Weeknight Bolognese
Barefoot Contessa's most perfect pasta recipe - easy and absolutely delicious!
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
This recipe is on a weekly rotation in our house, and shows up for holidays and birthdays as well. It's easy enough for any night, but special enough for the best occasions. It's foolproof, simple, and I love it. Thank you Ina!
This is also a recipe you can double, triple, even quadruple for a crowd. The sauce freezes well in quart size containers, and always tastes even better the next day. I also think it would make an excellent lasagna sauce - maybe a future recipe!