Valeries Bolognese Sauce Recipes

VALERIE'S BOLOGNESE SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat, and cook and stir the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic until the vegetables are soft and beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Place the ground beef into the pan, and cook and stir, breaking the meat apart as it cooks, until well browned, about 10 more minutes. Pour in the red wine, bring to a boil, and cook until the liquid is almost absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes. Pour in the milk and nutmeg, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the milk is almost absorbed, 10 more minutes.
• Stir in the crushed tomatoes, sugar, and oregano, bring to a simmer, and reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

PASTA BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Spray a large Dutch oven with cooking spray and place over MEDIUM heat. Add the ground beef and pork. Crush and stir with a large spoon to break up until fully cooked, about 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked meat to a dish and set aside. Drain the grease from the Dutch oven.
• Add olive oil to the empty Dutch oven and place it over MEDIUM heat. Add the carrots, celery, onion, and parsley. Cook , stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened but not browned. Add the garlic and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir well.
• Add the cooked and drained meat to the Dutch oven with the vegetable mixture. Season mixture with the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt, a generous amount of black pepper, thyme, oregano, and nutmeg. Add the wine, turn heat up to MEDIUM-HIGH and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir it into the meat mixture. Add both cans of whole tomatoes, breaking the tomatoes up with the back of a spoon as you stir them into the meat mixture (don't worry, they'll soften and be easier to break up later). Add the beef broth and milk and bring the mixture almost to a boil then turn down the heat to LOW. Cook, uncovered, for 1 to 3 hours. Sauce will be richer and thicker if it cooks longer. Check and stir occasionally.
• When ready to serve, boil pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to hot pan. Add desired amount of the bolognese and combine. Sprinkle in some grated Parmesan cheese and stir.
• Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with additional Parmesan, if desired.

EASY VEGETABLE BOLOGNESE WITH SPAGHETTI SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Cut the spaghetti squash in half from top to bottom. Scoop out and discard the seeds. Place the squash on the prepared baking sheet cut-side up. Drizzle each half with about 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil and season with a generous pinch of salt and black pepper. Turn the squash cut-side down and bake until a fork easily pulls the "spaghetti" strands away from the squash, about 40 minutes.
• In the meantime, start the sauce. Heat a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat and add enough olive oil to coat the base of the pot, about 2 tablespoons. Add the garlic, carrot, celery and onion to a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse the vegetables until finely chopped. Add the vegetables to the heated pot and season with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Sauté the vegetables, stirring occasionally, until they soften, about 5 minutes. Re-attach the food processor bowl and add the mushrooms and zucchini. Pulse the vegetables until finely chopped but still with some texture. Add them to the pot with the other vegetables. Season with another 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and their natural liquid has mostly evaporated, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Add the milk and cook, stirring occasionally, until the milk is mostly evaporated, about 5 minutes. Next, add the red wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until the wine is mostly evaporated, about 7 minutes.
• Add the crushed tomatoes, basil, red pepper flakes, cheese rind and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring the sauce up to a low boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the lid and let the sauce simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Remove the cheese rind and discard. Season the sauce to taste.
• To serve, add spaghetti squash to individual bowls and top with a big ladle of sauce, freshly grated Parmesan and torn basil.

VALERIE'S BOLOGNESE SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat, and cook and stir the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic until the vegetables are soft and beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Place the ground beef into the pan, and cook and stir, breaking the meat apart as it cooks, until well browned, about 10 more minutes. Pour in the red wine, bring to a boil, and cook until the liquid is almost absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes. Pour in the milk and nutmeg, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the milk is almost absorbed, 10 more minutes.n
• Stir in the crushed tomatoes, sugar, and oregano, bring to a simmer, and reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper.n