Bolognese sauce. Saying the word out loud is practically swearing in Italian. In the Italian city of Bologna, many restaurants explicitly state that they do not sell spaghetti bolognese. They serve "Ragu' alla bolognese."
As two Dutch farm boys, we don't know the ins and outs of it either, but what we can guarantee is that this bolognese sauce will make your heart beat faster. It's delicious with pasta, like spaghetti, lasagna, or you can fill your cannelloni with it.
In smaller quantities, this sauce fits in a saucepan. If you're making a family-sized portion, we recommend using our barbecue pan, Dutch oven, or paella pan with a lid.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 400g winter carrots, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 500g minced meat
- salt and pepper to taste
- paprika powder
- Italian herbs, such as basil and oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- 1.5 cans of tomato puree (or 3 small cans)
- 1 can of diced tomatoes
- 1 package of sieved tomatoes
Supplies
- Dutch Oven, Barbecue pan or saucepan with lid
- Large skillet, for example Skillet maxi or Skillet extra
- Wooden spoons or silicone spatula
Preparation method
- Chop the onion and fry it in a large skillet, add the finely chopped garlic after 2 minutes.
- Heat the tomato paste in a Dutch oven or barbecue pan, stirring constantly with a wooden or silicone spatula. Continue stirring until the sour smell disappears. This will take 1-2 minutes.
- Add the onion and garlic mixture to the Dutch oven.
- Add the finely chopped carrot to the onion and garlic mixture and stir well.
- Don't clean the skillet; use the flavors while cooking the ground meat. Brown the ground meat with the spices until crumbly, then add it to the Dutch oven.
- Add the diced tomatoes and sieved tomatoes and stir well.
- Finally, add the bay leaves and any additional herbs to taste. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 45 minutes, stirring regularly.