This silky and flavorful white bolognese sauce (bolognese bianco) made with veal, pork, pancetta, fall veggies, white wine, and heavy cream–a cozy pasta lover’s dream!

While I love a good bowl of classic bolognese sauce over my favorite pasta, this white bolognese is a fun way to mix things up. White bolognese is a less acidic, tomato-less sauce that really lets all the flavors shine–it’ll be your new fall favorite favorite!

White Bolognese vs Red Bolognese Sauce

Red Bolognese sauce is an Italian slow-cooked meat sauce from the city of Bologna. The backbone of the sauce is soffritto (or mirepoix in French cooking!): onions, celery, and carrot with finely minced beef or pork. We take it a step further with the fennel and leek and both just add the most incredible flavor. These ingredients simmer with some wine, milk, and crushed tomatoes to achieve a rich and hearty sauce served with tagliatelle.

White bolognese sauce, on the other hand, ditches the tomatoes for a combination of white wine, cream, and chicken stock. The flavor is more subtle but truly lets all the ingredients shine in a way that traditional bolognese sauce can’t. I love white bolognese year-round but it really embodies the perfect fall and winter dish!

Helpful Cooking Tools

• Braiser or Dutch Oven
• Sharp Knife
• Food Processor
• Cutting Board
• Parmesan Grater

Key Recipe Ingredients

full list of ingredients, quantities & method in the recipe card at the end of the page.

• Meats. This recipe calls for ground veal and hot Italian sausage, as well as pancetta for flavor. Swap in 90/10 ground sirloin if you can’t find veal.
• Veggies. Normally a soffrito is onion, celery, and carrot but I’m mixing things up with leeks, shallot, celery, carrot, and fennel. Don’t forget the garlic!
• Herbs. Frying sage leaves gives the sauce such a great flavor and the crispy sage is perfect for garnish. A couple of bay leaves add lots of flavor to the sauce.
• Wine. Opt for a dry white wine here or dry vermouth. Always use a quality wine that you’d want to drink.
• Cream. Heavy cream adds body to the sauce and helps tenderize and break down the meats.
• Chicken stock. Homemade is always best here! Otherwise, use quality bone broth often stored in the refrigerated or freezer section of the grocery store.
• Parmesan. Ditch the pre-grated stuff and get a small wedge of parmesan cheese. Add the rind to the sauce for extra flavor and freshly grate the rest on top when serving.

My Tried & True Method for Making White Bolognese at Home

1. Fry the sage leaves and pancetta. The sage and pancetta build the layers of flavor for the sauce. Start with the sage, which will flavor the butter. Then, crisp up that pancetta in the savory sage butter. A total flavor bomb! Once you’re done crisping up the pancetta, you’ll brown the veal and sausage in the flavorful fat left over.

Jenny’s Tip: When I brown the meat, I like to break it up really finely! This allows the sauce to cling to the pasta better instead of having it in bigger chunks. Use a flat-edged wooden spatula to really smash and chop the ground veal & sausage as they cook.

2. Really finely chop the veggies & saute them. I love using a food processor for this step! It saves tons of time and ensures that the pieces of veggies are small so that they melt into the sauce. Add the veggies into all that flavorful fat and let them cook until softened.
3. Add all the ingredients back to the pot. Once the veggies are soft, you’re going to add everything back to the pot! The browned meat, pancetta, and all the ingredients for the sauce including the wine, cream, chicken stock, and nutmeg. Don’t forget the parmesan rind!
4. Simmer the sauce. Letting the sauce simmer for a couple of hours really brings all the flavors together. Make sure to crack the lid a tiny bit on the stove to create some evaporation. You’ll end up with a rich and luscious sauce!
5. Finish the pasta in the sauce. Any good restaurant chef knows that good pasta is not made by simply dumping sauce over cooked noodles! Cook your pasta to just shy of al dente, add some pasta water to the sauce, and let the pasta simmer in the finished sauce for a couple minutes. The noodles absorb some flavor from the sauce and just make the pasta so good.

How to Bring Pasta & Sauce Together

The biggest mistake people make when trying to make any pasta at home is just dumping sauce over some pasta. This is not the way! If you only ever take one thing away from this recipe, know that restaurant-quality pasta is more than that.

Great pasta is always, always finished in the sauce with some starchy pasta water and just a splash of cream. Finishing the pasta in the sauce ensures that the pasta absorbs all the flavor from the sauce. At the restaurant, we would actually make our Bolognese sauce in advance and just re-warm small portions with pasta and pasta water to order.

Making Pasta Bolognese at Home

1. Cook your pasta in a large pot of salted water to al dente (according to package directions). I love serving white bolognese sauce with pappardelle, but you can use any pasta (long or short) you love most. I am also obsessed with Paccheri pasta–so perfect for the bolognese sauce!
2. Warm some of the sauce in a large skillet. I always make enough bolognese to freeze half of it and I always make it ahead of time because the sauce gets better as it sits. Rewarm some of the sauce in a large nonstick skillet.
3. Reserve 1 cup of the starchy pasta water, then carefully drain the pasta. Resist the temptation of rinsing your pasta with water once it’s drained. Doing so rinses away the starches on its surface, preventing it from properly adhering to the bolognese sauce.
4. Toss! Add the hot pasta straight into the skillet with the bolognese sauce, some pasta water, and heavy cream, tossing to combine well. Use your judgment & adjust your sauce as needed (a splash of the reserved pasta water will help loosen up the pasta bolognese; a handful of extra parmesan will tighten it up a bit, etc.).
5. Simmer: Let the pasta simmer for 1-2 minutes, allowing the pasta to absorb some of the white bolognese sauce as it finishes cooking.
6. Serve! At last, the best part! Portion into individual bowls & serve immediately. Top with a mound of freshly grated parmesan.

What to Serve on the Side

White bolognese pasta is just begging to be served with bread on the side for dipping! This would be delicious with a slice of hearty sourdough or focaccia bread.

I’m also a true pasta and salad girl, so I love pairing the pasta with either a caesar salad on the side or my fall-inspired delicata squash salad. It’s perfectly cozy and pairs so well with the rich and creamy pasta, especially if you’re hosting a dinner party!

If you do give this recipe a try, I love hearing about it! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram.

More Cozy Pasta Recipes to Try

Truffle Mushroom Pasta
Turkey Spaghetti
Pasta alla Genovese
Braised Beef Ragu
Pasta alla Vodka

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Main Dishes

One-Pot White Bolognese Sauce

5 from 12 votes

White bolognese sauce is a combination of ground veal and Italian sausage resulting in a perfectly silky and rich sauce with lots of fall flavors.

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Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 2 hours hrs

Total Time: 2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Makes: 8 servings

Ingredients

White Bolognese Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 8-10 large sage leaves
• 4 oz pancetta, finely diced
• 1 lb ground veal
• 1 lb ground hot Italian sausage, removed from casings
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 leek, light green and white parts only, chopped
• 1 large shallot, halved
• 3 ribs celery, roughly chopped
• 1 fennel bulb, cored and roughly chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
• 2 cups homemade chicken stock
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
• 4 oz wedge parmesan cheese, rind reserved
• Kosher salt
• Freshly cracked black pepper

For Serving:

• 8-16 oz pasta (I like egg pappardelle noodles)
• 1 cup reserved pasta water
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

• Add the chopped carrots, shallot, leek, carrots, and fennel to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the vegetables are finely chopped, but not mush. If you do not have a food processor, you will need to very finely dice all the vegetables so that they melt into the sauce.
• In a large braiser or dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter is foamy, add the sage leaves and fry for 3-4 minutes, flipping once, until crispy. Transfer the sage leaves to a paper towel-lined plate.
• Add the pancetta to the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crispy. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to a bowl. Add the ground veal and Italian sausage to the pan and use a spoon to break up the meat, cooking until browned and most of the liquid has evaporated. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to the same bowl with the pancetta.
• Add the pulsed veggies to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are softened and slightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Return the ground meat and pancetta to the pan and add the white wine. Simmer for 3-4 minutes, using a spoon to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
• Add the chicken stock, cream, nutmeg, bay leaves, and the rind of the parmesan cheese and bring to a simmer. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Cover loosely with a lid to allow for some evaporation and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Discard the bay leaves and parmesan rind.
• To serve: Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook to al dente. Reserve 1 1/2 cups starchy pasta water and then drain. In a large skillet, add half of the sauce with the pasta water and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 10 minutes, until some of the liquid has evaporated. Add the heavy cream and the al dente pasta to the pot. Cook for another 4-5 minutes until the sauce is glossy and coats the pasta. Stir in 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Transfer to a serving bowl and top with the crispy sage and more freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Notes

This white bolognese sauce is best made a day in advance for the flavors to really meld. After cooking the sauce, cool to room temperature and refrigerate. To serve, skim some of the solidified fat on top and discard and follow serving instructions.

The sauce can also be frozen for up to 6 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 600kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 28gFat: 45gSaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 120mgSodium: 950mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4g