Not-So-Traditional Bolognese Sauce
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.
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.
Notes
(*1) This step is a must. If you don't drain the meat, the sauce will become oily, and the fat will separate from the cream when added. You want a smooth sauce, not broken!