Rustic-Style Bolognese

This is a great recipe to try during a long weekend. Leftovers are even better enjoyed throughout the week.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 2.5 hours | Total Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground beef

• ½ lb. Italian sausage (¼ lb. mild, ¼ lb. hot)

• 1 medium carrot

• 2 medium celery stalks

• ½ medium yellow onion

• 2 cloves minced garlic

• 1 cup milk

• 1 cup dry white wine

• 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

• 3 Tbsp. tomato paste

• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 tsp. oregano

• 1 ½ tsp. salt

• 1 tsp. pepper

Directions:

• Finely dice carrot, celery, and onion.

• Preheat a large, heavy pot to medium heat with 1 tbsp olive oil.

• Put ground beef and sausage into pot and break up the meat into little chunks until most of the pink from the meat is gone, around 5 minutes.

• Using a slotted spoon, put meat mixture in a bowl and set aside.

• Drain excess fat and wipe out pot before placing back on burner.

• Using the other 1 tbsp olive oil, cook diced carrot, celery, and onion over medium heat until they soften, about 4-5 minutes. Season with 1 tsp salt as you cook.

• Add minced garlic and stir to cook for about 1 minute.

• Add meat mixture back to the pot and stir to combine. Let cook for 1 minute.

• Add white wine and let reduce, which usually takes around 5 minutes.

• Once wine is reduced, add tomato paste, milk, crushed tomatoes, ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, 1 tsp oregano, and bay leaf. Cook on medium-high for 3-4 minutes, or until sauce starts bubbling.

• When sauce starts bubbling, reduce heat to simmer.

• Simmer for around 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Reheating Instructions:

• Reheat low and slow in a saucepan until sauce reaches desired warmth.

Storage Instructions:

• Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

• Too many leftovers? Freeze in freezer-safe zipper storage back for up to 3 months.

Notes:

• You can substitute ground pork for sausage if you prefer.

• For ground beef, I usually use 85/15 or 90/10 fat content.

• For smaller chunks of vegetables, pulse in food processor before cooking.

• If you don’t have white wine, you can use chicken stock instead.

• If you plan to freeze leftovers, I recommend that you freeze in individual portions (about ½ - ¾ cup sauce per portion).

• I'm not a huge fan of basil so I omit but please add to your sauce if you prefer!