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!
Recipe information
Yield
makes about 10 cups; 8 to 10 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
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.
