One thing I particularly love about a real Bolognese Sauce is the inclusion of carrots and celery in the tomato sauce along with the meats that include a pork and beef combination of some sort. But then the key is the bit of cream and wine that soften the color into the creamy red sauce we love to eat: Bolognese! This easy to make combination is so good, you can eat it without pasta, yet with a penne or spaghetti of your choice, this is a full one dish meal served with a green or Cesar salad. Make it ahead and keep refrigerated for up to 4 days or freeze it air tight for up to 3 months. Get ready to enjoy this dish often!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped into 2 inch length pieces
- 2 stalks cellery, peeled and chopped into 2 inch long pieces
- 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and quartered
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled and diced
- 1/4 cup pancetta/bacon chopped coarsely
- 6 cups ground beef or combination of beef, pork, turkey
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse black ground pepper
- 1 1/4 cups dry red wine
- 1 cup Milk
- 2 14 ounce cans of petite diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 2 bay leaves
Servings: people
Instructions
- In a food processor, mince the carrots, celery and onion separately. As minced, put each ingredient into a separate bowl, set aside.
- Combine butter and oil into a medium sized sauce pan, preferably cast iron based. Heat butter and oil over medium low heat. Add onions and cook for 5 minutes. Add pancetta and cook for 5 minutes more. Add carrots and celery and cook for another 5 minutes on medium low. Stir occasionally. Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds or until garlic is fragrant.
- Add meat(s) and crumble into mixture with a fork until the ground meats are crumbled into small pieces. Cook until the meats are no longer red.
- Add salt and pepper. Pour in the wine and increase to medium heat. Cook until the wine evaporates, about 3-4 minutes. Add the milk and cook until evaporates, about 3-4 minutes.
