Light Beef Bolognese Recipes

BEEF BOLOGNESE - DELISH!

Steps:

• In a food processor, pulse the onions, garlic, celery and carrots until finely chopped.
• In a Dutch oven (or large soup pot), heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion mixture with a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add the ground beef and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the broth and the red and white wines and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Add the tomato sauce, ketchup, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, 1 t. salt and 1/2 t. black pepper. Bring to a boil,then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes. Check on it occasionally during the cooking time and add more broth or tomato sauce if a saucier consitency is desired.
• Remove and discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Serve the beef bolognese over any pasta and enjoy!

LIGHT BEEF BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan or skillet, sauté the garlic, onion and green pepper in oil over moderate heat.
• When the vegetables begin to sizzle, crumble the beef into the pan and sauté it, stirring with a wooden spoon, until it begins to brown, about 5-7 minutes.
• Add the wine and stir and scrape well to deglaze the pan.
• Add the tomatoes, breaking them up with your wooden spoon.
• Stir in the remaining ingredients.
• Simmer until sauce is thick but still slightly liquid, 20-25 minutes.
• Discard the bay leaf.
• Spoon over fettucine or shells.

SIMPLE BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• In a large skillet heat the olive oil. When almost smoking, add the onion and garlic and saute over medium heat until the onions become very soft, about 8 minutes. Add the celery and carrot and saute for 5 minutes. Raise heat to high and add the ground beef. Saute, stirring frequently and breaking up any large lumps and cook until meat is no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, parsley and basil and cook over medium low heat until the sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper. This will take approximately 1/2 hour. Finish bolognese with Pecorino Romano.

BEEF BOLOGNESE WITH LINGUINE

Steps:

• In a stockpot, cook half the beef over medium heat until no longer pink, breaking into crumbles, 8-10 minutes. Remove beef with a slotted spoon; set aside. Pour off drippings. Repeat with remaining beef., In the same stockpot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots and celery; cook and stir until tender. Stir in 1 cup tomato paste; cook and stir 3 minutes longer. Add garlic, seasonings and beef., Stir in wine. Bring to a boil; cook until almost evaporated. Add tomatoes, stock and bay leaves; return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until desired consistency, about 3 hours, stirring in milk halfway through cooking., Remove bay leaves. Stir in cheese and remaining tomato paste; heat through. Serve with linguine and, if desired, additional cheese.

GRANDMA'S BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Soak mushrooms in warm water 30 minutes; drain, reserving liquid. Chop mushrooms (you should have 1/3 cup). Melt butter in a Dutch oven or a large, heavy straight-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add pancetta; cook, stirring, until browned and crisp, about 1 minute. Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
• Add 2 tablespoons oil to Dutch oven; heat until shimmering. Add both meats, increase heat to high, and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Return vegetables to Dutch oven with marjoram, nutmeg, parsley, and basil. Add Marsala and bring to a boil; cook, scraping up browned bits, until liquid has almost evaporated, about 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup mushroom liquid and mushrooms, broth, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 1 hour. Stir in cream and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until reduced and thickened, 20 to 25 minutes more.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta to boiling water and cook until floating and tender, about 1 minute. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain. Transfer pasta to skillet with sauce. Add 1/2 cup pasta water; toss to combine and finish cooking, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat; add cheese and remaining 1/4 cup oil. Serve with more cheese, oil, pepper, and basil leaves, if desired.

CLASSIC BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Heat a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add EVOO, 2 turns of the pan. Add the butter to the oil in small pieces and when the butter foams, add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic and bay and stir, about 5 minutes. Add pancetta and stir 8 to 10 more minutes to render and crisp. Add about a third of the beef and crumble it with a wooden paddle or spoon, let all of the liquid absorb and let the meat begin to lightly caramelize before adding the next third; repeat. Season the meat with salt, pepper, white pepper and nutmeg. Add white wine, about a quarter to a third of a bottle, then stir and let it absorb into the meat. Scrape up all of the fond or the drippings from the meats and vegetables, being careful not to burn the meat. Add milk, tomatoes and about 1 cup stock, a piece of cheese rind from Parmigiano-Reggiano if you have one, then lower heat to simmer, partially cover and cook the sauce 2 1/2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally and thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Add up to 1 extra cup of stock if needed if sauce gets too thick. The perfect traditional Bolognese should be buttery, uniform and emulsified, the consistency of rich, tender, pourable oatmeal. Remove bay leaf and the rind, if using, from the sauce. Sauce may be made a few days ahead as the longer it sets, the better it gets.
• To serve, cook pasta in salted water 1 minute less than package directions for al dente. Reserve 1 full cup of starchy cooking water, then drain pasta and place back in hot pot.
• Combine pasta with about two-thirds of the sauce, the cooking water and a couple of handfuls of grated cheese, tossing with tongs to combine.
• Serve pasta in shallow bowls with a little torn basil.

SLOW COOKER BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir the carrots, onion, and garlic until tender, about 10 minutes. Place the ground beef into the skillet and cook and stir, breaking up the meat as it cooks, until browned. Drain off excess fat from the skillet, and pour in 1 cup milk. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the milk is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
• Place the beef mixture into a slow cooker, and set the cooker to High. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, pepper, basil, oregano, and red pepper flakes, and cook for 2 hours. Mix in 1/2 cup milk and Parmesan cheese, stir well, and cook for 2 more hours.

GNOCCHI WITH LIGHT BOLOGNESE SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large skillet with a tightly fitting lid, heat the olive oil over high heat. Add the meat and cook, breaking up chunks with a spatula until it browns, about 7 minutes. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and set aside.
• Return the skillet to medium heat and add the pancetta. Cook, stirring frequently, until it is just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Add the carrot, onion, celery and garlic and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Return the meat to the skillet. Add the wine, stock, thyme, tomato paste, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer, cover and cook 40 minutes.
• Uncover the skillet and stir in the flour. Cook 2 minutes. Slowly stir in the milk and simmer gently until the mixture thickens, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt.
• Meanwhile, cook the gnocchi according to directions. Place on a platter, cover with the sauce and serve with Parmesan on the side.

THE BEST SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE RECIPE

Steps:

• Put a large saucepan on a medium heat and add 1 tbsp olive oil.
• Add 4 finely chopped bacon rashers and fry for 10 mins until golden and crisp.
• Reduce the heat and add the 2 onions, 2 carrots, 2 celery sticks, 2 garlic cloves and the leaves from 2-3 sprigs rosemary, all finely chopped, then fry for 10 mins. Stir the veg often until it softens.
• Increase the heat to medium-high, add 500g beef mince and cook stirring for 3-4 mins until the meat is browned all over.
• Add 2 tins plum tomatoes, the finely chopped leaves from ¾ small pack basil, 1 tsp dried oregano, 2 bay leaves, 2 tbsp tomato purée, 1 beef stock cube, 1 deseeded and finely chopped red chilli (if using), 125ml red wine and 6 halved cherry tomatoes. Stir with a wooden spoon, breaking up the plum tomatoes.
• Bring to the boil, reduce to a gentle simmer and cover with a lid. Cook for 1 hr 15 mins stirring occasionally, until you have a rich, thick sauce.
• Add the 75g grated parmesan, check the seasoning and stir.
• When the bolognese is nearly finished, cook 400g spaghetti following the pack instructions.
• Drain the spaghetti and either stir into the bolognese sauce, or serve the sauce on top. Serve with more grated parmesan, the remaining basil leaves and crusty bread, if you like.