Easy pasta bolognese, delicious and simple – from the Barefoot Contessa!
This recipe is completely untouched as it is perfection in a bowl – Ina Garten’s Weeknight Bolognese cannot be improved upon. It’s one of the recipes that made me want to start this blog – worth sharing and repeating, again and again. We used to make it every Friday night – it’s also showing up on birthdays and would be an amazing Christmas dinner!
Critics say this isn’t bolognese, as it doesn’t have the long list of ingredients and doesn’t take all day to simmer. The simple fact is that it tastes as good as the real deal, and is honestly one of the easiest dishes to make. It can be prepared ahead, easily reheated, frozen, delivered, and gifted. It’s a multi-tasking meal that you all need to make, if you haven’t already.
Weeknight Bolognese
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb ground beef (85-90% lean)
- 4 colves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 1/4 cups red wine, divided I use Pinot Noir or Cabernet
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes I like San Marzano
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 lb dried pasta
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn or chopped
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan, plus extra for serving
Instructions
- Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large dutch oven or high sided skillet. Add the ground beef, breaking up and stirring until cooke through and is no longer pink in color, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes, and cook for one minute. Pour 1 cup of the wine into the pot and stir to scrape up any ground bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 1/2 Tbsp kosher salt and 1 tsp black pepper, stirring until combined. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook the pasta according to package directions, for al dente.
- While the pasta cooks, finish the sauce. Add the nutmeg, basil, cream, along with the remaining 1/4 cup red wine to the sauce and simmer for a few more minutes until slightly thickened. Add the grated parmesan at the very end, then toss with the cooked pasta. Garnish with extra grated parmesan and freshly torn basil leaves. ENJOY!
Notes
