Sautéed vegetables and minced beef with red wine; left for hours to merge flavours resulting in a mind-blowing sauce. At my food memoirs, we are way past leaving this simple bolognese sauce to your same old spaghetti.
And that dear reader is why you should commit to toiling in the kitchen for the next 2 and a half hours. But wait, don’t look away just yet. You only have to be hands-on for 20 minutes then leave the sauce to slowly simmer away as you read a book, dance or watch a movie even.
Sautéed vegetables and minced beef with red wine; left for hours to merge flavours resulting in a mind-blowing sauce. Click To TweetSo why should you bother making this sauce in the first place? BECAUSE IT’S RICH AND PACKS A PUNCH! No, really it does pack a punch all while using just a few pantry ingredients. And there is quite a bit of it so you can freeze the rest in portions to pair it with other recipes we have in store for you.
How to make Bolognese sauce that’s actually worth your time?
Tip the meat into a heavy-bottomed pan and using a wooden cooking spoon ‘break it apart’, making sure there isn’t any ‘water’ from the meat before taking it off the stove.
In the same pan, heat 4 – 5 tablespoons of oil and sauté the onion over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes or until soft and translucent. Toss in the celery and leave to sauté with the onions for at least 3 minutes before you add in the carrots for another 2 minutes.
Add the precooked meat and wine (if using)- stir and let it evaporate before pouring in the passata, (add the parmesan rind if using), salt, vegetable stockpot, black pepper, and bay leaves. Then reduce the heat to low, cover and leave to simmer for 1.5 – 2 hrs. Stir from time to time to avoid it sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Leave to cool and portion leftover to freeze and the rest? Well, make someone a special, well-deserved dinner! eh ehm I mean you…
Why should you bother making this sauce? Because IT'S SIMPLE, RICH AND PACKS A PUNCH! Click To TweetIn case you are wondering, bolognese sauce originated in Bologna, Italy sometime in the 18th century.
On Which Other Recipes Can I Use Bolognese Sauce?
Bolognese Sauce FAQ
Do I Really Need Red Wine in My Sauce?
No, I have made this recipe countless times and found that the sauce did just fine without. So you do not have to if you don’t have any on hand, I promise- your sauce will still be delicious! So feel free to make it your own way and let me know how it went.
Do I Need to Add Pancetta?
No, some swear that adding pancetta will make your bolognese sauce ‘sing’. At the end of the day, it’s about what hits your taste buds. There are more bolognese recipe alterations than I can count with some adding and swearing to flavour enhancement and some choosing to omit. Should you decide to add some, go for unsmoked pancetta.
Which Is the Authentic Bolognese Recipe From Bologna?
I am in search of this answer myself and will let you know soon as I do 🙂
Can I Cook the Sauce for Less Than 2 Hours?
You could, just make sure it’s nice and thick by the time you yank it off the stove. I realised that the longer it cooked the more intense it gets. but this doesn’t mean you should cook it for longer than 2 hours because the tomato ratio to beef below works well within the given timeline.
Why Do You Use a Parmesan Rind and Do I Have To?
I used the rind because I wanted to add my own little signature to the dish. that plus the fact that ever since I used the parmesan rind in my creamy asparagus risotto I have stocked up on leftover rinds in the freezer because I liked the flavour. And no, you do not have to use the rind in this recipe if you do not have any- if you do then why not?
This recipe can be used in so many ways so your best bet is to double up the batch to freeze and use later. Because we promise this may just be your go-to bolognese recipe.
I hope the bolognese was a delicious success, if so, please rate it below. If you didn’t like it as much I would definitely like to know why. To stay up to date on what’s fresh off the stove/oven, let’s stay connected on Instagram, Pinterest, Youtube, or subscribe below to be notified of new posts by email.
Bolognese sauce
(+5 rating, 1 votes)
Loading...Sautéed vegetables and minced beef with red wine; left for hours to merge flavours resulting in a mind-blowing bolognese sauce.
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- 3tbp brown onion finely chopped
- 2 sticks celery
- 190g carrots
- 500g Minced meat (half beef, half pork)
- 50ml red wine (optional)
- 1 vegetable stockpot
- 800g passata or puree canned plum tomatoes (without seeds)
- 2 Bay leaves
- Leftover parmesan rind (optional)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
Tip the meat into a heavy-bottomed pan and using a wooden cooking spoon 'break it apart', make sure there isn’t any 'water' from the meat before taking it off the stove.
In the same pan, heat 4-5 tablespoons of oil and sauté the onion over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes until soft and translucent. Toss in the celery and leave to sauté with the onions for at least 3 minutes before you add in the carrots for another 2 minutes.
Add the precooked meat, pour in the wine if using, and let it evaporate before pouring in the passata, (add the parmesan rind if using), salt, vegetable stockpot, black pepper, and bay leaves. Then reduce the heat to low, cover, and leave to simmer for 1.5 - 2 hrs. Stir from time to time to avoid it sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Leave to cool and portion leftover to freeze and the rest? Well, make someone a special, well-deserved dinner! eh ehm I mean you…
No Comments