Tags: Pasta People Weekday Meals
We’re pasta people. I cook pasta at least once a week and we choose Italian restaurants for most of our meals out. My favorite pasta sauce to make at home is Bolognese. My recipe is not authentic Bolognese sauce from Bologna, Italy and I’m aware of that fact (please don’t eat me alive). This is simply my version of Bolognese simplified down to bare bones and made very kid friendly.
When I was nearing the end of my last trimester with Liev I had everything planned and ready to go. The diaper bag was packed, my hospital bag was packed and waiting by the door, and all our bills were scheduled out through our bank’s bill pay for a month. The one thing I missed was meal planning for our return home from the hospital. Thankfully, my mom was there, and she dutifully cranked out meals the first week we were home. But then she went home, Adrian went back to work, and I was home with a brand-new baby and nothing to eat. The good thing was we lived in downtown Norfolk at the time and I could order from any of several restaurants that would deliver right to my front door. The bad thing was it started to get expensive.
I promised myself I’d be better prepared for my next post pregnancy meal planning and set to work mapping out freezer options when I was about 20 weeks along. One of my favorite go-to freezer meals is pasta sauce. You can make a large batch once, freeze half, and get a good two or three meals out of it.
Another reason I love this particular sauce is because it’s a wonderful toddler food when your little ones are starting out with textured foods. When Liev was small and I’d make this sauce, I’d always scoop out a ladle or two and pulse it in the food processor a few times so that he could enjoy it with us. I no longer pulse it for him, of course, and it’s still one of his favorite meals.
The secret to this sauce is cooking it low and slow for at least four hours. I start my sauce in the morning and let it cook all day. This method allows you to achieve the smoothest flavors because all the acidity of the tomatoes cooks out and it develops a wonderful sweetness. I’ll be honest though, a few times I didn’t get my sauce on early enough and have had to add a little brown sugar to balance out the acidity, but when it’s done right, you don’t need the brown sugar.
Start by peeling and chopping two carrots and two stalks of celery. When I’m cooking this with the intention of freezing half, I’ll double the vegetables, not the meat. It’s up to you. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a Dutch oven or whatever large thick-bottomed pot you have on hand. Add the carrots and celery and cook until carrots are soft—about four minutes. Add a chopped sweet onion and cook until translucent—about three minutes. Add two cloves of minced garlic (I actually use four cloves, but you use as much or as little as you like) and cook just a minute or two.
Add a pound of ground beef (you can also use a mix of beef and pork, or whatever mixture you desire) and cook until browned. At this point I’ll add a splash of wine (whatever I have on hand) just to loosen and scrape up the bits on the bottom of the pan, but I understand different people have different opinions on cooking with alcohol when little ones will be eating it too. Use your best judgement here.
Add a 32oz. can of crushed tomatoes to the pot. Again, if your doubling the recipe add two 32oz. cans of crushed tomatoes. The brand of your crushed tomatoes matters greatly. I’ll pay a little more for a really good brand of crushed tomatoes because they tend to be sweeter and less acidic than your standard grocery store brand. I go for the Cento San Marzano canned tomatoes when I can find them.
Add a dash of salt and a little pepper, turn the heat down to low, cover and let simmer for as long as you’re able. Just remember, the longer you simmer it, the sweeter and smoother your sauce will be. You’ll notice that the longer you cook it, the darker the sauce will be. Adrian knows when I’ve let it simmer all day because it comes out a beautiful burgundy color and he knows he’s in for a treat.
About an hour before serving, chop up some fresh basil leaves and add them to your sauce. When my sister cooks this sauce, she puts a splash of cream and a cup of grated parmesan cheese at this point as well—your call there. That’s another wonderful thing about this sauce. Play around with it until you find your perfect blend.
Pour over your favorite pasta and serve with a little more chopped basil and shaved parmesan.
Bon Appetit!
