Sunday Bolognese

This recipe came about due to my love of watching cooking shows. Their version has a lot more ingredients, but I felt that sometimes less is more. This sauce has a nice balance of sweet and savory and is perfect on a chilly evening with your family. Enjoy!

3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 lb ground beef - 80/20 blend
1/2 lb Sweet Italian Sausage
3/4 c Chopped Onion
1 Medium Size Carrot - finely chopped
2 Ribs of Celery - finely chopped
3 Cloves Garlic - crushed
1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 c Red Wine (like Syrah or Zinfandel) 
1 c Beef Stock
1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
1 28 oz can Crushed Tomatoes
​1/4 c Heavy Cream
2 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Basil
1 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley
1 lb Pappardelle Pasta
Kosher Salt
Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Parmesan Cheese

Heat a medium dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat.  Add 2 Tbsp of olive oil and the ground beef and italian sausage. Season with a pinch or two of salt and some pepper. Cook, breaking apart the meat into small pieces, until slightly browned, about 8 minutes. Remove the beef and sausage mixture and set aside.

Keeping the pot over medium heat, add the last tablespoon of olive oil and the finely chopped carrot. Let it cook for 2 - 3 minutes. Add the onion and celery , and a bit more salt and pepper and cook for another 5 minutes or until the veggies are soft. Add the garlic, italian seasoning and beef/sausage mixture and stir to combine. Let cook another minute or two. Add the wine, stirring to coat everything. Let cook 5 - 8 minutes. Add in the beef stock  and tomato paste and let it cook another 5 minutes.  Stir in the crushed tomatoes and season with another pinch or two of salt. Bring the sauce up to a simmer.  Reduce the heat to medium low and cover the pot. Let the sauce cook for 45 minutes or so.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Season the water with kosher salt. Add the pasta to the water and let it cook for a minute or two less than package directions. Drain the pasta.

While the pasta is cooking stir in the heavy cream, basil and parsley into sauce. Add the pasta to the sauce and gently toss to coat. Top with some fresh grated parmesan cheese when serving.

​Serves 6 - 8 people