BIG BATCH BOLOGNESE SAUCE

Life has a way of getting busy—weekdays blur into weekends, and before you know it, you’re staring into the fridge, wondering what’s for dinner. Here’s a simple solution: gift yourself some sanity by prepping meals ahead of time. Something like Big Batch Bolognese sauce, for example.  A stocked freezer filled with ready-to-heat, homemade goodness is the ultimate life hack.

Let me introduce you to my recipe for Big Batch Bolognese sauce. It’s a creamy, rich, slow-cooked wonder that isn’t entirely traditional but is undeniably delicious. Made with ground beef, a medley of veggies, tomatoes, wine, and the surprising addition of milk (yes, milk!), this sauce is as versatile as it is tasty.

It freezes like a dream and can transform into a variety of dishes: pasta, lasagna, deep-dish pizza, baked potatoes, or even spooned over spaghetti squash for a lighter twist.

On the topic of wine—this sauce welcomes either a light-bodied red or a dry white. While red feels like the natural choice for a meat sauce, true Bolognese (ragú alla Bolognese) hails from Emilia-Romagna, where tradition calls for white wine. Of course, if you’d rather skip the wine, beef broth makes a fine substitute.

One note about the beef: the recipe calls for five pounds of ground beef, but the fat content may require adjustment. I prefer 85/15 beef (85% lean, 15% fat), but if you opt for 73/27, consider adding an extra pound to account for rendered fat.

With a pot of this hearty Bolognese on hand, you’re just minutes away from a satisfying, home-cooked meal. Who says dinner can’t be easy and indulgent all at once?

BIG BATCH BOLOGNESE SAUCE

Yield: 18 – 20 (1 cup) servings

What You’ll Need:

3 tablespoons olive oil

5 cups (two 12 oz. bags frozen or fresh equivalent) onion, finely chopped

2 cups (4 medium) carrots, finely chopped

1 ½ cups (3 ribs) celery, finely chopped

3 tablespoons butter

6 cloves garlic, chopped

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

5 pounds ground beef (85/15)

2 tablespoons Italian seasoning

1 (15 ounce) can tomato paste

2 cups red or white wine

2 (28 ounce) cans Italian style diced tomatoes

2 cups whole milk

3 bay leaves

1 cup grated parmesan cheese – plus more for serving

Chopped parsley for serving

 

Here’s How:

In a large Dutch oven or stock pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery, and sauté until softened and beginning to caramelize, about 10 minutes.

Add the butter and garlic and sauté until fragrant.  Lightly season with salt and pepper. We’re putting parmesan in later so go light on the salt now. Remove the veggies to a bowl and keep warm.

In the same pot, adjust heat to medium-high. Working in 3 to 4 batches so you don’t over crowd the pot, brown the beef, breaking it into small pieces and seasoning lightly with salt and pepper. Remove each batch of cooked beef with a slotted spoon to a bowl and drain as much rendered fat as possible. You want the beef to caramelize and hopefully leave some browned bits (fond) in the pan.

After the last batch of beef, return the veggies and all the cooked beef to the pot.

Add the Italian seasoning and tomato paste and stir to coat every morsel with tomato-y goodness. Let this cook, stirring occasionally for at least 5 minutes so the tomato paste can caramelize. This adds tremendous depth of flavor.

Now, add the wine to deglaze the pot, scraping all the lovely, browned bits off the bottom of the pan.

When most of the wine has evaporated, about 3 minutes, add the tomatoes, milk, and bay leaves.

Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a bare simmer, cover and cook, stirring occasionally for at least 2 hours, preferably 4 hours. Longer is better!

To Serve:

Remove bay leaves and add the parmesan cheese stirring to combine.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. This is best served with a wide pasta, like tagliatelle, or pappardelle but no one will complain if you use whatever you have on hand. Top with more parmesan and chopped parsley.

Accompany with a glass of the wine you used (if you didn’t drink it all while waiting for the sauce to cook. Note to self, two bottles next time).

To Freeze Big Batch Bolognaise Sauce:

the most important thing to do is cool it completely to refrigerator temperature before preparing it for freezing. Place appropriate serving sizes in zip top freezer bags. For best flavor, use within three months but it’ll be safe to eat for up to a year.

While making this recipe takes some time, mostly hands off, once it’s done and waiting in the freezer, you can have a hearty, homemade dinner ready in the time it takes to boil pasta. There’s no better dinner solution than that.

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