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Bolognese is one of the most comforting sauces in existence. I love its meaty, savoury flavour (which is enhanced by that little bit of bacon added in there). I use this recipe for topping any type of pasta and also for my lasagna. I love using fresh herbs whenever possible, but dried herbs will also be delicious. Either way, it’s one heck of a crowd pleaser.
A French or Dutch oven is your bestie here but any heavy large pot will do the job. One hour is the minimum amount of time you should let it simmer, but for even deeper flavour, I like to let a pot of this bolognese simmer away for an entire Sunday afternoon. Just make sure you serve with lots and lots of garlic bread.
Bolognese
Bolognese is one of the most comforting sauces in existence. I love its meaty, savoury flavour (which is enhanced by that little bit of bacon added in there). I use this recipe for topping any type of pasta and also for my lasagna. I love using fresh herbs whenever possible, but dried herbs will also be delicious. Either way, it’s one heck of a crowd pleaser. A dutch oven is your bestie here but any heavy large pot will do the job. One hour is the minimum amount of time you should let it simmer, but for even deeper flavour, I like to let a pot of this bolognese simmer away for an entire Sunday afternoon. Just make sure you serve with lots and lots of garlic bread.
Servings: 6
Calories: 233kcal
Ingredients
- 3 strips thick cut bacon diced
- 1 medium onion finely diced
- 1 medium carrot peeled and finely diced
- 1 large or 2 small celery stalks finely diced
- 5 cloves garlic finely diced
- 1 lb ground beef
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 large can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tbsp fresh oregano finely chopped (or 2 tsp dried oregano)
- 2 tbsp fresh thyme finely chopped (or 2 tsp dried thyme)
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped (or 2 tsp dried parsley)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 cup beef stock
- sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium heat. A dutch oven is ideal here if you have one.
- When the pot is hot, add in the bacon and sauté until the bacon is thoroughly browned, about 5-8 minutes.
- Remove bacon from pot using slotted spoon and set aside for later.
- Add the onion, carrot and celery to the pot with the bacon fat. Stir and season with a few pinches of salt to help the browning process.
- Once the vegetables are starting to brown, add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Push vegetables to the sides of the pot and add in ground beef. Sauté until the beef is browned.
- Once the beef is browned, add in the tomato paste and stir to combine.
- Add the cooked bacon, tomatoes, herbs, wine and stock to the pot and stir to combine. Bring bolognese to a slow boil over high heat then once boiling, turn down to low and cover with a lid.
- Let simmer for at least one hour, stirring about every 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
