We are always looking for new pasta recipes. We just can’t get enough pasta! Growing up, my Dad liked ground meat in his red sauce. I refused to eat it, so we compromised. My mom added whole pieces of sausage and meatballs to the sauce for flavor and I could eat my pasta without chunks of meat. I don’t know what my deal is with ground meat in my pasta but I just didn’t like it. I am not a risk taker when it comes to eating out. I like to order things that I know I will like. What if I order something and don’t like it? Then what would I do? So, I just order things I KNOW I will like. When we were in Italy both Kelly and Cliff ordered things I would consider “risky.” I stuck to ravioli, gnocchi, and pizza. But Kelly and Cliff ordered pasta with eggplant, pasta with zucchini and pasta with meat sauce. Those are major risks in my book!
One night at our favorite restaurant in Sorrento, Kelly ordered pappardelle with Bolognese sauce. I was shocked, mostly because she is not a big meat eater. I stuck to pizza! Both Kelly and Cliff LOVED the Bolognese sauce and we knew we would need to make it at home. We’ve been back for about 3 months and we just got the chance to make it. The original plan was to make pappardelle with Bolognese sauce, just like we had in Sorrento. When we got to the store there was only 1 kind of pappardelle noodles and it was $5.29 for 1 pound. Instead, we used mafaldine, which is kind of like lasagna cut into strips. I recommend using a long thick noodle to hold up to the hearty sauce. I also think it would be great served over grilled polenta. I really liked this Bolognese sauce but Cliff LOVED it. He said it might be his favorite sauce ever! That is huge! Cliff added a couple spoonfuls of hot giardinera and he said the giardinera really put the sauce over the top!
Here is what you’ll need
Brown the meat, drain most of the fat and move the meat to another bowl
Chop up your vegetables
Add the vegetables to the pot that the meat was cooked in. Saute; then add the garlic, seasoning, and red wine
Add the tomatoes and beef broth. Allow to simmer for 1 hour.
Add in the almost cooked pasta and coat with the sauce. Finish cooking the noodles in the sauce.
If you want to take a really big risk, top with some hot giardinera!
Ingredients
1 pound ground chuck
1 pound ground pork
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup onion, chopped
½ cup carrot, chopped
¼ cup celery, chopped
1 28 oz can of crushed San Marzano tomatoes
1 cup red wine
3 cups beef broth
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 bay leaves
Directions
In a large pot brown the meat over high heat. Once brown, remove the meat and set aside. Drain most of the fat from the pot; leaving about 1 tablespoon. Add the onions, carrots, and celery to the pan. Allow to cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 additional minute. Add the seasoning and then the red wine. Cook about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the beef broth. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down, and allow to simmer for 1 hour. Just before the sauce is done cook the noodles. Do not cook them all the way. Drain the noodles just before they are done and add them to the sauce. Make sure the noodles are coated in sauce and remove from heat.
Source: Adapted from The Italian Dish
