Description
Hearty Bolognese sauce emerges as a classic Italian culinary treasure from Bologna’s rich gastronomic landscape. Simmering slowly with ground beef, tomatoes, and aromatic herbs, this robust sauce brings genuine comfort to pasta dishes.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1.5 lbs (680 g) ground beef, lean
- 1 lb (454 g) ground pork
- 2 28-oz (794 g) cans crushed tomatoes
- 1 15-oz (425 g) can tomato sauce
- 1 12-oz (340 g) can tomato paste
- ½ cup Chianti or good dry red wine
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 1 red onion, chopped
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tsps minced garlic
- 4 tsps dried parsley
- 4 tsps dried oregano
- 2 tsps dried basil
- 2 tsps dried marjoram
- 2 dashes ground nutmeg
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Sauté Foundation: Heat olive oil in a large pot and gently cook red onions until translucent. Add ground beef and pork, breaking into fine crumbles and browning evenly.
- Herbal Infusion: Introduce minced garlic, parsley, oregano, basil, marjoram, and a delicate hint of nutmeg. Season generously with salt and pepper, allowing herbs to release their aromatic essence.
- Liquid Symphony: Whisk together tomato sauce, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, brown sugar, and chicken broth. Pour this vibrant mixture into the meat, stirring to create a harmonious blend.
- Flavor Development: Reduce heat and partially cover the pot, allowing the sauce to simmer gently. Stir periodically to prevent scorching and encourage flavor melding. After 30 minutes, introduce Chianti to elevate the sauce’s depth and complexity.
- Final Refinement: Continue simmering for an additional 10-15 minutes, reducing liquid and allowing flavors to unite perfectly. Adjust seasoning to taste, potentially adding more salt, pepper, or sugar to achieve a balanced profile. If the sauce appears too dense, carefully thin with chicken broth until reaching an ideal consistency.
Notes
- Dice with Precision: Finely chop onions and garlic to ensure even cooking and seamless flavor distribution throughout the sauce.
- Brown Meat Perfectly: Cook ground beef and pork until deeply caramelized, breaking into small crumbles to maximize flavor and texture.
- Layer Herb Complexity: Add herbs gradually to release maximum aromatic potential, creating a rich, multi-dimensional flavor profile.
- Simmer Strategically: Allow sauce to develop depth by maintaining low, gentle heat and occasional stirring, preventing burning while intensifying taste.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Dinner, Lunch
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 9
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 20 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg