Once you make this bolognese recipe, you'll never use another. Made with ground beef and Italian sausage, fresh and/or canned tomatoes, a 3 - 4 hour simmer. Serve with a fresh baguette and a nice Italian red wine, like a Sangiovese.
In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil and butter over medium low heat. When the butter has nearly stopped sizzling, add the onion and simmer until just translucent.
Add the celery and carrot. Sauté, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.
Add the ground beef and sausage and cook over medium, breaking up the meat into small pieces as it cooks.
Cook until the meat has lost its raw, red color. Add the wine and increase heat to medium high. Cook until wine has evaporated, about 2 - 3 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano, Italian seasoning, and bay leaves. When the liquid starts to boil, reduce the heat for a very slow simmer, one in which you occasionally see a bubble or two.
When you start the simmer, the bolognese should have quite a bit of liquid (as seen below). As the bolognese simmers, the liquid will evaporate and the sauce will get thicker.
Let the bolognese simmer for 3 to 4 hours, stirring occasionally. About 2 hours after simmering, taste. Add more salt if needed.
If the sauce starts to get too thick, add some hot water and stir in well. As you continue to simmer the sauce, it will continue to thicken. The amount of water you add is determined by how thick you like your sauce - thick or a little thin. But be careful, because too much water can make it watery. If it is too watery at the end of 3.5 hours, add 1-2 tbsp. tomato paste and simmer another 30 minutes. You'll probably need the paste if using fresh tomatoes.
At the end of the simmer, you can serve immediately or you could let it cool and refrigerate. I usually refrigerate for at least 2 hours, then reheat and serve.
When ready to serve, reheat over a low heat. After refrigeration, the sauce will have thickened. Once hot, if it is still too thick, then add a bit more hot water.
While the bolognese is reheating, cook the spaghetti.
Serve sauce over spaghetti and top with finely grated Pecorina Romano and chopped parsley if desired. Serve with a warm baguette.
Save the leftovers for another meal or freeze for another meal in a few weeks. This sauce can stay in the refrigerator up to 4 days, but then should be eaten or frozen.
Sausage - I like to use a medium to hot Italian sausage. If it comes in links, remove the sausage from the casing.
Wine - If possible use 1/4 cup of the wine you plan to drink with this pasta.
Using fresh tomatoes - You're going to need about 56 ounces of cored, diced, fresh tomatoes. You can dice the tomatoes by hand or, to save time, chop the tomatoes in small batches using a blender and the pulse button. Transfer juice and tomatoes to a measuring cup and keep chopping until you have 56 ounces. You could also use a combination of canned and fresh. This year I roasted some of the tomatoes the day before using this method minus the olive oil and reducing roasting time to 1 hour. Using fresh tomatoes, I found I didn't need the tomato sauce, but I did need about 2 Tbsp. of tomato paste.
Why spaghetti? - After serving this bolognese with several types of pasta, we found that spaghetti was by far the best. This is a thick and meaty sauce which screams for a hearty pasta. If you don't have spaghetti, the next best is penne.
As with all types of tomato sauces, this bolognese will get better as it rests. Therefore, be sure to start it early or make it at least one day ahead.
Recipe author: MJ of MJ's Kitchen