Bolognese Sauce

Nothing is more comforting, after a long day at work, than sitting around the dinner table with your family eating a bowl of this hearty bolognese sauce. It just warms the soul and makes the world a better place in that moment.

This recipe is adapted from Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes by Food Network Chef Giada De Laurentiis. The sauce, made with minimal ingredients, transforms into this thick, hearty, and wholesome meal. It was very easy to make and my kids loved it. This bolognese recipe will certainly be added to the menu plan rotation. To create a healthier version I used less olive oil and I also substituted ground sirloin in place of the ground chuck. In addition, I served it over whole grain spaghetti.

Bolognese Sauce

Servings: about 4 servings

Serving size: 1 cup of sauce over 1/2 – 3/4 cup cooked whole grain spaghetti.

Approximate nutritional information:

Calories: 545 * Carbs: 54 * Fat: 22 * Protein 36 * Fiber 10

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion. chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

1 medium to large carrot, peeled and finely chopped

1 pound ground sirloin

1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

8 fresh basil leaves, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

1/2 box of whole grain spaghetti

Directions:

Step 1: In a large skillet or sauce pan heat oil and saute onion and garlic till the onion is soft then add carrots and celery and saute for about 5 minutes.

Step 2: Add in the ground sirloin and cook until no longer pink. As it cooks break it up into small pieces.

Step 3: Add in the tomatoes and spices. Bring to a boil then simmer for about 20 minutes or until the sauce thickens.

Step 4: Stir in cheese then serve over pasta.

Freezer cooking instructions: This is a super easy recipe to freeze. Complete steps 1 -4 then let the sauce cool. Put into freezer bag or container and then into the freezer. Doesn’t get much easier than that ladies!

Reheating instructions: Take out night before and let thaw in the refrigerator. Warm up on the stove and then serve with pasta.