Real Bolognese is cooked for hours and hours and is a ton of prep work. I feel this super easy recipe skips a lot of the extra work, but still creates the great flavor. The trick here is the red wine and the heavy cream. Enjoy with pasta shells or Orechiette pasta. Both of these hold the little bits of meat and gravy perfectly for every biteful.
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 1/2 lb ground meat - turkey, chicken, beef
- 4 cloves garlic, put through a press
- 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
- pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 Cup dry red wine (cabernet is just fine)
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- kosher salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 Cup fresh basil leaves or 2 Tablespoons dried basil
- 1/4 Cup heavy cream
Procedure
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the ground beef. Note: if you use turkey or chicken use more olive oil when browning.
- Stir in the pressed garlic and oregano and cook for 1 more minute.
- Stir in the wince and scrape up any browned bits.
- Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar salt, pepper and pinch of cayenne. Stir until combined and simmer for 10 minutes.
- To finish the sauce: add the nutmeg, basil, cream and simmer for another 8-10 minutes. Cook until thickened and rich.