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Big Fat Bolognese Sauce with Fresh Pasta

December 6, 2009 by Joy the Baker 71 Comments

Big Fat Bolognese

Remember a few months back when I made fresh pasta?  Were we friends then?

Pasta Making

I made fresh pasta at the tail end of summer this year.  I wore a snazzy red apron.  I got my hands dirty.  I walked around the house showing off my ball of dough to anyone who would pay attention.  No one really payed attention.  That’s ok.

Whitney and Wine

Rachel and Molly

I have been feeling nostalgic for my summer times of a few months back.  Times when I would spend weekends talking about wine and food with these lovely ladies.  (My friends are gorgeous.  It’s almost weird.)  Times when we would drink way too much Rose and just be downright silly.    Those times will come again… in many months.  For now, I’ll satiate myself with a giant bowl of fresh pasta with this INCREDIBLE Bolognese Recipe.  You should do this too.  No joke.  Pasta is calming and generally makes the world a better place.

Big Fat Bolognese

For all things pasta, you’ll want to pop on over here and read this.  For all things Bolognese, you’ll want to jump on over and sauce it up.

Big Fat Bolognese

Big Fat Bolognese

This Bolognese recipe is one I adapted from Mario Batali.  The man knows a hell of a lot about Italian food and Crocs.  I generally only take his advice on Italian food and not on shoes.

This sauce is so amazing because of its many layers of flavors.  There’s wine, there’s thyme, there’s a touch of sweetness from carrots, there’s onions and garlic and two different kinds of meat.  Yes. Yes. Yes.  If, for some reason, you aren’t so keen on several different types of meat, I would gently suggest you reconsider.  Combining ground pork and veal (or beef) adds a dimension to your sauce that you can’t get with one meat alone.  It’s well worth the effort.  True.

Big Fat Bolognese

Big Fat Bolognese

Cream too.  Please don’t skip the cream.  That’s downright criminal.

Big Fat Bolognese Sauce

adapted from Mario Batali

makes about 8 cups

Print this Recipe!

2 medium onions, finely chipped

4 celery ribs, finely chipped

2 medium carrots, finely chopped

5 cloves of garlic, finely sliced

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 pound pancetta or slab bacon, ground by butcher or thinly sliced and pulsed in a food processor until finely ground

1 pound ground veal (or ground beef will do too)

1 pound ground pork (not lean… sorry)

1 6-ounce can tomato paste

1 28-ounce can chopped tomatoes

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup water

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (or to taste)

1/2 teaspoon fresh black pepper ( or to taste)

1 cup heavy cream

Heat oil in a large saucepan.  Add onions, celery, carrots and garlic and sautee over moderate heat until softened.  This should take about 5 minutes.

Add the pancetta, veal and pork and cook until no longer pink, breaking up the meat as it cooks.  This should take about 6 minutes.

Add the tomato paste, heating it and mixing it in the cooked meat.  Add the white wine and deglaze the pan.  Add the water, canned tomato and thyme and gently simmer the sauce, covered, until it thickens and reduces, about an hour to an hour and a half.  Once thickened add salt and pepper and heavy cream.  Stir.

Sauce can be made up to two days ahead and stored in the fridge.  This sauce keeps in the freezer for 1 month.

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Filed Under: Dinner, Recipes, Savory, tips

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Reader Interactions

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I Made This
Questions
  1. Alexis Scott

    May 10, 2012 at 7:08 am

    I made this a couple weeks ago for the whole family, and let me tell you it was a big hit! The sauce was amazing. Thank you for this site, I am completely obsessed!

    Reply
  2. Carla

    January 26, 2012 at 9:57 am

    I made both of these Monday night, and they came out AMAZING! I have been on the hunt for an amazing Bolognese recipe since my trip to Bologna last February and this is IT! So worth it :) Thanks!

    Reply
  3. Daniel

    August 27, 2011 at 1:47 am

    hi joy!
    you do bring joy into my life. that was yami…
    and the cream at the end, GOD bless you :))
    love you
    Daniel

    Reply
  4. Meat Mincer

    June 3, 2011 at 1:07 pm

    I’d never thought to combine veal and pork in the sauce too… I’ll have to give it a go. I’m on the fence about carrot, well, I lean towards not including it but as you say, the different flavour layers are what makes this recipe so good. Maybe it deserves a second chance

    Reply
  5. Jay

    May 27, 2011 at 10:14 pm

    I made this for dinner last night, so delicious! Thanks Joy :) Next time I’ll try to make the pasta….. yes….

    Reply
  6. Isabel

    May 9, 2011 at 6:22 pm

    Sorry to be obtuse, but what do you mean by chipped (the onions and the celery)?
    I love your blog, by the by. I want to be more like you. You really seem to enjoy life- and food. Same thing, right?

    Reply
    • joythebaker

      June 7, 2011 at 6:17 pm

      I think I meant chopped. Oops.

      Reply
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Trackbacks

  1. Pasta Bolognese | The F Girl says:
    August 11, 2014 at 12:33 pm

    […] Joy the Baker. What can I say. She is just awesome. […]

    Reply
  2. My Recipe For Spaghetti Bolognaise | Live For Pizza says:
    May 13, 2013 at 7:50 am

    […] This version adds cream at the end and combines pork and beef – worth trying […]

    Reply
  3. Joy the Baker's Big Fat Bolognese Sauce - homecooked... says:
    October 7, 2012 at 5:52 am

    […] came across this recipe some time ago and it has fast become one of my favourites. I’m storing it on here for my […]

    Reply
  4. Homemade Pasta Dough Recipe | Leite's Culinaria says:
    December 21, 2011 at 8:56 am

    […] […]

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