I ran track in high school, and one day my coach told me to eat more pasta to increase my energy. So I went straight home and told my mom that I needed her to pick up a bunch of spaghetti sauce at the store. My mother pointed out that the jars were too expensive—about $2 a jar back then, generally a lot more nowadays—for the amount I was likely to eat (I could eat pasta morning, noon, and night). She wisely suggested I pick up a case of tomato sauce (6 cans for $1!) and get to work. Believe me, a lot of trial and error happened between my first pot and the recipe you see here. It took years to get the right mix of spices. But to this day, I would always rather start a pot with a can of tomato sauce than open any jar of store-bought spaghetti sauce. This bolognese stores beautifully for several months in the freezer, so sometimes I just mix up a batch to store and pull out in a pinch!

　　

Ingredients

makes about 10 cups; 8 to 10 servings

　　1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions

　　8 cloves garlic, minced

　　1/2 cup chopped celery

　　1/2 cup chopped carrots

　　1/2 cup olive oil

　　Kosher salt and ground black pepper

　　2 pounds ground beef or turkey

　　1 1/2 cups Beef Broth (page 114) or store-bought low-sodium beef broth, plus more if needed

　　1/2 cup dry red wine

　　1/2 cup dry white wine

　　4 cups tomato sauce, plus more if needed

　　1/4 cup ketchup

　　2 fresh or dried bay leaves

　　2 sprigs of fresh thyme

　　3 tablespoons dried oregano

　　

Step 1

In the work bowl of a food processor, pulse the onions, garlic, celery, and carrots until finely chopped.

　　

Step 2

In a Dutch oven or other large stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion mixture with a pinch each of salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.

　　

Step 3

Add the ground beef and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the broth and the red and white wines and simmer for 10 minutes.

　　

Step 4

Add the tomato sauce, ketchup, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Check occasionally during cooking and add more broth or tomato sauce if a saucier consistency is desired.

　　

Step 5

Remove and discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Serve the beef bolognese over any pasta.

　　Eva's Kitchen