The first time I had Bolognese was from a restaurant while I was in college. Of course, being the "pasta queen", I fell in love with it. It had such depth to its flavor. You could taste the hard work that was put into this sauce. So I decided to tackle this recipe for myself, to get to experience the reward of enjoying something I worked so hard on.
I did a lot of research on this recipe before creating my own. My goal was to stay as true to the real deal as possible, while putting a touch of myself into the dish. After 3hrs at the stove, it was a real hit! I had made a large amount of pasta, only for it to be gone within 24hrs.
I encourage you to take this recipe and make it your own. However, if you want to recreate this one, this one is sure to be a hit!
First, I browned my meat. I used 2lbs of ground beef and 1lb of ground mild Italian sausage. I cooked each separately, drained the grease, and then added both together into a large pot. If you are wanting to speed up this processes; you could always add both meats into the same pan to brown together.
While the meat got set to the side, I roasted 10 medium-small tomatoes. I put these on a nonstick baking pan, roasting for 35minutes on 350 degrees. Once the tomatoes were done, I threw them all into a blinder. Once the tomatoes were pulsed till smooth, I added the juice to the pot with the meat.
I threw in some Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and about half a bottle of cabernet. I let that all simmer together for around 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Then, I added in a handful of prosciutto. I left these in larger pieces, but you can always chop it up for smaller pieces. I also added 8oz of heavy cream at this point. I threw in a 1/3cup of mozzarella cheese, stirred, and let everything simmer for 45 minutes to an hour.
After an hour had passed, I did a taste test. At which point, I added in more seasonings. Once the sauce was done, I put it on a low fire. Just enough to stay warm. Then I made a box of ziti to go with the sauce.
Once everything was done, I mixed the sauce with the pasta. If your sauce is too thin for your liking you can use a ladle to grab all the good stuff without all the juice. I then topped the pot with a blend of shredded Italian cheeses.
There was definitely a lot of dishes to do after this recipe! But, in my opinion, it was well worth it. I hope you all get to enjoy this recipe with your families as well!
Bolognese Sauce This hearty, rustic dish is perfect for Italian night.
Ingredients:
10 med-small Tomatoes
2lb Ground beef
1lb Ground mild Italian sausage
1cup Prosciutto
1/3 cup Mozzarella
½ bottle Cabernet
8oz Heavy cream
8oz Italian blend shredded cheese
Directions:
Brown the meat together or separate. Drain the grease.
Roast the tomatoes on 350 for 30-35 minutes. Then, pulse in a blender till smooth. Add the juice to a large pan with the meat. Season. Add the wine. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the prosciutto, mozzarella, and heavy cream. Stir and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. Season again if needed. Pair with your favorite pasta and top with the shredded cheese.
*I used garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, salt, and Italian seasoning. You can season how you like.
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