Rigatoni Bolognese
This hearty rigatoni bolognese is a comforting and cozy meal. Made with a delicious bolognese sauce that is simmered until perfection, and tossed with tender rigatoni pasta.
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 501kcal
Equipment
- 6-quart Dutch oven with lid
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ pound Italian sausage casings removed
- Olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 large carrot, peeled and finely diced
- 1 large stalk celery, finely diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 ounces pancetta, small-diced or thick-cut bacon
- 3 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1 cup red wine plus more as needed
- 3 (14-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
- 3 dried bay leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup whole milk plus more to taste
- 0.75 pound rigatoni pasta
- Grated parmesan cheese for garnish
Instructions
- In a large 6-quart pot or Dutch oven, cook and brown the ground beef and Italian sausage over medium-high heat, breaking it up, for about 6 minutes. Remove from the pot and set aside. Note: If your pot is not large enough, cook in batches. If it starts to release too much moisture, absorb it excess with paper towel.
- To the same pot (don’t wipe it clean), add a few drizzles of olive oil and cook the finely diced onions, carrots, and celery over medium-heat for about 6-8 minutes until softened, scraping the brown bits from the pot with a wooden spoon. If the brown bits are burning too fast, add a splash of wine to deglaze.
- Add the garlic, pancetta, and thyme and cook for about 2 minutes until fragrant. Then, add the 1 cup of red wine, scraping any leftover brown bits. Simmer it down until the wine is about half reduced.
- Add the canned crushed tomatoes and bay leaves. Return the cooked meat and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer over low heat for 30-35 minutes, with the lid partially covered.
- Meanwhile, cook the rigatoni in generously salted water according to package directions. Reserve some pasta water for later just in case. Drain and set aside.
- Once the bolognese sauce is done, finish with ½ cup whole milk or to taste. Toss the cooked rigatoni into bolognese sauce until evenly combined. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of the reserved pasta water as needed.
- Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese on top. Enjoy!
Notes
- It’s important that the veggies are diced very small so that they can soften and melt into the sauce. You don’t want big chunks of veggies in your bolognese.
- Simmer the bolognese sauce with the lid partially covered. This allows the steam to escape for the sauce to thicken nicely without letting it dry out.
- If you don’t want to use wine, simply omit it. If the sauce thickens too much, add a splash of reserved pasta water or as needed.
- Make ahead: Make up to 3 days in advance. Reheat over the stovetop or in the microwave oven.
- Freezing: Freeze sauce only for up to 3 months, or freeze the entire dish for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and reheat. You can also reheat from frozen over the stovetop.
- Meat: Ground turkey or spicy Italian sausage work great too.
- Whole milk: Half-and-half works as well, but I think whole milk is best. Do not use heavy cream (too thick) or skim milk (too diluted).
- Rigatoni: Substitute with your favorite pasta.
- Pancetta: Thick-cut bacon or prosciutto.
- Crushed tomatoes: Buy canned whole tomatoes and then use a blender to crush them.
Nutrition
Calories: 501kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 381mg | Potassium: 443mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1341IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 2mg