Easy Bolognese Sauce
It was back in the early 1990s that I learned to make this absolutely decadent and delicious Bolognese sauce. This is not your typical Italian American red sauce with meat. In fact it has very little tomato in it. What it does have is amazing depth of flavor that you get from doing things in batches. Layering flavors, just like the fancy chefs talk about. It involves sweating, sauteing and simmering separate components until you end up with a sauce so full of umami that you have to savor each mouthful.
First layer of flavor involves sweating down vegetables in really good olive oil.
Next step to layer more flavor is adding the pork and beef. Combining it with the sweated down veggies, bacon and garlic.
Next layer is adding the chicken stock, wine, tomato paste and sage to the pot. Now to simmer for 2 hours. Don’t rush this stage. Let the sauce slowly reduce.
Final step to layer even more flavor is by adding butter, cream, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper near the end of the cooking process.
While it’s traditionally served with tagliatelle pasta, this time I served it on top of some zucchini noodles. Known as “zoodles” to some. I chose this low-carb option since it was time for me to take a mini detox from my recent carbohydrate binge season. Certainly fresh pasta would soak up the amazing flavors of the sauce, so click for the link here to my recent post on how to make delicious homemade pasta.
With this handy kitchen aid attachment I can make zoodles in about 1 minute. Then I cover the bowl with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 3-5 minutes to get them tender, but not mushy. Very important to drain all of the water off before serving,
People often ask me what my favorite type of food is to cook and to eat. While I don’t really have just one type, I certainly find myself gravitating toward Italian. I am very fond of Mediterranean flavors. Olives. Cheese. Fresh herbs. Basil. Thyme. Tomato. Fennel. Onion. Garlic. Fresh seafood. Good cured meat/sausages. Wine. So if I had to pick a type of cuisine that I could eat on a daily basis, Italian/Mediterranean would win.
This recipe is another example of combining simple, yet high quality ingredients in a way that results in a dish you will want to cook and eat over and over again. So for me, this Bolognese recipe ranks in the top 5 Italian dishes that I make and make and make again. Buon Appetito!
A satisfying serving of Bolognese over steamed zoodles.
Easy Bolognese Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 ribs celery, finely diced
- 2 medium carrots, finely diced
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 pound bacon, medium dice
- 1.5 pound ground pork
- 1.5 pound ground beef
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 3/4 cup dry white wine
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons dried sage leaves
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup Italian flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Heat large stock pot over medium heat. Add olive oil, celery, carrot and onion. Cook for 10 minutes. Do not brown onions.
- Add garlic and bacon to pot. Stir to combine with vegetables. Saute for 5-8 minutes.
- Add ground pork and ground beef to pot. Breaking up meat into small pieces. Cook for 5-10 minutes until meat is no longer pink.
- Add chicken stock, wine, tomato paste and sage leaves to pot. Stir until well combined.
- Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer. Place lid on pot to only partially cover. Simmer sauce for at least 2 hours. Stir occasionally. Do not let dry out...add a bit more chicken stock if needed or make sure to reduce heat to lowest setting.
- After 2 hours of simmering, some of the liquid should have evaporated. Now add butter, heavy cream and Parmesan cheese. Stir and let simmer for a few minutes.
- Taste. Now add salt and pepper to your taste. Stir well. Let simmer a couple more minutes. Continue to taste for seasoning until satisfied.
- Serve by tossing with pasta or zucchini noodles. Top with additional parmigiano reggiano cheese and chopped fresh parsley.
Notes
- I substituted Applewood smoked bacon for the traditional pancetta (Italian uncured bacon).
- I also use beef instead of the traditional veal.
- Parmigiano Reggiano is the king of hard, dried Italian cheese. It has a wonderfully salty flavor...so it is important that you do not salt the sauce until the end of cooking.
- Since Parmigiano is quite pricey, you can use a domestic Parmesan cheese for the cooking and save the imported Parmigiano Reggiano to top the dish if you'd like.
