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Now let’s talk about food, comfort food to be exact.
Bolognese sauce is one of the world’s great comfort foods that you can whip up in bulk on the weekends and enjoy all week long.
Mr. Peaches has been doing a med school rotation away from home this month, so I sent him away with tupperware containers of this bolognese sauce for him to enjoy bachelor-style throughout his busy week.
Best wife ever? I think yes.
I enjoyed it over zucchini noodles (zoodles!) but feel free to eat it over roasted spaghetti squash or regular pasta if that suits your fancy.
Bolognese Sauce
Makes 12 servings
*Tip: Chop the vegetables one at a time in a food processor to save time. Buy organic ingredients wherever possible.
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 Β½ lbs. ground beef
- 1 lb. hot Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 16 oz. white mushrooms, chopped
- ΒΎ cup diced carrot
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 3 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Β½ cups good-quality dry red wine, such as Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon
- 2 (28-oz) cans San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes (such as Bella Terra organic brand)
- 2 (6 oz.) cans tomato paste
- 1 Β½ Tbsp. dried oregano
- 1 Β½ Tbsp. dried basil
- Sea salt or garlic salt, to taste
- Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 bay leaf
- ΒΌ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Zucchini noodles, roasted spaghetti squash, or cooked pasta, for serving
- Fresh basil, for serving
- Β Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion, mushrooms, carrot, red and green bell peppers, and garlic. Season with fresh ground pepper. SautΓ© for about fifteen minutes, until vegetables are soft. Add the wine and cook for a few minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a separate sautΓ© pan, add the ground beef and sausage meat. Cook until meat browns, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon. Drain the fat and add meat to the pot of sautΓ©ed vegetables.
- Add whole peeled tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, basil, bay leaf, and a few generous grinds of salt or garlic salt, fresh ground pepper. Stir well, breaking the tomato chunks up with a spoon, and bring sauce to a simmer.
- Simmer sauce over low heat for 1Β½ hours or longer, stirring occasionally. Taste it as you cook, adding more wine, spices, or salt to your liking. The longer it cooks, the better.
- Remove the bay leaf. Stir in the red pepper flakes.
- Serve garnished with fresh basil over warmed zucchini noodles* (zoodles), roasted spaghetti squash, or cooked pasta.
- Transfer leftovers to individual containers and refrigerate or freeze. Sauce will taste better the next day, after flavors have time to meld. Reheat in a small saucepan over the stove.
*To make zoodles, slice zucchini with a julienne peeler.Β Warm a little olive oil or butter in a sautΓ© pan. Add noodles and season with salt and pepper. SautΓ© for a few minutes until warmed through. Serve with sauce.
xoxo,
