're going to make a lasagna with fresh pasta sheets, keep the sauce dryer. 

This recipe calls for a few unorthodox ingredients that are purely optional—tamari or Japanese soy sauce, fish sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. They all add umami (a pleasant savory taste) that will punch up your recipe. It is used in such small quantities that their individual flavors will not be detectable and they won't alter the traditional flavor profile of an Italian ragù. If you don't have these ingredients or choose to omit them, the recipe will still turn out delicious.

Ingredients

For the Soffritto:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 cup small dice onion

  • 1/2 cup small dice carrot

  • 1/2 cup small dice celery

For the Ragù

  • 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms

  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste, doppio concentrato di pomodoro

  • 1/2 ounce prosciutto, about 4 to 5 paper-thin slices

  • 4 ounces ground pork, or 1 sweet Italian pork sausage, casing removed

  • 4 ounces ground beef

  • 1/2 cup dry red wine

  • 12 ounces tomato puree, passata di pomodoro, in a glass jar

  • Fine sea salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • 1 pinch freshly ground nutmeg

  • 1 to 2 drops Worcestershire sauce, optional

  • 1/4 teaspoon tamari sauce, or soy sauce, optional

  • 1 to 2 drops fish sauce, optional

  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Steps to Make It

Make the Soffritto

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for the soffrito
    ​The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  2. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Sauté the onion, carrot, and celery until softened and reduced somewhat, and the onions are slightly caramelized—about 20 minutes. 

    Heat olive oil
    ​The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Make the Ragù

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for ragu
    ​The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  2. While you are cooking the soffritto, reconstitute the dried mushrooms: Place the dried porcini in a small bowl with enough warm water to cover and set aside for about 15 minutes.

    Dried porcini in small bowl
    ​The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck 

  3. When the mushrooms are softened, drain, retaining the soaking water in a separate bowl. Chop the mushrooms finely and set aside.

    Chop mushrooms
    ​The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  4. Add the tomato paste to the soffritto and cook until the paste thickens and darkens for about 2 minutes.

    Tomato paste
    ​The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  5. Add the prosciutto and the ground pork and beef; raise the heat to brown the meat, stirring often with a wooden spoon.

    Add proscuitto
    ​The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  6. Add the wine and stir until most of the alcohol aroma evaporates, about 1 minute, stirring to loosen and dissolve any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot.

    Stir
    ​The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  7. Add the chopped porcini and tomato puree and stir well to mix.

    Add chopped porcini
    ​The Spruce  / Julia Hartbeck

  8. Season with salt and pepper to taste and a pinch of freshly ground nutmeg. If using, add 1 or 2 drops of Worcestershire sauce, the tamari or soy sauce, and 1 or 2 drops of the fish sauce.

    Add salt and pepper
    ​The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  9. Cover the pot and lower the heat to low. Let the sauce just barely simmer for a minimum of 1 hour, preferably 2 or 3 hours. Check it occasionally and if it seems too dry, add some of the mushroom soaking water. (Flavor-saving tip: Pour the mushroom-soaking water into the empty tomato puree jar so that none of the puree is wasted.)

    Cover pot and lower heat
    ​The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck 

  10. When your sauce is done, removing it from the heat and stir in the finely grated lemon zest. This also sounds unorthodox, but the touch of brightness really balances out the heavy richness of the meat sauce and brings all of the other flavors together.

    Add lemon zest
    ​The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck 

  11. Serve and enjoy.

    Tuscan style ragu
    ​The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

Recipe Tips

Recipe Variations

  • If you can find ground veal, the sauce is even better with a mix of three kinds of meat—4 ounces ground beef, 2 ounces ground veal, and 2 ounces ground pork.
  • The tamari or Japanese soy sauce, fish sauce, and Worcestershire sauce are optional ingredients, so if you don't have them on hand or you choose to omit them, it will still be delicious.

Tips

  • This is one of those dishes that tastes better every time you reheat it, so make a big batch, use it as a pasta sauce for a day or two, then make a meat lasagna with it on the second or third day, and freeze any leftover sauce. (It freezes wonderfully.) If you're making a lasagna or want to have extra to freeze, then you can easily double or triple the recipe. 
  • Of course, this sauce is wonderful on pasta, particularly fresh tagliatelle or pappardelle, but it's also great served on top of the small square or round slices of fried polenta as an antipasto or party finger food, or even on small rounds of bread or crostini. You also can use it to stuff fried arancini rice balls, cannelloni, or any other type of stuffed pasta shell, then top with besciamella sauce, some grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, and bake until golden.