Delicious Spaghetti with Bolognese Sauce

This spaghetti with Bolognese sauce might take a long time to make, however, I promise you that the taste does not disappoint – it is worth the wait! Delicious, hearty, rich in flavor with tender meat, simply spectacular Bolognese sauce that pair well with any kind of pasta. In fact, you would want to make a big batch of the Bolognese sauce as it will go out fast! Also, if you have extra, you can always freeze the leftover sauce in an air-tight container for up to a month.

Do not let the long cooking time stop you from making this spaghetti with Bolognese sauce. It is actually very simple as most of the cooking time are just spent waiting for the meat to slowly cook to get tender. It’s pretty much hands-off – with occasional stirring. The prep and cooking time (from start to finish), I would say, it will take at least 3 – 3.5 hours altogether, however, it will worth the time and you will savor every bite of it. Won’t you try it?

Tools I used:

• Non-stick deep square pan – non-stick deep square pan that is easy to clean, not too heavy, and evenly heated your cooking. It is my alternative pan, other than using Dutch oven pan, to make pasta sauce, such as Bolognese or lasagna sauce.

Tip: If during the simmering process of the sauce, most of the liquid is gone and the meat is not yet tender, you can always add a bit more chicken stock or milk and adjust the seasoning (add more salt & pepper). Also, do not forget to add salt into the water when you cook the spaghetti to have more flavorful pasta.

Ingredient:

• 1 package (16 oz) spaghetti pasta
• 1 lb ground beef
• ½ lb ground pork
• ½ cup bacon crumble
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 medium onion – finely chopped
• 1 small carrot – peeled and finely chopped
• 2 celery stalk – finely chopped
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• A pinch nutmeg
• Salt and pepper to taste

Direction:

• Heat olive oil in a deep pan over medium heat.
• Once heated, add ground beef, ground pork, salt and pepper. Stir occasionally until the meat is lightly browned.
• Then, add onion, carrot, celery, and bacon crumble. Cook until all the vegetables are soft or about 5-7 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low heat. Add white wine, tomato paste, bay leaf, and nutmeg. Stir occasionally until all are mixed thoroughly. Cook for about 5 minutes or until most of the white wine is evaporated.
• Add milk and chicken stock. Reduce the heat to simmer – low heat. Cook for about 2 – 2.5 hours or until the meat is very tender and most of the liquid are reduced tremendously. The sauce texture should be similar to marinara sauce. If during the process of simmering process, most of the liquid is gone and the meat is not yet tender, you can always add a bit more chicken stock or milk.
• Taste the sauce. Add more salt and pepper, if needed.
• In the meantime, cook the spaghetti in a separate pot according to the package instruction. Boil the water and add some salt to the boiled water. Cook until the pasta is close to al dente (reduce the cooking by 1 minute).
• Add the cooked spaghetti pasta to the sauce. Add 1 ladle of pasta cooking liquid and grated parmesan cheese.
• Increase the heat to medium heat and toss the spaghetti pasta around until it is al dente and slightly thickened about 1 – 2 minutes.
• Serve and sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese.