Rich, meaty bolognese sauce is easy to make and can be on the table in 35 minutes. Use it to garnish pasta or layer lasagna. It’s also freezer friendly. Make a double or triple batch to enjoy all winter long!
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During the cooler months and sometimes summer, I make a big pot of classic slow-cooked Bolognese to satisfy my cravings for a thick and meaty pasta dish—and to have enough left over to freeze later.
I’ve been tinkering with my favorite recipe to see if I could cut down the time and I’m happy to say the results are in and they are good!
What is bolognese sauce?
As the name suggests, Bolognese sauce originated in Bologna, Italy. It is a thick meat sauce made from ground beef or a combination of ground beef such as pork, beef, and veal.
Typically, it begins with a soffritto (finely chopped carrots, celery, and onions) gently simmered in butter. Milk or cream, white wine and a small amount of tomato enrich the sauce.
The ingredients are added gradually, with each ingredient taking time to cook before adding the next ingredient. When they’re all in the pot, the sauce simmers for three to four hours for a finished product that’s more meat than tomatoes and has a very rich and luscious texture.
As much as I love the traditional sauce and even enjoy the slow cooking, sometimes at the end of a busy day I want my pasta tonight! Here are two simple things I did to make a faster bolognese sauce:
- Chop the vegetables in a food processor instead of chopping them by hand.
- Cook the sauce in a wide pan instead of a Dutch oven.
The larger surface area of the pan allows vegetables to cook faster and accelerates evaporation, allowing the remaining ingredients to reduce and concentrate their flavors in less time.
I had shrunk to about 35 minutes from start to finish and still had a sauce that was delicious and satisfying.
Have I lost something in this shortened cooking time?
Truth: just a little. The long-simmered sauce has plenty of depth, while the shorter version isn’t quite as sweet and creamy. But honestly, it wasn’t a deal breaker. Unless you try them side by side, you can hardly tell the difference.
Bolognese in 35 minutes? I accept it.
Which pasta goes best with Bolognese?
While spaghetti is often a popular choice (the Brits even call their dish “spag bol”), I love the long, flat ribbons of tagliatelle or fettucine. The meaty sauce is perfectly balanced with the texture of the wider noodles. You can also use the sauce for lasagna.
How Long Can You Store Bolognese Sauce?
Stored in an airtight container, the sauce will keep in the refrigerator for three to four days and in the freezer for up to six months. It’s still safe to eat afterwards, but loses some of its quality.
I recommend keeping it in small containers (two cups) so you have more choices when reheating. To thaw, place the frozen sauce in a saucepan, cover and bring to a boil on the stovetop over low heat.
Looking for more great pasta recipes?
- Roasted Pepper Pasta Sauce
- Pasta with Butternut Parmesan Sauce
- Angel Hair Pasta with quick cherry tomato sauce
- Pasta with roasted tomatoes and creamy herb cashew sauce
- Shrimp pasta alla vodka
Quick and easy bolognese sauce
ingredients
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1/2 big yellow onion, cut into 2 cm pieces
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1 big Carrot, peeled and cut into thick slices
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1 big rib Celery, thick cut
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2 tablespoon unsalted butter
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1 lb ground beef
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1/2 teaspoon table Salt
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1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
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1/2 Cup whole milk
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prize nutmeg
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3/4 Cup dry White wine
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1 (28–ounce) can quite San Marzano or other good quality tomatoes with thick juice
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12 ounces cooked noodlesTo serve
special equipment
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food processor
method
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Cut vegetables:
In a food processor, combine onion, carrot, and celery. Pulse until finely chopped.
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Cook Vegetables:
In a deep, wide skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add onions, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until tender and translucent but not browned.
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cook meat:
Add the ground beef to the pan with the sautéed vegetables. Add the salt and pepper. Shred the meat with a fork or potato masher and cook over medium-high heat, mashing until crumbly and no longer pink, 3 to 4 minutes. They don’t actually brown the meat, they just cook it until it no longer looks raw.
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Simmer meat and milk:
Add the milk to the pan and simmer, stirring frequently, about 4 minutes or until the milk has almost completely evaporated. Stir in nutmeg.
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Add wine:
Add the wine to the pan and continue to simmer for about 5 minutes, or until almost evaporated.
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Mash and add the tomatoes:
Pour the tomatoes into a bowl and mash them with your hands to break them up so there aren’t any large chunks left.
Add them to the pan and bring the sauce to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the sauce for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens. If the sauce looks dry, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of hot water. Taste and add more salt and pepper if you feel it is necessary.
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Surcharge:
Serve the sauce on a bed of cooked pasta.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 399 | calories |
| 19g | Fat |
| 27g | carbohydrates |
| 26g | protein |
