Meaty, rich, and slow simmered bolognese sauce is one of the world's all-time greatest comfort foods. This recipe is a bit untraditional in that it includes bacon and red wine. But try it and you just might find a new favorite.

"I learned to make bolognese sauce last year and I'm obsessed!! I've made several different recipes, but so far this one is my favorite! I'm also with you that another hour to roast your tomatoes isn't the best use of time...canned tomatoes for the win! Slow simmering is absolutely the key, and on a dreary day like today it was the perfect recipe." - Karyl

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ alittleandalot.com

"Pasta Bolognese is my sons favorite meal! And pappardelle is my favorite type of pasta! When I saw this, the bacon and wine sold me on trying it! It was delicious!!! Definitely my go to bolognese recipe from now on." - Claire

If I'm at an Italian restaurant and there is pasta bolognese or lasagna bolognese on the menu, it's pretty much a sure thing I'm going to order one or the other. (Preferably both, but I've yet to gather the courage to order two full entrees even if I really want to.)

Why do I love it so? I mean. It's rich and meaty, and so packed with flavor, for one. But also, there's something about it that makes me feel nourished.

I'm not talking about "nourished" in a eat-your-veggies kind of way. I mean the kind of nourished that leaves you feeling all warm, content, happy, and cared for.

Nourished like my grandmother's apple pie.

I even love the word bolognese. I want to say it with an Italian accent in an animated conversation in which my hands are a crucial part of the communication process. (Really, I kinda just want to BE Italian. But that's another conversation.)

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ alittleandalot.com

The Sexier Side of Ground Beef

You didn't know ground beef had a sexy side, did you?

One of the most magical things about bolognese sauce is the rich depth of flavor that's possible with plain old ground beef. When browned gently and cooked slowly in wine and tomatoes, ground beef develops a rich, tenderness you didn't know it had.

Ground beef is a slow bloomer. Be gentle. You have to coax the flavor from it. And, if that's not sexy enough for you... there's bacon.

Honestly, if you're going to be all traditional, you should use pancetta instead of bacon. But, when pancetta is available to me at all, the quality seems questionable.

If I was making bolognese sauce in Italy (Oh, how I wish that were true!), I'd most certainly use pancetta. But, in many US supermarkets, bacon is better.

"Bacon, wine and sauce!? What’s not to love!? I made this last night and it was so incredible! But I heated some up for lunch and I think it's even better today! Thank you for such a great recipe!" - Lori

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ alittleandalot.com

It's important to cook bolognese sauce slowly

Just like a good marinara sauce, bolognese needs a long, slow simmer to concentrate the flavor and thicken into the glorious culinary masterpiece that it is.

It will make your house smell so amazing that it will be very, very difficult to wait. Wait anyway. Every trite quote about the value of patience is true in this case.

What kind of pasta should you serve with bolognese?

My absolute favorite way to eat bolognese sauce is over pappardelle noodles. Pappardelle is basically super wide fettuccini and it's perfect for slopping up all that meaty sauce.

From what I understand, the name pappardelle comes from the Italian word "pappare", which means to gobble up. (I can't tell you how much I love Italians for having a word for gobbling something up.)

In my experience, pappardelle is aptly named, because gobbling it up is exactly the right thing to do with it, especially if it's covered in bolognese sauce. Those wide, flat noodles were made for thick, meaty sauces like bolognese or creamy mushroom ragu.

If you are the pasta making sort - or aspire to be the pasta making sort - Pappardelle pasta is infinitely better when it's homemade. Also, homemade pasta is easier than most people think and crazy good. Here's how to make homemade pappardelle noodles.

If you don't want to use pappardelle, fettuccini, tagiatelle, or rigatoni are also good choices.

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ alittleandalot.com

Recipe: Bolognese Sauce

For more tips and tricks, please see the original recipe: Bolognese Sauce

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ½ pound bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
• 1 & ½ pounds ground chuck, 80% lean
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 medium red or yellow onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 6 ounces carrots (about 1 cup roughly chopped)
• 3 stalks (ribs) of celery (about 4 ounces)
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 6 ounces tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper (red pepper flakes)
• 1 cup dry red or white wine
• One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, preferably fire roasted
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• About ½ cup chopped fresh basil or parsley, or a combination of both

For serving:

• Pappardelle pasta (or fettuccini, tagliatelle, or rigatoni).
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• Chopped fresh parsley or basil (or both)

How to make it:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy bottom saucepan or dutch oven over medium heat until warm. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat until the bacon fat has rendered and the bacon is beginning to crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon from the saucepan, letting it drain on a paper towel lined plate.
2. Add the ground chuck to the saucepan, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt, and return it to medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the beef is brown. Drain the beef in a colander set over a large bowl to catch the fat.
3. While the bacon and ground beef are cooking, add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the chopping blade. Pulse until the vegetables are very finely chopped.
4. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of the fat back into the saucepan and return it to medium heat. Add the vegetable mixture. Cook until the vegetables are soft, about 6 or 7 minutes. Add the tomato paste, oregano, crushed red pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon ground black pepper to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes longer.
5. Add the wine and turn the heat up to medium high. Cook, stirring frequently, until nearly all the wine has evaporated or been absorbed by the vegetables.
6. Add the crushed tomatoes, broth, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and sugar to the saucepan, stirring to combine. Add the ground beef and bacon back into the saucepan.
7. Bring the sauce to a boil, then turn the heat down to a temperature low enough to maintain a very gentle simmer.
8. Cook, stirring from time to time, until the meat is very tender and the sauce is nice and thick, about 1 & ½ to 2 hours. Towards the end of cooking, maintain a temperature low enough that bubbles break free from the sauce only here and there – a very gentle simmer.
9. Taste and add more salt if desired. Stir in the fresh herbs right before serving.
10. To cook the pasta: Add water to a large saucepan and add enough salt to make the water taste salty. If using dried pasta, cook according to the package instructions. If using homemade pappardelle, refer to the recipe for cook times.
11. Serve the pappardelle topped with a generous amount of bolognese sauce and some shredded parmesan and chopped fresh parsley or basil.

For more of my recipes, visit alittleandalot.com and ofbatteranddough.com.

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