If you’re looking for the PERFECT holiday recipe to make for family and friends, look no further than Nicole’s Bolognese. It’s so easy and will make your house smell incredible. Watch the video below to see Chef Richie in action.
Nicole’s Bolognese
Servings: 6
Calories: 491kcal
Ingredients
For Bolognese
- 1.5 lbs ground beef
- olive oil
- 1 white onion diced
- 1 celery stalk chopped
- 1 carrot chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup Milk
- 2 tbsp salt divided
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 can canned diced tomato 28oz can
- 1 can tomato paste to thicken sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- pepper to taste
- 2 thyme sprigs
- fresh pasta
For Salad Dressing
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp honey
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
For Bolognese
- Sauté onion, carrots and celery for 10 min in a pot over medium heat with olive oil, then put in garlic and sauté for another 3 minutes. Next add in the meat and salt (to taste) and cook until meat is cooked through.
- Next add in the milk and cook until most of the moisture is absorbed (approx 10 min), then add the red wine and cook until most of moisture is absorbed as well. Keep stirring occasionally.
- Add in tomatoes and tomato paste and then salt (to taste). Continue stirring occasionally.
- Add in bay leaf and thyme sprigs and simmer on low hear for approx 1.5 hours.
- Use sauce over fresh cooked pasta (cook pasta according to package instructions).
For Salad Dressing
- Wisk together all ingredients for the dressing. Dress over salad- use any vegetables you have in the house (i.e romaine, cherry tomatoes, avocado, etc)
- You can make the dressing in advance and keep in a jar in the fridge.
Nutrition
Calories: 491kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 2763mg | Potassium: 840mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 2227IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 4mg
26 comments
Delish, my family love this recipe.
Hi! Can I use crushed tomatoes instead of diced to make it less chunky or do the diced tomatoes soften with cooking? Thanks!
Yes you can!
I made a lot of Bolognese Recipes – but this one was just PERFECT! The Milk makes the beef so soft. And really easy to make. I just added a pinch of Agave Syrup at the end because my Family (especially my three boys) like the sauce to be a bit sweeter, just a Teaspoon for the whole recipe. Big THANK YOU NICOLE! This will be our family recipe from now on. Greetings from Germany
Had fun making it for my family and my 4 year old especially loved it. Do fresh and delicious! Salad, too.
I’m so happy to hear that!
Fantastic recipe, and so easy to make!
Can I substitute ground beef for ground chicken or turkey? And if I do, is it the same cooking time as this recipe?
Yes you can make those substitutions and use the same cooking time.
my new favorite recipe!! It’s just perfect! ;0)
So glad you like it!
In the video Nicole says she uses 2 lbs of beef and a tablespoon of tomato paste. But the written ingredients show different amounts?
Trust the written ingredients. I sat with her and refined it after she made it.
I’m making this for 6 adults and 2 kids and think I might need more. Can I double the entire recipe or will that throw it off? Thanks!!
Is that Le Creuset? Are they worth the investment? Also, love the recipe, thank you!
Hi! Yes I love my Le Creuset cookware. It is made really well and lasts a super long time. Highly advise.
I did not see any salt and pepper added, is there a reason for this? Looks amazing and I can’t wait to make this!
I blame Nicole 🙂 You can add salt and pepper at the very end to taste.
Is the milk necessary or can I omit it without changing the flavor drastically?
You can omit but the sauce will become less creamy without it.
Can I substitute non dairy milk? Almond milk maybe?
Yes you can but keep in mind that the fat content of dairy milk adds to the flavor so an almond or oat milk will change the flavor a little. Let me know how it comes out!
Ahhhh why am I now just seeing this? Going to make this today for dinner, is red cooking wine okay or should I use the drinking kind????
Hi! You can use either. I use drinking wine 🙂 I hope it came out great for you!
Any advice on how to make this in the slow cooker vs having it on the stove top for 1.5 hours?
Hi Maggie- I haven’t made it in a slow cooker, but I feel that since it’s only simmering in a pot on the stove, that is very similar to the low heat of a slow cooker. Therefore, the recipe should mostly work if you want to use a slow cooker instead. You could even set the slow cooker to HIGH and that will be even closer to stove top cooking. Hope this helps!