White ragu, also known as ragù bianco, is a rich Italian meat sauce made without tomatoes. This version combines beef, pork and pancetta with aromatic vegetables, white wine, fresh herbs, milk and Parmesan for a deeply savory sauce that's perfect with tagliatelle or pappardelle.
As a cookbook author and professional recipe developer, I love recipes like this that feel special but rely on simple techniques and familiar ingredients. The sauce slowly simmers until the meat is tender and flavorful, making it perfect for a cozy Sunday dinner, date night at home or an easy dinner for entertaining.
If you love classic Italian pasta dishes but want something different from a traditional tomato-based ragu, this ragù bianco is such a good one to add to your rotation.
Recipe Ispiration
If you are looking for a meal with big flavor that will please the whole family, this white ragu sauce is your ticket. This recipe makes enough to feed several people and it will definitely leave everyone feeling nice and full! This is a great recipe to make for a dinner party or cozy, relaxed meal at home.
Serve this hearty pasta dinner with a crusty piece of toasted bread and a fresh green salad. You will enjoy dipping the bread into the sauce just as much as you'll love it with the pasta!
If you are looking for more delicious pasta recipes, check out our: Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta, Spaghetti alla Nerano, or Margherita Pasta.
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Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Rich, savory flavor: Beef, pork, pancetta, white wine and fresh herbs create a deeply flavorful sauce without relying on tomatoes.
- Perfect for fall and winter: This cozy pasta dinner is ideal for Sunday dinner, entertaining or a date night at home.
- Mostly hands-off cooking: Once the ingredients are browned and combined, the ragu slowly simmers while you prepare the rest of dinner.
- Great for making ahead: White ragu tastes even better after the flavors have had time to develop and reheats beautifully.
What Is White Ragu?
White ragu, or ragù bianco, is an Italian meat sauce made without tomatoes. Instead, the sauce gets its flavor from browned meat, soffritto, herbs, wine and broth.
There are many regional and family variations of ragù bianco throughout Italy. This version uses ground beef, pork and pancetta along with white wine, chicken broth, herbs, milk and Parmesan for a rich and savory sauce.
Unlike a cream sauce, white ragu is still primarily a meat-based sauce. The small amount of milk added at the end simply rounds out the flavors and gives the sauce a silky finish.
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need for this delicious ragu sauce:
- Olive oil: Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor.
- Celery
- Carrots
- Onion: You will need chopped white onion for this recipe.
- Pancetta: Use diced pancetta for this.
- Herbs: You will use fresh rosemary, thyme and sage.
- Salt & black pepper
- Pork: Use ground pork.
- Beef: Use ground beef.
- Wine: Use a dry white wine, like chardonnay.
- Chicken stock
- Butter
- Milk: Use whole milk for the most flavor.
- Parmesan: Freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese is best.
- Pasta: I prefer to use tagliatelle, but you can use any thick cut dry or fresh pasta.
Directions
Let's make this Italian white ragu recipe together!
Step 1
In a large skillet or dutch oven, add the olive oil, celery, carrots, onion, salt, and pepper. Cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 2
Add the pancetta to the vegetable mixture and cook for 10 more minutes. Then add the herbs and stir well.
Step 3
Add the pork, beef and wine. Simmer for 20 minutes, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon in small pieces as it cooks and stirring occasionally.
Step 4
Add chicken stock and simmer for 20 minutes or until it is reduced. Remove the dutch oven from the heat and add the butter, milk and parmesan. Stir well until fully combined and the butter is melted.
Step 5
Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente. Add pasta to the sauce and toss to combine. If the ragu feels dry, add a little pasta water the starchy water helps make the dish more 'saucy'. Serve with additional parmesan cheese.
White Ragu vs. Bolognese
White ragu and Bolognese are both slow-simmered Italian meat sauces, but the biggest difference is the tomato.
White ragu, or ragù bianco, is made without tomatoes, giving it a savory, meat-forward flavor.
Traditional Bolognese sauce typically contains a small amount of tomato along with ground meat, soffritto, wine and milk.
Both are delicious served with wide pasta shapes such as tagliatelle or pappardelle.
Tina's Tips and Tricks
Here are some expert tips to make this pasta dish:
- Take your time with the soffritto. Let the onion, carrots and celery soften before adding the meat. This creates the foundation of the sauce.
- Brown the meat instead of simply cooking it through. A little caramelization adds significantly more savory flavor.
- Let the wine reduce. Simmer the wine for a few minutes before adding the broth so the alcohol cooks off and the flavor concentrates.
- Keep the sauce at a gentle simmer. A low simmer gives the meat time to become tender while allowing the sauce to slowly reduce.
- Reserve some pasta water. If the sauce feels too thick when you toss it with the pasta, add a splash of pasta water until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Toss the pasta with the ragu before serving. Rather than spooning the sauce over plain noodles, combine everything in the pot so the sauce coats every piece of pasta.
Kitchen Equipment
Here is some kitchen equipment you will need for this recipe. You can find all of these products on Amazon.
- Dutch oven: A large dutch essential to making this recipe. I like this one! Alternatively, you can also make this in a large soup pot.
- Pasta bowls: Serve this in a beautiful pasta bowl like this one.
- Olive oil: I love starting out this dish with a really good quality olive oil. This one is unfiltered and one of my absolute favorites!
Recipe Substitutions/Variations
Here are some common recipe substitutions and variations for this easy recipe.
- Meat - Instead of pancetta, you can substitute chopped bacon. You could also use all pork or all ground beef, if you prefer. If you don't eat beef or pork, you could make this recipe with ground chicken as well. This sauce would also be delicious with braised pork shoulder!
- Pasta - Use any long and thick noodle or any pasta shape that is not too small, like pappardelle pasta. You don't want the pasta to get lost in the sauce, so be sure to use a shape like rigatoni or penne. Homemade pasta is also always delicious with white ragu.
- Wine - If you prefer not to use wine, you can replace that with additional chicken stock.
- Heat - Add crushed red pepper flakes on top if you prefer a bit of heat.
- Sauce - If you like a creamy sauce, you can add a bit of heavy cream right before you add in the pasta.
What To Serve With White Ragu
White ragu is rich, so I love pairing it with something fresh or simple on the side.
You could serve it with:
- Arugula salad
- Italian kale and cannellini bean salad
- Bruschetta crostini
- Roasted broccoli or broccolini
- Garlic bread
- Caesar salad
Frequently Asked Questions
Traditional beef ragu starts with onions, carrots and celery followed by ground meat and a variation of wine, broth and milk or cream. It is very similar to a bolognese sauce in flavor, ingredients and cooking technique.
Tagliatelle is an egg pasta that is long and thick. It is perfect for this recipe because it holds up to the crumbly, cooked down meat sauce.
The absence of tomatoes and tomato sauce and the white wine is what gives this white ragu its name.
Recipe Storage and Reheating
Here are storage and reheating instructions for this hearty pasta dish.
- Refrigerator Storage: Store in an airtight container and eat leftovers within 4-5 days.
- Freezer Storage: Freeze in a freezer-safe, airtight container and keep for up to 3 months. When you're ready to use, thaw in the refrigerator and reheat as instructed below.
- Reheating Instructions: The best way to reheat this recipe is to heat in a skillet over low heat until warm.
White Ragu
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 cup celery chopped
- 1 cup carrots chopped
- 1 cup white onion chopped
- 4 oz pancetta diced
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 lb ground beef
- 4 oz white wine
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp whole milk
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- 1 lb tagliatele
Instructions
- Heat a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add olive oil, celery, carrots, onion, salt, and pepper. Cook vegetables on medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add pancetta to the pot. Cook with the vegetables for 10 minutes. Add herbs and stir well.
- Add the pork, beef, and wine to the pot. Stir very well, breaking up all of the meat. Simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add chicken stock and stir. Simmer for 20 minutes, until reduced.
- Remove sauce from heat and stir in butter, milk, and parmesan.
- Cook pasta until al dente. Drain and toss pasta with sauce. Serve with more parmesan cheese.
Did You Make This Recipe?
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