Description
This Simple Bolognese recipe features a rich, hearty meat sauce simmered with fresh vegetables and herbs, served over your choice of pasta. Perfect for a comforting family dinner, it combines classic Italian flavors with a straightforward cooking method to deliver a delicious meal in just over an hour.
Ingredients
Scale
Sauce Ingredients
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
- 1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
- 1 carrot, coarsely chopped
- 1 pound ground chuck beef
- 2 cans (14 ounces each) crushed cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley
- 8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
Pasta
- 1 pound pasta (such as mezzi rigatoni or pappardelle)
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil and sauté aromatics: In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic and sauté until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes, to build the base flavors of the sauce.
- Add vegetables: Stir in the chopped celery and carrot, cooking for an additional 5 minutes to soften the vegetables and enhance the sauce’s depth.
- Brown the ground beef: Increase the heat to high, add the ground beef, and sauté until it is fully browned, about 10 minutes. This step ensures the meat develops a rich flavor and proper texture.
- Combine tomatoes and herbs, then simmer: Stir in the crushed cherry tomatoes, chopped parsley, and basil leaves. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the sauce simmer uncovered for approximately 30 minutes until it thickens. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook the pasta and serve: While the sauce simmers, cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Drain the pasta, then toss it with the prepared bolognese sauce. Serve hot.
Notes
- For a richer flavor, you can add a splash of red wine when browning the beef.
- Use fresh herbs if available for the best aroma and taste.
- If the sauce becomes too thick, add a bit of pasta cooking water to loosen it before serving.
- Leftover sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.
- Ground chuck beef offers a good balance of fat and flavor for this recipe.
