A piece of food on a plate

This is the dish I turn to any time I need something comforting or heartwarming. It’s rich, decadent and perfect for large groups! There’s nothing better than a classic Bolognese and the key to this pasta is a slow simmer and a lot of red wine. Don’t leave out the tomato paste either – that’s what gives it the rich, rounded quality. The best thing about Bolognese is you can make it as fine or as chunky a sauce as you like – it all depends how big a veggie mood you’re in – just slice the onion/carrots/celery accordingly!

* Zucchini Noodles! If you fancy something a bit lighter heading into Spring, switch out the pasta for zucchini noodles if you have a spiralizer – it tastes as delicious but with less guilt! I like to make the veggies a little bit bigger if I am tossing with zucchini noodles – it makes it more of a heartwarming dish! Recipe & photos at the bottom!*

INGREDIENTS

3 tbsp salted butter

1 yellow onion, diced

4 carrots, peeled and diced very finely

4 celery stalks, diced finely (no ends/leaves)

3 cloves garlic, smashed

2 lbs ground beef

2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp dried basil

1 tsp garlic salt

1 small can tomato paste

3 cans diced tomatoes

½ cup of red wine

1 tbsp heavy cream

Salt and Pepper to taste

5 fresh basil leaves, diced

3 tbsp grated Parmesan

½ cup shaved Parmesan

PREPARATION

 

1. Place a pan of lightly salted water over a high heat and bring to a boil.

2. Meanwhile, add 2 tbsp of butter and onions to a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Stir until the onions are just translucent, about 4 minutes.

3. Add the carrots and celery to the pan and cook until halfway tender, about 4 minutes.

4. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Do not let the garlic burn.

5. Add the ground beef to the pan and break up with your spoon. Cook for about 3-5 minutes until all of the beef is broken up and is almost cooked through.

6. Add the oregano, dried basil, garlic salt and tomato paste to the pan. Stir to combine until the tomato paste coats all of the meat.

7. Add the wine and canned tomatoes to the pan. Stir to combine. Cook until the sauce starts to bubble and the wine and tomato juice has been absorbed, about 3-5 minutes.

8. Turn the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 10-15 minutes.

9. Meanwhile, add your noodles to the boiling water and cook until they are Al Dente, according to package instructions. Strain your pasta, reserving about a ¼ cup of the cooking water.

10. Add the reserved cooking water, cream, grated Parmesan, salt and pepper (to taste) and half the fresh basil to the sauce and stir to combine.

11. Add your noodles to a large pot or serving bowl and toss with 1 tbsp of butter until butter has melted and coated the noodles.

12. Top with sauce (reserving a bit of the sauce on the side). Stir until each noodle is completely coated.

13. Add the pasta and sauce to your serving dish and pour the remaining sauce over the top. Garnish with shaved Parmesan & diced basil. Enjoy!

* BELOW WITH ZUCCHINI NOODLES!*

Using a Spiralizer, spiralize your zucchini into noodles (about 2 zucchinis per person – remember they reduce by about half when cooking!). Once spiralized, simply sauté with olive oil and a touch of salt and pepper for about 3-4 minutes until cooked but still crisp! Let drain in a colander until most of the liquid is removed, then toss with sauce and enjoy!