Sauces

Boozy Bolognese

~ Marlee And Christie ~ Leave a comment

One thing we really love to cook is Pasta Bolognese. We can’t tell you how many recipes we’ve tried, and even though we’ve made TONS of different versions, we still love finding, cooking, and fine-tuning them just the way we like it.

For this particular recipe, we made it for our close friend Sarah, who can’t eat dairy, or gluten, or basically air, but we still love her. We took out all the dairy and replaced it with wine (Ina approved). I mean, who doesn’t love a good red wine when having Italian? And don’t worry, all the alcohol cooks off, and it leaves this wonderful rich aroma. Trust me, I had some for lunch today, and just the smell had my mouthwatering!

Boozy Bolognese

Doesn’t that look good? Not bad for two amateur photographers! And remember as we continue posting, we continue learning and we will be adding photos with steps, as we make the food. But for now, please look at this deliciously scrumptious photo.

Boozy Bolognese 

  • 1lb ground beef (80/20 is best)
  • 1lb ground pork or sweet pork sausage
  • Olive Oil
  • 8oz carrots finely chopped
  • 8oz celery finely chopped
  • 16oz onions finely chopped
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons garlic
  • 1 bottle of red wine (Chianti is always good)
  • Two 28oz cans tomatoes (San Marzano are best)
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Step 1:

Use about 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil and coat the bottom of a dutch oven or pot. Heat the oil over medium heat till the oil “dances”.

Step 2:

Sauté the onions over medium heat for two to three minutes or until onions are tender and almost translucent. (Variation: you can also add some chopped mushrooms to give it some extra “meatiness”.)

Step 3:

Add the meat and season liberally with salt and pepper. I use a potato masher to break up and evenly distribute the meat on the bottom.

Step 4:

While the meat is browning add the carrots. And stir everything together.

Step 5:

Continue to brown the meat until almost all the pink is gone. Add the celery and then garlic. Once garlic is fragrance, move to the next step.

Step 6:

Next add two cups of red wine, and turn the heat to low and let all the liquid cook off, stirring occasionally. The time varies depending on your oven.

Step 7:

One the liquid is cooked off, add the two cans of tomatoes and two more cups of wine and bring to a boil. Once the sauce starts to boil, lower the heat to low and add the bay leaves.

Step 8:

Let the sauce simmer on low, for three hours and remember to stir occasionally.

Step 9:

Cook a pound of pasta, until al dente and then mix some sauce on those noodles, and EAT IT. You’re welcome.

Well, there it is! Our first official recipe. And it’s not even from Pinterest, just one we made up on the spot! We hope you enjoy our first recipe, and keep a look out for many more to come!