Mafalde or Mafalda or Mafaldine Pasta Bolognese is one of those Italian dishes that families make over and over again with many variations. My version of this amazing topping to any pasta is pretty simple and comes together in under an hour.

Bolognese is a hearty meat sauce traditionally served with pasta that can hold onto all that rich sauce. Mafalda works especially well because its wide ribbon shape and ruffled edges grab the meat and sauce in every bite.

Traditionally bolognese sauce is a chunky hearty tomato sauce that is usually served over ziti type pastas. Ziti or rigatoni pasta allows the meat and sauce to get inside the pasta. This recipe I used Mafalde Pasta for this bolognese which is like little ribbons of yumminess. The ripples grab the sauce and it looks beautiful on your plate.

A Hearty Mafalde Bolognese in About 60 Minutes!

In this recipe I am using 2 lbs of ground beef and 1lb of ground pork to make my Mafalde Pasta Bolognese sauce. Searing the meat without breaking it up allows a crust to form on the outside of the meat adding to the rich texture this dish has. I like to flip both sides of the meat before breaking it up. As soon as you break the meat up it starts to release its moisture and usually ends up steaming the meat. A good pan for searing the meat is my trusty Lodge Cast Iron pan.

Once you have browned the meat really good, transfer it to a bowl for later. Then add in your carrots, onions, celery and garlic. Once you start smelling that yummy smell of the veggies cooking with the garlic, grab some wine and pour it into the pan. Scrape up all the bits and bobs from the pan. Lastly stir in your marinara sauce and add your meat mixture.

Bolognese Sauce Is Best When Left to Simmer

That’s it really, reduce the heat to a low simmer for 25-30 minutes and it’s done. Cook your pasta according to the instructions on the box, save a little pasta water if you want to add it to the sauce to loosen it up some before mixing it with your pasta.

Serve your Mafalde Pasta Bolognese with bread so you can scoop up any leftover sauce on your plate!

If you like this recipe, checkout my Recipe For The Best Way To Cook Meatballs, including my meatball recipe!

Get My Mafalde Pasta Bolognese Recipe Below:

Yield: 6 Servings

Mafalda Pasta Bolognese

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Make a hearty Mafalda Bolognese in about 60 minutes with ground beef, ground pork, carrots, celery, onion, red wine and marinara. Mafalda pasta’s ruffled edges catch the rich meat sauce beautifully, making this an easy weeknight version of classic Bolognese.

Bolognese sauce is one of my favorite comfort foods growing up. Any chance i get to make it, I use this recipe because its pretty simple, and full of flavor. The key to a good bolognese is to use both ground beef and ground pork. The pork sweetens up the sauce a bit along with the carrots.

All it takes is 60 minutes to make and you can put this on any kind of pasta you like. I used Mafalda pasta because it looks beautiful on the plate and the little ripples catch the bits of meat when you scoop it up.

Nerdy quick tip... reserve a cup of your pasta water to mix with the sauce before add the pasta to the sauce, it thickens the sauce and helps coat the pasta. 🙂

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4.5 Stars (30 Reviews)

Ingredients

• 2 Lbs Fresh Ground Beef 80/20 , Chopped/Crumbled
• 1 Lb Fresh Ground Pork , Chopped/Crumbled
• 1 Cup Fresh Carrot , Diced, 1 Medium Carrot
• 1 Medium Sweet Onion
• 1 cup Fresh Celery , Sliced, 1 Big Stalk
• 2 Cloves Fresh Garlic Diced
• 1 Lb Mafalda Pasta (box)
• 1 Cup Dry Red Wine , Use Real Wine, Cabernet or Merlow
• Salt & Pepper to Taste
• 24 Oz Marinara Sauce ( Rao's is Awesome )
• 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Instructions

1. Preheat your favorite pan to medium heat - My favorite pan is a Lodge Cast Iron Enameled 3.6qt Pan with Lid
2. Peel and dice the onion, garlic, carrot and celery into uniform size of about 1/4"
3. Add 1 tbsp of Olive Oil to the pan, then add onions, carrots and celery. Cook until onions are translucent and fragrant.
4. Add garlic and cook for about 2 minutes carefully as to not burn the garlic.
5. Remove veggies to a bowl and set aside.
6. Increase the heat of the pan to medium high and add ground beef and pork.
7. Allow meat to brown untouched for a few minutes before breaking up with the back of your wooden spoon.
8. Continue cooking until meat is cooked through, drain any excess oil.
9. Add pan back on heat, then add the carrots, onion, celery and garlic to the mixture and stir.
10. Next deglaze the pan with some dry red wine of your choice, about 1 cup. Don't worry it will cook the alcohol out. This is the game changer!
11. Scrape up all bits and bobs from the pan until the wine has reduced a bit, then add the marinara sauce.
12. Stir to incorporate and turn the heat down to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
13. While the bolognese sauce is simmering, prepare your pot of boiling water for your favorite pasta.
14. Once pasta is done, I always scoop out half of the sauce into a bowl, then scoop a ladle of pasta water into the sauce, then add pasta and toss to coat.

Recommended Products

These are some of the tools and ingredients I use to make my recipes. Some links are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

• 
  Lodge Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet with Assist Handle Holder 12"
• 
  Lodge 3.6 Quart Cast Iron Ceramic Pan
• 
  San Giorgio Mafalda No.78 12oz
• 
  Rao's Homemade Marinara Sauce
• 
  Meat Chopper for Hamburger

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