An authentic bolognese sauce with vivid color, rich flavor and the perfect balance. We are going to put a lot of love into this sauce, with ground beef, ground pork, lots of seasoning and other goodies. When you linger on your first bite, I'll understand. All that and ready in about an hour.
THIS AUTHENTIC BOLOGNESE SAUCE RECIPE IS: GLUTEN FREE, LOW CARB AND PERFECTLY LUSCIOUS.
AN AUTHENTIC BOLOGNESE SAUCE FIT FOR YOUR RECIPE BOX.
I remember the first time I made a bolognese sauce. It was a massive recipe (not that this one is short!) that I cooked all day. Literally all day. When it was time for dinner there was complete silence from around the table. It was delicious. Since then, I've continued to improve the recipe which I'm posting up here today. This recipe is for an authentic bolognese sauce that is going to be absolutely divine in about an hour.
I have been able to cut down the cooking time and achieve amazing results with a little creative preparation. Shredding the carrots, onions, shallots and celery was the big ticket to cutting down the time. They release their internal goodness more quickly, adding big layers of flavor to the sauce.
As always, I pour this delicious sauce over zoodles (zucchini noodles). If you have never tried them before, pick up a spiralizer and give them a shot. Their brightness and wonderful flavor meld perfectly with the bolognese sauce. You'll never know that you're not eating real pasta- I promise! For this recipe, I added raw zoodles without doctoring them up at all. If you would like, check out my delicious zoodles recipe.
QUICK COOKING TIP: Cooking this recipe longer will simply intensify the flavors. I typically cook this recipe for about two hours, but it is wonderful at one hour as well. If you are going to cook it longer, hold off on adding in the cream for a while. There is less chance of burning the cream after it is added. If you really want to have a deliciously authentic bolognese sauce, make this recipe a day ahead and reheat. Letting the flavors combine overnight really brings all the flavors together!
AUTHENTIC BOLOGNESE SAUCE
This authentic bolognese sauce will have your guests raving… and thinking that you spent all day making it! Who knew it would be ready in about an hour?
Ingredients
For the Ground Beef
- 1 LB Ground Beef, (I use Ground Chuck)
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1 tablespoon Granulated Garlic Powder
- 1 tablespoon Granulated Onion Powder
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
For the Ground Pork
- 1 LB Ground Pork
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 teaspoon Dried Basil
For the Bolognese Sauce
- 3 Carrots, peeled & shredded
- 2 Celery Stalks, washed & shredded
- ½ Onion, (Spanish), peeled & shredded
- 1 Shallot, peeled & shredded
- 4 Garlic Cloves, sliced thin
- ½ Cup Red Wine
- 1 14.5oz Can Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
- 2 tablespoon Tomato Paste
- 1 teaspoon Anchovy Paste
- ¼ teaspoon Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 Cup Heavy Cream
- 1 Bay Leaf
Instructions
- Using a dutch oven or other large, heavy bottom pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in the ground beef when the oil shimmers. Break up and stir for 2 minutes. Add in remaining ingredients in the beef section. Cook for another 3-4 minutes or until the beef has browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add in the ground pork. Break up and add in the remaining ingredients in the pork section. Cook for another 5-6 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Add in the shredded carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Increase the heat to high. Add in the red wine. Reduce until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
- Reduce the heat to low. Add in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, anchovy paste, bay leaf and balsamic vinegar. Simmer for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Add in the cream and stir. Simmer for 10 minutes. Taste the sauce, adjust the seasonings and taste again.
- Add the beef back in when all the other ingredients are cooked, and it is time to combine everything back together.
- Serve hot over fresh zoodles, noodles or polenta. Enjoy and happy eating!
Notes
Shredding the carrots, celery, onion and shallots takes no time at all if you use the shredding disk of your food processor. If you don’t have a food processor, it will take a bit longer to use a box grater. If you don’t want to use a box grater, simply chop the veggies to a fine dice.
Nutrition Information
Yield
10Serving Size
gAmount Per Serving Calories 311
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I'm so happy you shared this recipe! It looks delicious.
The first time I made authentic bolognese was during my culinary program. I had no idea that cream was added until then, and loved it.
I unfortunately lost the recipe from the program, so I'll be bookmarking your's to make sometime soon!
Hi Michelle:
Thank you for posting.
Did you try the recipe? How was it?
Have a great day in the kitchen!
Scott
This was the best. I'd make it again in a heartbeat!
Hi Casey:
I love it on my zoodles, I think it's delightful.
Thank you for taking the time to write your thoughts.
Happy eating!
Scott
So good. I would make it again in a heartbeat as well. The last bolognese I made took all day and didn't taste nearly as good as this.
Hi Sam:
It is delicious, indeed. Thank you for your appreciation.
Have a wonderful day in the kitchen!
Scott
In the picture of the simmering process I see a fresh Bay leaf, but in the recipe you don't see it anywhere? Did you forget to put it in the instructions? If so how many Bay leaves do you use?
Hi Beckey:
You're right! I did not put that into the recipe (which I just corrected). There is one bay leaf in there. Although that looks like a fresh bay leaf, I actually picked it a year earlier from a tree in France. For some reason it just stayed a little more green than the others.
Thanks so much and have a great day in the kitchen-
Scott
When do you add the beef back in? It says to remove from the pan before moving on to the pork, but doesn't say when to add it back in. Looking forward to making this!
Hey Stacy:
Add the beef back in when all the other ingredients are cooked and it is time to combine all the ingredients back together. We will go in and update the recipe- thanks for noticing!!
Have a wonderful day in the kitchen!
Scott
I am making the recipe right now. I can’t wait to try. Thanks for posting
Hi Jeri,
I hope you loved the bolognese. How was it?
Thank you for stopping by and happy cooking!
Scott
This was just fantastic !! Awesome flavors throughout, Thanks for posting.
Hi Ewen,
So happy to hear that. Have you tried any other recipes that I've made?
Thank you for sharing. Have a marvelous day!
Scott
I have made this dish over and over for a few years now. It is my go to recipe when I want something delicious and don’t want to spend all day in the kitchen. Anytime I have friends over, they want me to make this dish. Thank you...thank you...thank you!