Common Ingredients in bolognese Recipes

We researched the most common ingredients in over twenty popular bolognese recipes and found the top 15 ingredients.

The most common ingredients in bolognese dishes are yellow onion and olive oil.

Carrots, celery, tomatoes, wine, garlic, parmesan cheese, beef and butter are also common ingredients in bolognese recipes. For herbs and spices, nutmeg is popular. Salt is in 90% of bolognese recipes and pepper, 90%.

The average bolognese recipe has about 15.8 ingredients, with a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 39.

In terms of directions, bolognese recipes have about 5.4 steps on average, ranging from 1 to 16 instructions.

An average bolognese recipe takes about 2 hours 4 minutes to prepare, ranging from 15 minutes to 7 hours 35 minutes.

Ratios of Common Ingredients in Bolognese

For 1 medium yellow onion (110 g), the median and average amounts of other significant ingredients are below. Some ingredients are potential substitutes for others, meaning they almost never exist together in a single bolognese recipe, and are marked below.

Ingredient	Median	Average	% of recipes with yellow onion	Potential subsitutions
olive oil	2.2 tablespoon (30 g)	3 tablespoon (41 g)	82%
carrots	1.6 medium (99 g)	1.8 medium (112 g)	82%
celery	1.4 stalk (93 g)	1.6 stalk (102 g)	79%
tomato paste	4.1 tablespoon (66 g)	5.3 tablespoon (84 g)	59%
garlic	3.9 clove (12 g)	4.1 clove (12 g)	50%
beef	0.79 pound (356 g)	1.1 pound (482 g)	38%	beef chuck
whole milk	1.4 cup (336 g)	1.2 cup (300 g)	35%

Ingredients by Average Weight in Bolognese

We also found the average content of the significant ingredients by weight in bolognese recipes. This would be: 21% beef, 14% tomatoes, 13% yellow onion, 10% carrots, 9% parmesan cheese, 9% celery, 9% wine, 6% tomato paste, 5% olive oil and 3% butter.

Here are the top ingredients, listed in order of popularity.

pepper

Pepper is the most popular ingredient in bolognese dishes. In fact, over 90% of bolognese recipes contain pepper.

Variations of pepper include:

• salt pepper: 91% of recipes
• black pepper: 67% of recipes

For bolognese recipes, pepper is frequently used with salt pepper, olive oil, carrots, garlic and yellow onion.

salt pepper

Another popular ingredient in bolognese is salt pepper. From the recipes we've sampled for bolognese, over 90% have salt pepper.

Salt pepper is often included in bolognese dishes in amounts of 1 teaspoon or 1 tablespoon.

In bolognese recipes that contain salt pepper, it is on average, 0.1% by weight.

In recipes for bolognese, salt pepper is often used with yellow onion, olive oil, carrots, black pepper and celery.

black pepper

Another popular ingredient in bolognese is black pepper. From the recipes we've sampled for bolognese, over 65% have black pepper.

Ground is a frequent preparation for black pepper in bolognese dishes.

Common quantities for black pepper in bolognese dishes include half a teaspoon.

In bolognese recipes that contain black pepper, it is on average, 0% by weight.

Salt pepper, yellow onion, carrots, olive oil and celery are commonly used together with black pepper in bolognese dishes.

yellow onion

Yellow onion is another common ingredient in bolognese dishes. In fact, over 75% of bolognese recipes contain yellow onion.

Chopped, diced, minced and peeled are frequent preparations for yellow onion in bolognese dishes.

Common quantities for yellow onion in bolognese dishes include 1 medium, 1 small or 1 large.

In bolognese recipes that contain yellow onion, it is on average, 5% by weight.

Salt pepper, carrots, olive oil, celery and black pepper are commonly used together with yellow onion in bolognese dishes.

olive oil

Another popular ingredient in bolognese is olive oil. From the recipes we've sampled for bolognese, over 75% have olive oil.

Olive oil is often included in bolognese dishes in amounts of 2 tablespoons, 3 tablespoons or 1 tablespoon.

In bolognese recipes that contain olive oil, it is on average, 2% by weight.

For bolognese recipes, olive oil is frequently used with salt pepper, yellow onion, carrots, black pepper and celery.

carrots

Carrots is another common ingredient in bolognese dishes. In fact, over 70% of bolognese recipes contain carrots.

Bolognese dishes often call for carrots to be chopped, diced, peeled and minced.

Carrots is often included in bolognese dishes in amounts of 2 mediums, 2 carrots or 1 large.

In bolognese recipes that contain carrots, it is on average, 4% by weight.

In recipes for bolognese, carrots is often used with salt pepper, yellow onion, celery, olive oil and black pepper.

celery

Celery is another common ingredient in bolognese dishes. In fact, over 65% of bolognese recipes contain celery.

Chopped, diced, peeled and minced are frequent preparations for celery in bolognese dishes.

Celery is often included in bolognese dishes in amounts of 2 stalks, 1 stalk or 2 larges.

In bolognese recipes that contain celery, it is on average, 4% by weight.

For bolognese recipes, celery is frequently used with carrots, salt pepper, yellow onion, black pepper and olive oil.

tomatoes

Another popular ingredient in bolognese is tomatoes. From the recipes we've sampled for bolognese, over 60% have tomatoes.

Variations of tomatoes include:

• tomato paste: 49% of recipes

In recipes for bolognese, tomatoes is often used with yellow onion, salt pepper, carrots, olive oil and celery. On the other hand, tomatoes is almost never used with butter and flour.

tomato paste

Another popular ingredient in bolognese is tomato paste. From the recipes we've sampled for bolognese, over 45% have tomato paste.

Tomato paste is often included in bolognese dishes in amounts of 1 tablespoon, a quarter cup or 2 tablespoons.

In bolognese recipes that contain tomato paste, it is on average, 4% by weight.

For bolognese recipes, tomato paste is frequently used with yellow onion, salt pepper, olive oil, carrots and celery. However, spaghetti is almost never used together with tomato paste in bolognese dishes.

wine

Wine is another common ingredient in bolognese dishes. In fact, over 50% of bolognese recipes contain wine.

Variations of wine include:

• white wine: 28% of recipes

Salt pepper, carrots, celery, yellow onion, olive oil and bay are commonly used together with wine in bolognese dishes.

Potential substitutions for wine in bolognese:

• white wine

garlic

Garlic is another common ingredient in bolognese dishes. In fact, over 45% of bolognese recipes contain garlic.

Bolognese dishes often call for garlic to be chopped, minced, sliced and peeled.

Garlic is often included in bolognese dishes in amounts of 4 cloves, 2 cloves or 5 cloves.

In bolognese recipes that contain garlic, it is on average, 0.6% by weight.

In recipes for bolognese, garlic is often used with olive oil, salt pepper, yellow onion, black pepper and carrots.

parmesan cheese

Another popular ingredient in bolognese is parmesan cheese. From the recipes we've sampled for bolognese, over 45% have parmesan cheese.

Grated is a frequent preparation for parmesan cheese in bolognese dishes.

Common quantities for parmesan cheese in bolognese dishes include 2 ounces, half a cup or 3 ounces.

In bolognese recipes that contain parmesan cheese, it is on average, 6% by weight.

Salt pepper, olive oil, yellow onion, black pepper and garlic are commonly used together with parmesan cheese in bolognese dishes.

beef

Beef is another common ingredient in bolognese dishes. In fact, over 45% of bolognese recipes contain beef.

Variations of beef include:

• beef chuck: 14% of recipes

For bolognese recipes, beef is frequently used with yellow onion, celery, carrots, salt pepper and olive oil.

Potential substitutions for beef in bolognese:

• beef chuck

Also, beef is not often used with chicken stock.

butter

Another popular ingredient in bolognese is butter. From the recipes we've sampled for bolognese, over 40% have butter.

Butter is often included in bolognese dishes in amounts of 4 tablespoons or 3 tablespoons.

In bolognese recipes that contain butter, it is on average, 2% by weight.

In recipes for bolognese, butter is often used with salt pepper, olive oil, parmesan cheese, heavy cream and yellow onion.

nutmeg

Nutmeg is another common ingredient in bolognese dishes. In fact, over 30% of bolognese recipes contain nutmeg.

Grated is a frequent preparation for nutmeg in bolognese dishes.

Common quantities for nutmeg in bolognese dishes include 0 pinch, an eighth of a teaspoon or a quarter teaspoon.

In bolognese recipes that contain nutmeg, it is on average, 0% by weight.

Salt pepper, yellow onion, carrots, celery and black pepper are commonly used together with nutmeg in bolognese dishes.

Other bolognese Ingredients

Other significant ingredients used in bolognese recipes include:

• bay - 30%
• whole milk - 30%
• spaghetti - 30%
• parsley - 25%
• heavy cream - 20%
• basil - 20%
• pancetta - 20%
• pork - 15%
• chicken stock - 15%
• sage - 15%
• rosemary - 10%
• flour - 10%

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