When it comes to pasta, what makes the dish – the pasta or the sauce? Some may say that the pasta makes the dish and a good pasta can compensate for a lacking sauce. Others may say that the sauce makes the dish and a stellar sauce can elevate any bland pasta. For me, I’m leaning towards the sauce. Maybe it’s due to the fact that I don’t indulge in fresh pasta as often (much less find gluten free fresh pasta) so the sauce is what helps me turn any regular {gluten free} noodle into something great. With this in mind, I set out to make one of my favorite pasta sauces – Bolognese. However, I think I messed up… in a delicious way. Even though this sauce didn’t come out exactly as intended, it was certainly good and I’m tucking this Creamy Bolognese sauce for another day I’m craving comfort food…
I had so much fun with last month’s Moms Crazy Cooking Challenge food blogging event that I decided to participate again for March. This time around, the theme is ‘spaghetti with red sauce’ so this Creamy Bolognese was a perfect sauce to pair with spaghetti.
Creamy Bolognese over Spaghetti
recipe adapted from The Way the Cookie Crumbles
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, minced
1 medium carrot, minced
1 stalk celery, minced
3/4 pound ground beef chuck
3/4 pound ground pork
1/2 teaspoon salt + more to taste
2 cups half & half
1 1/2 cup dry white (sweet) wine (I used Vognier)
2 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes, packed in juice, chopped fine, with juice reserved
3 tablespoons tomato paste
Heat butter in large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium heat, until it begins to foam. Add onion, carrot, and celery and sautè until softened but not browned.
Add ground beef and pork, crumbling it in and add ½ teaspoon salt. Cook while breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon. Continue cooking the meet until it loses its raw color but not browned.
Add half & half and bring to simmer; continue to simmer until milk reduces down to 1/4 – 1/2 cup, which takes about 25-30 minutes.
Next, add wine and bring to simmer; continue to simmer until wine evaporates, which takes about 25-30 minutes.
Transfer the sauce to a slow cooker; add tomatoes along with reserved juices and tomato paste. Cover and cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.
Adjust seasonings and add taste to taste. Serve over your favorite pasta or use in other pasta dishes.
The sauce freezes well and the recipe can easily be halved.
Please check out all these amazing spaghetti & red sauce recipes made by all the food bloggers participating in ‘Moms Crazy Cooking Challenge’ this month! Don’t forget to click on your favorite looking dish and cast your vote!
Sounds pretty tasty!
#29
Adding more dairy is probably the only way you could make something as wonderful as bolognese even better!
Wine and spaghetti seems like they are made for each other. I may have to add some to my next spaghetti sauce. Please check out my spaghetti post (#3).
Mmmmm…I love when a mistake makes something delicious. That's how the best recipes are born. Your sauce looks yummy.
I love the sound of this. Any sauce recipe with pork sausage is a winner in my book! Now, to just make it a touch healthier…hmmm!
This sauce looks amazing! I just love the color. I've never made Bolognese before. But, looking at this sauce makes me think it's about time I start! Yum. 😀
Yum! The half and half probably bumps this up to unimaginable tastes!
#47
Very yummy. I like a nice creamy sauce.
Mmm that looks so good!
Jen #19
Your bolognese looks great–I don't think the addition of the half-and-half was a mistake at all! =) Found you through the Challenge–I'm at #23!
Your sauce sounds wonderfully rich and creamy and I've found that the butter in the sauce adds so much…and I'm sure the cream does too.
If you haven't already, I'd love for you to check out my CCC entry: Tomato Sauce with Onion & Butter.
Lisa~~
Cook Lisa Cook
Yum! I would definitely serve this up. Coming over from the Crazy Cooking Challenge to visit you.
Look delish……….andi
I was impatient when I cooked my bolognese, too, and couldn't wait for all the milk to cook down. My entry's #44 if you want to compare recipes.
That looks delicious! I am #77. Come visit me on my website and see my delicious Spaghetti Pie!
What an incredible idea to use cream in the sauce! Sometimes accidents are the best thing to happen in cooking. Your dish looks lovely
Mmmm, let's see… butter, half-and-half, pork, beef, wine,….what could possibly go wrong with this recipe!?!?!?! I may even drink some of the wine whilst it is in the solar oven! Thanks for sharing. Can't wait to try it over the next year and a half. I'm #28. Come visit when you can.
With half and half, I can just imagine how rich and yummy this sauce was. 🙂
Looking really nice.
Visiting from ccc #65
I am on the hunt for a perfect bolognese, so I will try this one too! And I love creamy!
This sauce looks like some yummy goodness. I just might have to make this soon!
Wende
The Rickett Chronicles
YUM!!!!
I was #7 Have a Happy Friday 🙂
I would never have thought of putting half an half in bolognese but you make it sound so yummy I'll have to try! Nice work!
Tina decided my dish didn't fit the challenge requirements so she excluded me from the linky party. Take a look and see what you think!
https://jennyskitchenmishmash.blogspot.com
Looks and sounds delicious.
It's not a mistake…it means you are creative! Looks really tasty!
#46
Your bolognese sauce sounds good. I found brown rice spaghetti here in Thailand and that's what I use for my gluten-free pasta dishes.