Weeknight Bolognese

Weeknight Bolognese whips together your favorite Italian dish in a cinch no matter how chaotic your day has been. A new family favorite!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword bolognese recipes, pasta sauce recipes

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 27

Total Time 37

Servings servings

Calories 1191kcal

Author Kathleen

Heat the oil (2 tablespoons) in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef (1 pound) and brown, crumbling with a wooden spoon, until there is no longer any pink, about 6-8 minutes.
Add the garlic (1 tablespoon), Italian seasoning (1 tablespoon), rosemary (1 teaspoon), and red pepper flakes (1/4 teaspoon) to the skillet and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes or until the garlic has softened.
Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the red wine and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet.
Stir in the tomato sauce (1 can), tomato paste (2 tablespoons), salt (2 teaspoons), and black pepper (1/2 teaspoon) until evenly combined. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
While the sauce simmers and is almost done, cook pasta (1 pound) in well-salted water according to package instrucions. Remove and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta well, then return it to the now empty pasta pot.
Stir in the nutmeg (1/4 teaspoon), cream (1 cup), and remaining 1/4 wine to the sauce and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes.
Pour the sauce and Parmesan (1/2 cup) over the pasta and toss to evenly coat. With the heat turned down to low, continue to cook pasta in sauce, for 2-4 minutes. Add reserved pasta water, a tablespoon at a time, to adjust the sauce if needed. Transfer to a serving bowl, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and serve.

Pasta: Cook the pasta in a large pot of water. A 6-8 quart pot works well. Over high heat, bring the water to a rolling boil. Salt the water generously. I like at least 1-2 tablespoons of salt, which greatly enhances the flavor of the pasta. Be sure to stir the pasta immediately to prevent sticking. Drain well, but do not rinse. Toss the pasta in the sauce immediately while it's piping hot so the pasta absorbs the sauce.
Reserve Pasta Water: I like to remove about a cup of pasta water before draining the pasta. It's handy to have on hand for thinning the sauce, if needed, after the pasta is dressed.
Cook To Al Dente: This is an Italian term that translates to "to the tooth." It refers to pasta cooked until it's firm to the bite. I prefer this texture for all of my pasta recipes. It's even more critical in this recipe because you're going to cook the pasta for a few minutes in the sauce.