Time 1 hour
Servings 3-4
It's bolognese for a weeknight! This is how I make bolognese when I don’t have 4 hours to do it the right way, but still want that meaty, tomato-y pasta goodness. It works, it tastes good, it’s hearty, and it’s ready in an hour or less. There's a lot of hurry up and wait in this recipe, but that’s where the flavor is built, so be patient!
What You Need
PASTA
1 package pasta (1 box spaghetti, or I like the grocery store fresh fettuccine in the refrigerated aisle!)
SAUCE
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb. ground pork (or beef or 50/50)
3 slices bacon or 3 oz pancetta, chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 small carrot, peeled, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 cup dry white wine
6 oz can tomato paste
1/4 tsp nutmeg
8 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 dried bay leaves
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
splash milk
salt & pepper to taste
GARNISH
Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
finely grated parmigiano reggiano
additional olive oil for finishing
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
2 big pots
wooden spoon 🙂
How it’s done
1
BROWN THE MEAT
In a large pot (or dutch oven), add 1-2 Tbsp oil and wait for it to shimmer. Brown ground meat in clumps (don’t break it up too much yet) 6-8 minutes, lightly salting, until outsides of clumps are starting to brown. The inside may still be uncooked, that's ok, it'll get thoroughly cooked. Scoop out your meat clumps using a slotted spoon and set aside. If the pot has a lot of liquid/fat left in it, wipe some of it out so you don’t get broken-looking sauce.
2
START YOUR SAUCE ENGINES
Add bacon (or pancetta) to put and cook over medium heat 3-4 minutes until fat is rendered and meat starts to brown. Add 1 Tbsp of oil, onion, carrot, and celery plus paprika and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until vegetables start to soften (another 6-8 minutes), adding garlic after several minutes and more oil as needed if the pan dries out.
3
DEEPEN THE SAUCENING
Return pork to pan and add wine. Smash the pork into smaller pieces as the wine evaporates. Once wine has mostly cooked off, add tomato paste, nutmeg, and dried oregano and mix everything together. Cook 2-3 minutes (until paste darkens slightly).
4
ENTER THE SIMMERING
Add stock, milk, bay leaves, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then down to a simmer. Simmer while you make the pasta/as long as you can stand to before you need to eat, stirring occasionally. Taste after 10 minutes and adjust seasoning accordingly. The longer you let this simmer, the better it'll be, but honestly, 10-20 minutes will do wonders.
5
PREP FOR TAKEOFF
Add tomato sauce when you’re about 8-10 minutes away from eating, bring sauce back up to a medium high (until it starts to boil), stirring regularly, then back down to a medium low, allowing it to simmer. Make pasta according to the directions. Don’t forget to salt the water generously. When paste is al dente or a little less cooked than al dente, drain it, reserving some pasta water.
6
FINISH THE JOB
Add pasta to sauce and stir, adding pasta water as needed to loosen up the sauce and coat the noods. Garnish with parsley, parm, and a drizzle of good olive oil and enjoy!
Got 4 hours? This recipe is very much based on Andy Baraghani’s BA’s Best Bolognese, just with some of the flavors amped up and a few technique adjustments made to make up for the shorter cooking time.
EXTRA NOTES
Got 4 hours? This recipe is very much based on Andy Baraghani’s BA’s Best Bolognese, just with some of the flavors amped up and a few technique adjustments made to make up for the shorter cooking time.
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