Bolognese is one of my very favorite things to make. It’s such minimal work, but I feel like the payout is incredible. As it cooks on the stovetop, the flavor gets deeper & richer. Then when it’s all ready there is so much sauce! I love loading up a big plate of pasta with it & then saving the rest in the freezer. It’s perfect to pull out on a busy weeknight ( & pour it over a baked potato! Yes! ) or for an indulgent weekend date night at home that will take no time! The sauce is so versatile, making it a perfect freezer staple.
I like to use my dutch oven for this because it conducts heat so well, but a regular stock pot would work fine too! I start by cooking my pancetta until it’s nice & crispy. Already delicious. Then I add in all my veggies.. chopped onion, carrots, celery & garlic. I let these get all tender while trying to scrape up all those yummy bits from the pancetta.
*SEASON AS YOU GO!! ( I always use salt, pepper & garlic powder! ) This means season at every step. I know that we learn for some crazy reason to just add a lot of seasoning at the end. Honestly, that is so silly! You’re going to end up adding more salt than you need! When you season a little at a time, over time it creates a much better flavor.*
When the veggies are nice & tender, I push them over to the side & add my meat. Normally I would add ground beef & ground pork. But of course whenever I need something specific the grocery store doesn’t have it! How do they know!? Anyway, I subbed in mild Italian sausage for the pork.
The reason I push the veggies to the side is so the meat has a chance to get browned & crisp. Once that happens, I mix all the veggies back in.
Now it’s just time to pour a lot of yummy stuff in & walk away! I add red wine ( some people do white, which I just cannot understand. The red gives it that depth of flavor! Come on, people. Leave the white wine dark side! ), milk, beef broth & my tomatoes.
And of course when I needed tomato sauce, they didn’t have it. Oh life, you’re such a little trickster sometimes. So instead I used a can of diced tomatoes & tomato paste. Normally I would just do a can of tomato sauce. But, when life gives you an inadequately stocked grocery store you just roll with it.
That’s it, my loves! So simple. You just let that little baby simmer away for a few hours ( you can do less or longer depending on how much time you have! ) Then you have this amazing, delicious sauce that would be perfect when you have the whole gang over for dinner or just your little household & save the rest in the freezer! I served it over bucatini pasta this time which is like a thicker spaghetti that is hollow in the middle. But you could spoon it over anything really ( pasta, rice, potatoes, thick toast ) the possibilities are endless with this sauce!
Bon Appetit!
ellyn
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 oz pancetta
- 1 onion
- 3 medium carrots
- 4 celery stocks
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1 lb ground pork or mild Italian sausage
- 1 ½ cups red wine
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 ½ cups beef broth
- 15 oz tomato sauce ( or 14 oz diced tomatoes & 2 tablespoons tomato paste if your store like mine is out of tomato sauce! )
INSTRUCTIONS:
- In a dutch oven, add chopped pancetta & cook until crispy.
- Chop veggies & add to pancetta. Cook until tender, scraping the bottom of the pot.
- Season as you go ( salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste. )
- Move veggies to the side, add ground beef & pork.
- Once meat is cooked, add in all the liquid ( wine, milk & beef broth. )
- Add tomato sauce.
- Cover & simmer for at least 30 minutes to 3 hours.
- Enjoy!
