This is one of my favourite meals, but it’s definitely a labor of love. However, it is definitely worth the time it takes to make this wonderful Bolognese meat sauce. It tastes as if someone’s Nonna made it for sugo Sunday. Never mind the fact you feel like someone’s Nonna while making it. I know most meat sauces have a mixture of ground beef and ground veal; however, I don’t eat a lot of veal, so this is just my personal preference. If you want, you could do half a pound of ground beef and half a pound of veal, and it would work with this recipe as well.

Outside of the time it takes to make this slowly with love, it is a very straightforward recipe, and you can’t really mess it up in any way. Use any white or rose wine for the recipe, whether it’s alcoholic or cooking wine, but don’t put red wine! The key is to add a splash of wine to the pan prior to adding the meat. Be sure not to brown the meat when it is in the pan; slow and steady wins the race with this recipe. This is wonderful if you are entertaining, hosting a dinner party, or having a family dinner. But I also find if I need a meal that yields enough for leftovers the next day, this is a go-to for that too. This is a meal that you can really taste the love that goes into it.

Plus, the great thing about this Bolognese sauce is that it keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days, making it perfect for meal prep or enjoying leftovers! Don’t forget to tag @roxiecappell so I can see all your creations.

Tip for Reheating Pasta:

If you are having the pasta for leftovers the next day, use a deep pan and heat it on the stove with a lid. Add about 3 tablespoons of water, then put your pasta in there with the lid over top. Let it steam for a couple of minutes before stirring it, that way your pasta doesn’t break apart.

Bolognese Sauce

Servings: 5 servings

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

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Ingredients

• ▢ 3 shallots diced
• ▢ 1 lb ground beef
• ▢ 1 1/4 cups whole milk
• ▢ 1 1/4 cups white or rosé wine
• ▢ 1 clove fresh garlic diced
• ▢ 2 tbsp tomato paste
• ▢ 1 bottle of Passata 680mL
• ▢ 1 heel of parmesan cheese
• ▢ 796 mL San Marzano whole tomatoes
• ▢ 1/2 tsp olive oil
• ▢ 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• ▢ 8 fresh basil leaves thinly chopped
• ▢ 450 g rigatoni pasta

Instructions:

• Dice shallots and sauté them in a pan with olive oil until translucent.
• Increase the heat to medium. Add a splash of wine before adding the ground beef. Break up the meat but do not brown it.
• Pour in the whole milk, enough to cover the meat. Bring it to a simmer and let it simmer for about 30 minutes with the lid on, stirring every 15 minutes.
• Remove the lid and stir for 5 minutes.
• Add the wine, stir, and cover for another 30 minutes, stirring halfway through the cooking time.
• Remove the lid and stir for 5 minutes until the liquid has almost evaporated.
• Add tomato paste, whole tomatoes (crushed with your hands first), passata, and the heel of parmesan cheese. Season with fresh garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper.
• Let it simmer for 1.5 hours, adding 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese at the end of cooking after you take out the parmesan heel.
• Ladle the cooked pasta into the sauce along with a little pasta water.
• Enjoy your delicious Bolognese sauce!