Lunch / Dinner
Beef Bolognese
If you can find 45 minutes to spare, upgrade that predictable pasta dinner with a rich and hearty ragu-style sauce. Although Bolognese [boh-loh-NYEHzeh] has many of the same ingredients as spaghetti sauce — and is served over basic pasta here — don’t confuse the two. This sauce is really more of a ragu, or stew, with layers of flavor.
After the meats are browned, a mixture of onion, carrot, and celery is added — this is called mirepoix [mihrPWAH]. In classic cooking, it’s as much of a seasoning as any herb. Either grated or minced, it’s meant to provide flavor, then dissolve into the sauce along with red wine and tomatoes.
It’s a little surprising, but actually very traditional, to include milk or cream in a Bolognese sauce. It adds sweetness and richness without making it creamy. If you don’t want the added fat of cream, just use milk.
Ingredients
BROWN:
ADD:
DEGLAZE:
COOK:
SERVE:
Test Kitchen Tips
If you have difficulty locating bulk sausage, the link variety works as well — just remember to remove the casing before browning the meat.
For meaty, chunky sauces like this, use a tube-like pasta with a hollow center, such as penne or rigatoni. The sauce fills those hollows and evenly distributes into each bite.
Instructions
Brown beef and sausage in oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat, 5 minutes.
Add onion, carrot, celery, tomato paste, garlic, and bay leaf; sauté until onion softens, about 5 minutes.
Deglaze pan with wine, scraping up any browned bits; cook until liquid is almost evaporated. Stir in tomatoes and cream and simmer over medium heat, 15–20 minutes; season with salt and pepper.
Cook penne in a pot of boiling salted water according to package directions; drain.
Serve Bolognese over penne and garnish with parsley and Parmesan.
When browning the beef and sausage, don’t drain the drippings — they add flavor to the sauce.
Add vegetables, tomato paste, and a bay leaf to take the sauce to stew-status. Cook until the veggies soften.
For richness, finish up with tomatoes and cream. Bring the Bolognese to a boil, then simmer until it’s thick.
Nutritional Facts
Nutritional Facts
Per serving
Calories: 1011
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 45g 69%
Saturated Fat 21g 105%
Cholesterol 173mg 57%
Sodium 856mg 35%
Carbs 100g 33%
Fiber 5g 20%
Protein 48g
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.