Bolognese sauce over spaghetti or tagliatelle is comfort food at its finest! This low FODMAP bolognese sauce is authentic, flavorful, rich, thick, simple to make, and perfect for a weeknight meal!
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Why this recipe works
- Low FODMAP without sacrificing any of the original flavors. This recipe uses beef, pancetta, milk, and beef broth. These ingredients are used when making traditional Italian ragù bolognese
- 2 versions: This recipe offers 2 versions. One is the fast method where it takes around 30 min to make the sauce and the second is the slow cooking method, where it takes a few hours. Depending on how much time you have you can choose the right version for yourself. The taste between them varies a little, the slow-cooked bolognese sauce has a bit deeper flavor. However, both versions are equally delicious!
- Texture. This sauce has the perfect thick texture!
- Great for meal prep. This recipe freezes well so you can make a big batch ahead of time and freeze small portions.
- Beautiful depth of flavor. Thanks to all the ingredients, this meat sauce is bursting with rich flavors.
Ingredients & substitutes
Garlic-infused oil - Garlic is not low fodmap, so in order to get that garlicky flavor we use garlic-infused oil.
Butter. Sauteing the meat in butter gives it a better flavor. However, you can also replace it with more garlic-infused oil or olive oil.
Ground Pork & Beef. A combination of ground beef and pork gives great flavor. However, the recipe works well with only ground beef.
Pancetta. If you don’t have pancetta you can use bacon.
Scallions. Traditional ragu requires onion, however, because onions are not low fodmap for this recipe we are using the green parts of scallions (spring onions).
Carrots. It gives the bolognese sauce some texture and a mild earthy flavor
Dry Red Wine. I’m not entirely sure if red wine is a traditional ingredient in bolognese sauce. But I like adding it because it gives the sauce a richer flavor. However, if you want to make it non-alcoholic you can replace it with more beef broth.
Tomato Passata. According to Monash App, tomato passata is low FODMAP in ¼ cup (72g) per serving. This recipe uses 1 ⅓ cup (300g) passata but serves 5. That means that there is about 60g per serving.
Beef Broth. Use broth that doesn't contain onions, garlic, or any other high FODMAPs
Lactose-free milk. The milk balances out the acidity of the tomatoes and the red wine and makes the meat more tender. I don’t recommend skipping the milk.
How to make Low FODMAP ragu
Step 1 - Sear the meat
Heat garlic-infused oil and butter over medium-high heat. Once the butter is melted and bubbly add the ground beef, pork, pancetta, salt, and pepper. Cook until the meat starts to brown.
Step 2 - Add the rest of the ingredients
To the browned meat add chopped spring onions and carrots. Stir and cook for 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the wine and allow to reduce for about 3 minutes. Lastly add the milk, tomato passata, and beef broth. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 3 - Simmer
Fast Method
Once you have all the ingredients in, bring the sauce to a simmer then turn it down to medium so it bubbles gently. Cook for 20 – 30 minutes (no lid), adding water if the sauce gets too thick for your taste. Stir occasionally
Slow Cooking Method
Once you have all the ingredients in, cover with a lid and simmer on very low for 2 – 2.5 hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so. Then uncover and simmer for 20 minutes to thicken the sauce.
Step 4 - Serve
Serve bolognese sauce over pasta of your choice. I like gluten-free spaghetti or gluten-free tagliatelle, use it to make low fodmap lasagne, or try this Bolognese Grilled Cheese Sandwich (which is a life changer, trust me!)
👩🏻🍳 Expert tip
For the best texture, chop the carrots as finely as you can. To make the process easier you can use a food processor.
Recipe variations
Meatless Low FODMAP Bolognese Sauce. If you are vegetarian, vegan, or simply don’t feel like eating meat you can try my recipe for low-FODMAP vegan bolognese sauce.
Ground Turkey Bolognese Sauce. You can also use ground turkey to make a bolognese sauce, the taste will be slightly different though.
Storage
You can store the bolognese sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
You can also freeze the sauce for up to 3 months.
To reheat: thaw in the fridge overnight, then cook it on the stovetop or the microwave for a few minutes until it's heated thoroughly.
FAQ
Traditional bolognese sauce is not low FODMAP, as it is made with onions and garlic. However homemade versions such as this one, which replaces the high FODMAP ingredients, are safe to eat.
To make it healthier, use lean ground turkey, omit the pancetta, replace the butter with olive oil, and add more veggies such as zucchini and oyster mushrooms.
More low FODMAP Italian recipes
Did you make this? Tell me about it! Leave a ⭐ REVIEW and COMMENT below!
Recipe
Low FODMAP Spaghetti Bolognese
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon garlic infused olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 17 oz ground pork
- 17 oz ground beef
- 6 oz pancetta (diced)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 5 spring onions (only the green parts) finely chopped
- 1 large carrot (finely chopped)
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 1 ⅓ cup tomato puree/passata
- 1 cup lactose-free milk
- 1 cup beef broth
Instructions
- To a large wide pan or a large skillet. Add the oil and butter over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted and bubbly, add the beef, pork, pancetta, salt & pepper. Brown, breaking up the meat while cooking.
- When the meat is browned, add the green parts of the spring onions and carrots, mix well and cook for 3 minutes.
- Add the wine and allow to cook and reduce slightly for about 3 minutes. Add the tomato passata, milk, beef stock and mix well.
- To cook the sauce using the fast-track method, bring the sauce to a simmer then turn down to medium so it bubbles gently. Cook for 20 – 30 minutes (no lid), adding water if the sauce gets too thick for your taste. Stir occasionally
- For the slow simmer option: Once you have all the ingredients in, cover with a lid and simmer on very low for 2 – 2.5 hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so. Then uncover and simmer for 20 minutes to thicken the sauce.
- When done, taste for seasoning and adjust to your taste.
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