A delicious Bolognese sauce without all of the work! This is made with about half of the ingredients a traditional sauce would normally have. The taste is not sacrificed, however. It’s still just as delicious as any Bolognese sauce you would have. Hearty and comforting, this meaty, easy bolognese sauce recipe takes less time to make than a traditional sauce.
I came up with the idea of attempting a traditional Italian bolognese sauce. I thought it could be made with household ingredients, but turns out I was very wrong. I know back in New York where I used to live, bolognese sauce from the pizzerias typically looked and tasted simple. Ground meat, tomato sauce, cream, and herbs. I did some research and a lot of traditional bolognese sauce recipes call for several extra ingredients such as cream or milk, pancetta, ground pork, celery, and carrots, plus more ingredients. All of which do not have the addition of herbs! Seeing as I didn’t have most of those ingredients, I went with what I had to create a non-traditional bolognese while not sacrificing the delicious taste of a comforting Italian sauce.
Draining the meat is an important step!
I made this sauce thinking I didn’t need to drain the meat. As you all know, I don’t like getting rid of that extra flavor meat leaves behind. Unfortunately, this is a recipe where the leftover fat from the ground meat needs to be discarded. The fat from the ground meat will separate the cream and just make it overall oily.
What is the best pasta to serve with Bolognese Sauce?
In Italy, Ragu Bolognese is actually only served with Linguine, Gnocchi, or Tortellini. You need the thicker pasta to hold all that meat sauce. I used tortellini for this. You can use whichever pasta you wish though! As long as the noodle is thick, fat, and picks up the sauce very well.
Tips for making the Best Bolognese Sauce
- You want ground meat that is more on the fatty side. It’ll make a difference in the taste.
- Be sure to cut onion finely, but not too much. That will cause the onion to become pulpy. Garlic is minced as usual and is added when the onion is just cooked enough.
- Saute your vegetables first on low heat then add the meat, which is cooked on a higher heat.
- True Bolognese is cooked on the lowest heat for at least three hours. However, this sauce is cooked on low for 2 hours, since it has half the ingredients as the traditional sauce. Thus, why it’s called Not-So-Traditional!
How do I store leftover Bolognese?
The sauce will taste even more delicious the next day. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze any leftover sauce, then thaw completely before reheating.
Want the recipe? Click print below! Let me know how it came out for you by tagging me on Instagram (@missravenskitchen) and using #missravenskitchen! Follow my Facebook page for updates as well! Let me know if I need to tweak anything.
Not-So-Traditional Bolognese Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 ½ lbs ground meat 80/20% lean
- 1 28 oz can tomato sauce
- 1 6 oz can tomato paste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 ½ tsp garlic powder
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp fresh chopped basil
- 2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ⅓ cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a dutch oven, heat the oil on medium heat. Add the onions and saute for 5 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a minute more until aromatic.
- Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the ground beef. Cook the beef until it is browned and no pink resides, about 10 minutes. Drain the meat and add it back into the Dutch oven. (*2)
- Pour in the tomato sauce, stir to combine then mix in the tomato paste. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, crushed red pepper flakes. Stir in the basil and parsley.
- Turn the heat down to low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Be sure to stir the sauce every so often so it doesn’t burn on the bottom.
- After letting it simmer, add the heavy cream and let it simmer for 10 minutes more. Turn the heat off, then stir in the parmesan cheese until fully melted in.
- Serve over your preferred pasta and some garlic bread.
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