Little Sister Sundays (on a Saturday): My Bolognese Recipe.

Let's cook together.

Hi, friends. Several of you messaged me directly to ask for this recipe, so I decided to share it in its own post. I am sharing this a day early so that you can gather the ingredients and join me in cooking on Sunday. It’s going to be grey and cool here, the perfect weather for a long cooking project that will make your house smell amazing. Join me in the chat on Sunday and I’ll answer any questions you have about method, ingredients, or substitutions.

Marianne’s Bolognese Sauce

This makes a double batch, which I think is the only amount worth fiddling with, since it takes a lot of time. Honestly, I typically double this, making a quadruple recipe, but this requires a VERY large pot. Having a container of this in the freezer is a gift. Don't skimp on the reducing--it concentrates the flavor. Good over pasta, polenta, zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash. 

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 yellow onion, minced 

2-3 medium carrots,  minced 

2-3 stalks celery, minced

8 oz brown mushrooms, diced

1 pound lean ground beef 

1 pound ground Italian sausage, mild or hot

2 cups whole milk

2 cups dry white wine

2 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes, packed in juice, chopped fine, with juice reserved OR 4 14 oz cans diced tomatoes

Kosher salt

Parmesan for serving

1. Heat butter in large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium heat; add onion, carrot, celery and mushrooms and sautè until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add ground meat and sausage and 1 teaspoon salt; break meat into small pieces with spoon. Cook, continuing to crumble meat, just until it loses its raw color, about 3-5 minutes.

2. Add milk and bring to simmer; continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until milk mostly evaporates and only clear liquid remains, 15-20 minutes. Add wine and bring to simmer; continue to simmer until wine evaporates, 15-20 minutes longer. Add tomatoes and their juice and bring to simmer; reduce heat to low so that sauce continues to simmer just barely, until liquid has reduced, about 3 hours. Stir occasionally. You want a thick, rich sauce that's not watery. 

3. Skim noticeable fat off of top, and adjust seasonings with extra salt to taste. Serve with finely grated Parmesan on top. Can be refrigerated for a few days or frozen for a few months, I love these containers for all of my freezer needs—stock, beans, soups, etc.

Here’s an idea of how much you want the sauce to reduce!

This is truly one of my heirloom recipes, so I hope you make it and love it. See you in the chat on Sunday! I’ll be there around noon EST. xx