This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.

My family’s favorite Pesto Pasta Bolognese. Slow cooked Italian Bolognese sauce with a mix of meat, vegetables, tomatoes, and a splash of vodka to create the most delicious and rich Bolognese. A little pesto adds a pop of fresh flavor. Serve this sauce over rigatoni pasta and top with plenty of freshly grated parmesan cheese. All it needs is a side of crusty bread for mopping up all that sauce. You simply can’t go wrong with this warming Bolognese.

My Family’s Favorite Pesto Pasta Bolognese | halfbakedharvest.com

December recipes are a little different for me. Each one I share really needs to feel special. I don’t just want a dish to serve on Monday night, but one you can serve at your next dinner party too.

With so much entertaining happening during the busy holiday season, we need dinners that are simple, but special, you know?

This Bolognese has become my family’s favorite. My brothers especially love this. It’s perfect to serve while everyone is home for Christmas break!

I first made this for my older brother. My siblings have been asking me to make them a good, classic Bolognese dinner for years. I knew when I finally decided to make this recipe that I had to get the sauce just right. It took a few rounds of testing – but no one seemed to mind.

Each version was slightly different, but the recipe I landed on is truly perfect.

It has a few elements that really make it extra special.

My Family’s Favorite Pesto Pasta Bolognese | halfbakedharvest.com

The details

What’s awesome about this sauce is that it’s mostly hands-off and simply simmers on the stove all day long. In fact, it’s even better if you can make the sauce the day before to really allow the amazing flavors to develop.

Start by cooking some pancetta. The pancetta is pretty traditional in an Italian style Bolognese and adds a really deep flavor to the sauce. Next add in the veggies, then all the meats. I love to use a combination of ground beef, bison, and pork.

When the meat is browned, stir in the tomatoes and cook until they really coat all of the meat. Then add some vodka, just like you’d make an alla vodka sauce. The vodka balances the tomatoes and creates the most flavorful sauce.

Stir in water and simmer the sauce with thyme and a parmesan rind.

My Family’s Favorite Pesto Pasta Bolognese | halfbakedharvest.com

Finish it up

The longer you can cook the sauce over low heat, the better. The more time it has to cook, the more flavor it will develop. And as I said, this is great for making the day before too.

When you’re ready to serve, just boil off some pasta and then toss the sauce with the pasta. I usually add a handful of parmesan cheese too. Then just serve and enjoy! Oh, and be sure to serve with chunks of crusty bread for mopping up all that sauce…delicious.

This recipe feeds a lot, probably way more than you need, so chances are you’ll have leftovers. And those leftovers…they are amazing.

You can serve throughout the week with pasta or make cheesy stuffed peppers (our favorite). You can also freeze the leftover sauce too. The options are endless!

My Family’s Favorite Pesto Pasta Bolognese | halfbakedharvest.com

Looking for other family dinner recipes? Here are a few ideas: 

Creamy White Chicken Chili

Cider Braised Short Ribs with Caramelized Onions

30 Minute Coq au Vin Chicken Meatballs

Lastly, if you make my family’s favorite Pesto Pasta Bolognese be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

My Family’s Favorite Pesto Pasta Bolognese

Author: Tieghan Gerard
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 783 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

SavePrintEmail

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • 1. In a large dutch oven, cook the pancetta over medium heat, until crispy, 5 minutes. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and red pepper, and cook until the veggies are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute.
    2. Add the beef, bison, and pork. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up the meat as it cooks, until browned all over, 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook 5 minutes, then pour in the vodka. Add the crushed tomatoes, 3 cups water, and fish sauce. Stir in the thyme, bay leaf, and parmesan rind. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 2-3 hours or up to all day. If the sauce seems dry at any point, add up to 1 cup water.
    3. Discard the thyme, bay leaf, and parmesan rind. Stir in the milk and pesto, cook until warmed through, 10-15 minutes.
    4. Meanwhile, boil the pasta until al dente. Drain and add back to the pot. Ladle the sauce over the pasta and toss to combine. Divide the pasta among bowls and ladle the bolognese over top. Serve topped with parmesan, and fresh herbs. Enjoy!
View Recipe Comments

My Family’s Favorite Pesto Pasta Bolognese | halfbakedharvest.com

Add a Comment

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I made this yesterday to pop in the freezer and eat with family over the holidays.
    As I happened to have venison sausage I substituted it for the bison.
    Of course I had to have a sample taste and it was delicious!
    Looking forward to feeding some hungry lads!
    Thanks Tieghan and have a wonderful Christmas!

    Reply

    1. Hi Laura,
      I would just add everything to the crockpot, since it’s ground meat you really don’t need to brown it first. I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan

      Reply

  5. 5 stars
    This was one of the best Bolognese sauces I’ve made. I did make a couple of changes. I fixed the pancetta and veggies as instructed. But then I put 2 pounds of ground beef and 1 of ground pork in a slow cooker and added the pancetta-veggies on top along with all the other ingredients except for the milk and pesto. I also substituted 3 cups of red wine and 3 tspn of Better Than Bouillon (R) beef for the 3 cups of water. Also I added 3 tspn of fresh oregeno. I cooked it overnight on low for 10 hours. I left it on warm until adding the milk and pesto 30 minutes before serving when I set it on low for 15 minutes.

    Reply

  6. 5 stars
    This is the best sauce I have ever tasted! It is so easy to put together and leave on the stove to simmer and thicken. I didn’t use bison because I couldn’t find it in the store but the combo of pork and beef made a huge difference rather than using just beef. I will use the bison when I can find it. My husband was still talking about it the next day, lol! Thank you for such a simple, tasty recipe!

    Reply

    1. Hey Heather,
      Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan

      Reply

  7. 5 stars
    This is so good! I only used 1.5 lb ground sirloin for the meat, and one can of tomato paste, but kept the measurements the same for everything else, and we were very happy with the consistency of the sauce. I simmered it for about 3 hours when I made it, and then the next day before we ate it, I heated it up and added a little pasta water. I’ll definitely be making this again.

    Reply

    1. Hi Bethany,
      Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan

      Reply

  8. Making this for a family dinner this weekend! Bison isn’t readily available here. Do recommend increasing the pork & beef, adding some sort of sausage or something else? Thank you!

    Reply

    1. Hi Maggie,
      It’s really up to you, you can increase the pork and beef or add sausage. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan

      Reply

    1. Hi Serena,
      Thanks for bringing this to my attention, I will fix it! Please let me know if you give the recipe a try! xTieghan

      Reply

  10. Made it last night. Left out the pancetta. It was excellent! My family loved it. Will be making again. The vodka mellows things.

    Reply

  11. 5 stars
    Very tasty! I made with beef/pork/sweet Italian and it was delicious! Low and slow all day…can’t go wrong! We had tons of extra sauce, too! Perfectly portioned out and frozen now for easier weeknight meals

    Reply

  12. 5 stars
    I made this today. It will be dinner tomorrow night. This recipe was easy to follow…and oh my goodness—amazing! Delicious!

    Reply

  15. 5 stars
    Probably one of the best (and easiest!) sauces I have ever made myself! The only edit I would make would be that after the meats are added and browned, to drain the entire thing. I didn’t drain it and it was very fatty about halfway through, so I ended up ladling a lot of fat off the top as it cooked the rest of the evening.

    HIGHLY RECOMMEND, especially if you have a bigger group or want to make something in advance!

    Reply