Easy Bolognese Recipes

WEEKNIGHT BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground sirloin and cook, crumbling the meat with a wooden spoon, for 5 to 7 minutes, until the meat has lost its pink color and has started to brown. Stir in the garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 more minute. Pour 1 cup of the wine into the skillet and stir to scrape up any browned bits. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper, stirring until combined. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a tablespoon of salt, a splash of oil, and the pasta, and cook according to the directions on the box.
• While the pasta cooks, finish the sauce. Add the nutmeg, basil, cream, and the remaining 1/4 cup wine to the sauce and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened. When the pasta is cooked, drain and pour into a large serving bowl. Add the sauce and 1/2 cup Parmesan and toss well. Serve hot with Parmesan on the side.

SIMPLE BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• In a 6 quart pot, add extra-virgin olive oil. When almost smoking, add the onion and garlic and saute over medium heat until the onions become very soft, about 8 minutes. Add the celery and carrot and saute for 5 minutes. Raise heat to high and add the ground beef. Saute, stirring frequently and breaking up any large lumps and cook until meat is no longer pink, about 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes, parsley and basil and cook over medium low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1/2 hour. Finish bolognese with Pecorino Romano. Check for seasoning.
• Serve hot.

THE BEST SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE RECIPE

Steps:

• Put a large saucepan on a medium heat and add 1 tbsp olive oil.
• Add 4 finely chopped bacon rashers and fry for 10 mins until golden and crisp.
• Reduce the heat and add the 2 onions, 2 carrots, 2 celery sticks, 2 garlic cloves and the leaves from 2-3 sprigs rosemary, all finely chopped, then fry for 10 mins. Stir the veg often until it softens.
• Increase the heat to medium-high, add 500g beef mince and cook stirring for 3-4 mins until the meat is browned all over.
• Add 2 tins plum tomatoes, the finely chopped leaves from ¾ small pack basil, 1 tsp dried oregano, 2 bay leaves, 2 tbsp tomato purée, 1 beef stock cube, 1 deseeded and finely chopped red chilli (if using), 125ml red wine and 6 halved cherry tomatoes. Stir with a wooden spoon, breaking up the plum tomatoes.
• Bring to the boil, reduce to a gentle simmer and cover with a lid. Cook for 1 hr 15 mins stirring occasionally, until you have a rich, thick sauce.
• Add the 75g grated parmesan, check the seasoning and stir.
• When the bolognese is nearly finished, cook 400g spaghetti following the pack instructions.
• Drain the spaghetti and either stir into the bolognese sauce, or serve the sauce on top. Serve with more grated parmesan, the remaining basil leaves and crusty bread, if you like.

EASY BOLOGNESE SAUCE

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook bacon, onions, celery, carrot, and garlic over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes.
• Add beef; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring and breaking up meat with a spoon, until browned, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Raise heat to high. Add milk and nutmeg; cook, stirring frequently, until milk has evaporated, 6 to 8 minutes. Add wine; cook, stirring frequently, until wine has evaporated, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Stir tomatoes into beef mixture; simmer gently over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally and adding water as needed to prevent sauce from becoming too dry (1 1/2 to 2 cups total), until sauce is thick and beef is very tender, about 2 hours. Season with salt and pepper.

EASY SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Put 1 tbsp of the oil in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat, add the beef and fry until well browned. Tip out into a dish and repeat with 1 tbsp oil and the pork. Tip the pork into the dish with the beef and put the pan back on the heat with the remaining oil. Turn the heat down and cook the shallots for 8-10 mins or until very soft, then add the garlic. Tip the meat back into the pan and add the passata, purée, wine and oregano. Stir everything together, cover and simmer over a low heat, stirring occasionally, for 45 mins.
• Cook the spaghetti following pack instructions, then stir half the parmesan into the Bolognese. Put a spoonful of the pasta water into the sauce to loosen it if it looks too thick, then drain the spaghetti. For a better flavour, tip the pasta onto the sauce, toss everything together to coat, and season well (or serve with the sauce on top). Add the remaining parmesan and a few basil leaves.