Spaghetti Bolognese
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This is my Granny Guerri’s spaghetti bolognese, she hails from Bologna Italy. I grew up on this sauce and I think it is simply the best! You’ll make this forever!
Author: Ruth Guerri
Recipe type: Pasta
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 4-6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 Tbs of olive oil or bacon fat
- ½ lb of ground beef or veal
- ½ lb of ground pork
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 carrot, grated
- 5 – 6 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 large can (28 oz) of whole tomatoes and their juices ( crushed up with your fingers )
- 1 tsp of kosher salt
- 1 tsp of freshly ground black pepper
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 heaping Tbs of fresh basil, chopped or 1 tsp of dried basil
- 1 tsp of dried oregano
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- ½ cup or so of dry red wine (a bold Italian wine)
- 1 Tbs of tomato paste
- 2 tsp of sugar
- ½ – ¾ cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 lb of spaghetti pasta
Instructions
- In a heavy cast iron skillet, over high heat, brown the meats in a little olive oil or bacon fat, until browned. Turn the heat to medium and add onion, carrots and garlic and saute until they just start to soften.
- Add tomatoes and their liquid, salt, pepper, bay leaves, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, wine, tomato paste and sugar.
- Simmer very gently for about 45 minutes, add in the Parmesan cheese for the last 10 minutes of cooking time.
- While the sauce simmers, cook the spaghetti al dente, according to package directions. Drain the pasta and save a little of the cooking liquid to” loosen up” or thin out the sauce if needed. Remember to always add the pasta to the sauce.
To serve, plate the pasta and sprinkle a little more Parmesan over the top, serve with warm crusty bread.
Buon Appetito!
