The Best Pasta Bolognese You'll Ever Make (Restaurant-Quality) | Epicurious 101

ground beef

🥗Healthier: ground turkey

💰Cheaper: ground pork

Ground turkey is leaner, while ground pork is often less expensive.

red wine

🥗Healthier: grape juice

💰Cheaper: white wine

Grape juice offers a non-alcoholic option, while white wine can be more affordable.

Parmesan cheese

🥗Healthier: nutritional yeast

💰Cheaper: Grana Padano

Nutritional yeast is dairy-free, and Grana Padano is a less expensive cheese.

canned tomatoes

🥗Healthier: fresh tomatoes

💰Cheaper: crushed tomatoes

Fresh tomatoes can be healthier, while crushed tomatoes are often cheaper.

Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add a good amount of olive oil until it dances in the pan.

Add ground beef (80/20) and start to brown it, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until it's fine.

Season the meat with salt while it cooks for about 5-7 minutes until it starts to brown.

Add finely chopped onion, carrot, and celery to the meat and cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes.

Add minced garlic (2 cloves) and cook for a couple of minutes, scraping up any bits sticking to the bottom.

Crush a can of San Marzano tomatoes by hand and add them to the pot.

Add tomato paste (about 1/4 cup) to a cleared section of the pot to toast it, then mix it back into the meat.

Pour in about 1 cup of milk and let it reduce until it's almost completely evaporated, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes.

Add about 1 cup of red wine to the mixture and let it reduce for about 10-12 minutes until it leaves a clean space in the bottom of the pan.

Add the hand-crushed tomatoes and a dried bay leaf to the sauce.

Nestle in a Parmesan rind for flavor and add a little more salt to taste.

Let the sauce simmer for about 2 hours, stirring every 15-20 minutes to prevent burning.

Cook flat wide pasta (like tagliatelle) in generously salted boiling water until al dente, then drain.

Warm the sauce and add a little pasta water to loosen it up before tossing it with the pasta.

Toss the pasta with the sauce until well coated.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens