Beef Bolognese Sauce Recipe

5 from 30 votes

Hearty and meaty, this delicious Bolognese sauce recipe is a comforting and aromatic dish that’s packed with flavor, made with lean ground beef and veggies, and cooked to perfection.

Prep Time10

Cook Time1 25

Total Time1 35

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: servings

Author: Rena

Ingredients

2 large carrots roughly chopped
2 stalks celery roughly chopped
1 large yellow onion roughly chopped
3-4 garlic cloves
2 tbsp olive oil or any other oil
Kosher salt & ground black pepper to taste
1.5 lb lean ground beef
6 oz tomato paste one can
28 oz crushed tomatoes one can
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth beef or vegetable broth will work
3-4 sprigs fresh rosemary chopped
10-12 sprigs fresh thyme leaves picked
2 bay leaves
1 parmesan rind
1/2 cup grated parmesan
16 oz pasta of choice whole-grain, gluten-free if needed, or lentil pasta

Instructions

Place the carrots, celery, onion and garlic to a food processor and pulse to chop. If you don’t have a food processor with a chopping option then you can finely dice them by hand.
Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the chopped veggies and sauté for 3-4 minutes, or until softens.
Bring veggies to the sides of the pan and add in the middle add the ground meat. Season with salt and pepper.
Allow the meat to cook undisturbed for 3-4 minutes, until it develops a golden crust.
Using a wooden spatula start to stir into the meat, mincing it at the same time. Stir to combine the meat with the sautéed veggies, and continue to cook for 8-10 minutes.
Add the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes and broth. Mix well to combine.
Stir in the herbs and parmesan rind.
Reduce the heat to low and partially cover the pan. Simmer the bolognese sauce, stirring occasionally, for 60 minutes.
Just before the sauce is ready, cook the pasta in salted water according to package instructions. Reserve 2/3 cup of the pasta water, then drain.
Remove and discard the bay leaves from the sauce.
While the sauce is still on the heat, add cooked pasta, starchy water and grated parmesan. Toss well to combine and coat.
Turn the heat off and divide the bolognese pasta to serving bowls.
Garnish with extra parmesan if desired and ground black pepper and serve immediately.

Video

Notes

Use the leanest ground beef available.
Any oil will work
Broth: we used chicken broth. but you may sub with beef or vegetable broth
Pasta: any pasta will work, use your favorite. For a low carb option, you may serve your beef bolognese with zoodles.
Don’t be tempted to skip any of the vegetables. The three of them play off each other: the carrots add sweetness, the onions add sharpness, and the celery adds a savory component.
Don’t skip the parmesan rind. While it’s too tough and hard to eat, it adds a ton of flavor to the dish when simmered. Be sure to fish out the parmesan rind at the end.
A good substitute for parmesan rind would be Pecorino Romano and Gruyère
Don’t have fresh garlic? Use one tablespoon of garlic powder.
Allow the amount of time to simmer down for the best flavors.

Nutrition