wild boar ragu

Wild boar ragu is the pasta sauce that makes a huge impact on your palate! Rich, flavorful and full of meaty goodness, it’ll be your fave!

Amazing Pasta Sauce

Now I make some amazing pasta sauces, but this is one of the best! Yes, this wild boar ragu has flavors that just penetrate the stratosphere!

Best Pasta Sauces to Make

I love pasta sauces. Whether it’s a basil pesto pasta sauce, a simple cream pasta sauce, a chunky tomato sauce, or a really meaty sauce, anything mixed with pasta works for me. 

How to Make Pasta Sauce

There’s not a lot of difficulty with making pasta sauce. At least for me, it’s more about gathering all my ingredients and just going step by step, starting with sautéing my onions, celery and carrots, and then building all these delicious flavor in the big pot. 

Wild Boar Ragu

Wild boar ragu is simply another type of meat, and in my case ground meat, that I’m using to make this sauce. What is wild boar? Kinda sounds like a feral pig, huh? That’s exactly what it is, a wild pig. And, in the Southeastern United States, there are lots of wild boards. So many, in fact, that the population sometimes has to be reduced. I learned about this on one flight and sitting next to a gentleman who worked for the USDA and managing the wild boar species. I was mesmerized as he talked about his work!

I had no idea that the United States stronghold of wild boards is in the south. And, about half of the country’s six million feral pigs live in Texas. And, another thing, crazy as it may sound, in the past 30 years the hogs have expanded their existence from 17 states to 38 states. So, control of wild boar is very important. 

Wild Boar Italian

Wild boar is popular in Italy for ragu sauces. It’s a meat that’s high in protein and it’s a great sourt of monounsaturated fats and zinc. High in vitamins and minerals, wild board is also low in sodium. 

Recipes for Ground Wild Boar

Recipes using wild board can range from my pasta sauce to chili to meatballs. All you’d need to do is substitute ground wild boar for the other type of meat(s). Now, I can’t typically find wild boar in grocery stores. It’s pretty uncommon, and when I do, I really get excited because I love cooking with it. 

Bolognese Pasta

Whether you call it bolognese or ragu or pasta sauce, I’ve got some great recipes that you’re going to find perfect every time you make them!

Best Meaty Bolognese

Almond Parmesan Bolognese

Easy Lamb Bolognese

Moroccan Beef Ragu Sauce

Easy Bolognese Recipe

What’s the difference between ragu and Bolognese. For me, not a lot, but if you’re a purist about these two Italian delicacies, then it’s important. Usually ragu sauces are served with spaghetti pasta. And, bolognese is used with wider types of noodles like lasagna, tagliatelle, pappardelle. 

Wild Boar Ragu Pasta

Wild boar ragu is wonderful with a nice wide hearty noodle. I’ve also used other noodles like linguine or fettucine. 

Another thing about ragu. While some think it’s mainly a tomato sauce, it’s acutally a meat-based sauce. And, you can use different meats or combinations of meats. It also has those distinctive minced elements in it like, carrots and celery. 

Wild Boar Bolognese 

Now some say that ragu is not Bolognese. I’m not quite sure why because both are made with meats. Maybe it’s the fact that Bolognese dates back to the 15th century when it originated in Bologna, Italy. One big difference is that Bolognese is made with while wines while ragu is made with red wine. But, I don’t stick to these rules. I make some of my  Bolognese recipes with red wine. 

Ragu and Bolognese do agree on one big thing. They both taste so much better if cooked for hours. 

wild boar bolognese

Yield: Serves about 6

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Ingredients

• 1 large carrot, trimmed and cut into chunks
• 1 large celery stalk, cleaned and cut into chunks
• 1 small sweet onion, peeled and cut into chunks
• ¼ cup + 3 Tbl. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lb. wild boar, ground
• ¾ lb. pork sausage, ground
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1 Tbl. Italian seasoning mixture, dried
• ½ tsp. coarse ground pepper
• ½ tsp. red chili flakes
• 1 (4.5 oz.) tube concentrated tomato paste
• 2 cups chicken bone broth
• 1 cup red wine
• 2 ½ cups fresh tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup parmesan reggiano, freshly grated
• ½ cup fresh basil, chopped

Instructions

1. Put the carrot, celery, onion and one-fourth cup olive oil in the food processor and pulse into a round mixture.
2. In a large heavy stew pot over medium high heat, put this ground mixture. Add the remaining olive oil. Sauté about 3-5 minutes.
3. Add the wild boar and sausage and brown cooking about 7-10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Mix the salt, Italian seasoning, pepper and chili flakes in a small bowl then add to the meat mixture and work in cooking another about 5 minutes.
4. Add the tomato paste and work into the meat mixture. Blend and cook about 7-8 minutes then add in the chicken broth and wine. Blend together. Cover with a lid and cook about 30 minutes stirring occasionally.
5. Add the tomatoes. Blend in, cover and cook another 30 minutes. You should have a slow low simmering boil. Add the grated cheese. Blend in. Reduce heat to low and let the mixture cook another 30 minutes.
6. If not serving immediately, keep on simmer heat and stir occasionally. If the Bolognese is too thick, add a little more chicken broth.
7. When ready to serve add in the fresh basil.

Notes

This sauce is always better on day 2, so you might want to make ahead.

There's an option on the wild boar. You can use beef, veal, lamb. The basic bolognese, what I call my 'easy version', recipe works well with these types of meats.

In Italy wild boar is often used in bolognese sauce, so if you can find it, even order on the Internet, it's worth the treat!

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