Prior to making this, I had some serious reservations about Ina Garten’s supposed “Weeknight” Bolognese. Bolo is one of those magical pasta dishes that’s more meat than tomato and takes an endless amount of time to simmer and make correctly. Could the Barefoot Contessa’s shortcut recipe that looks like a slightly upscale spaghetti sauce come close to comparing to one of the ultimate, labor-intensive comfort foods? Yes and no! For something that epitomizes a weeknight meal, comes together in under 45 minutes, and is absurdly easy to make, it hits a lot of the notes I look for in a Bolognese. This is ultimate, carby, meaty, comfort food in a bowl and while it lacks the authenticity of a true Bolo, I will be adding this to my cooking rotation and make it often. Next time you’re in a pinch, check it out—it’s truly delicious.
Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound ground chuck (or other ground beef that’s 80/20 lean)
- 6 teaspoons minced garlic (approximately 6 cloves)
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- Healthy pinch crushed red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
- 1¼ cups dry red wine, divided
- 1 – 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes (try to get San Marzano)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 pound dried pasta (see note below)
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (more than you think is reasonable, plus more for topping)
Instructions
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat (make sure the pan isn’t not too shallow). Add the ground beef and cook, aggressively crumbling the meat with a wooden spoon until the beef is in very small pieces; this isn’t the time for chunks in your sauce. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the meat has lost its pink color and has developed some good browning. Stir in the garlic, oregano, and hot red pepper flakes and cook for one minute (ideally you want to add these seasonings where they have contact with oil; the flavors will blossom when exposed to fat and heat). Pour 1 cup of the wine into the skillet and stir to scrape up any browned bits. Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1½ teaspoons pepper, stirring until combined. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a tablespoon of salt and the pasta and cook approximately one minutes less than the directions on the box, or until very al dente—the pasta cooks more later in the sauce so don’t overcook it now.
While the pasta cooks, finish the sauce. Add the nutmeg, basil, and cream to the sauce and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. When the pasta is cooked, reserve at least 1 cup of the pasta water, drain from the water, and add to sauce. Cook for one minute, add the remaining ¼ cup of wine, and splashes of cooking liquid at a time (1/2 – 1 cup total), tossing often until the sauce is evenly coating all of the pasta. While it’s counterintuitive, adding pasta water will help thicken the sauce due to the starches in the pasta. It results in a glossier final dish with sauce that sticks better to the pasta. Off heat, add a healthy amount of grated parm and toss until combined and evenly distributed (I would add at least ½ a cup [more realistically more] but I also am obsessed with cheese so add as much to your liking). Plate and finish with additional parm.
Notes:
- For pasta shape, Ina’s recipe calls for orecchiette, which is small shell that translates from Italian into “little ear.” These little shells act as cups for the sauce so you get great flavor in each bite. I loved this shape but also thoroughly enjoyed pappardelle or any other long, flat pasta (which is featured in the picture).
- I know this is weird, but I don’t love sauce. I always prefer pizza and pasta that are light on the sauce, so my version calls for 1.5 lbs of pasta. If you’re into saucier dishes, reduce the pasta to 1 lb of dried pasta so you get a higher sauce ratio.
