I am a huge lover of Italian food, but my stomach…not so much. Bolognese Sauce is one of my favorites, but I always try to cut the extra dairy (aka extra calories) out as much as I can.
I have perfected this recipe over the past year & it’s a crowd pleaser! This sauce is easy & can come together fairly quickly (however I prefer to make this on a Sunday- nothing like having a pot of sauce simmering on the stove for a few hours while I snuggle with Eva). The smells of garlic & onions will fill your kitchen.
My version of Bolognese sauce eliminates the heavy cream that is typically called for when making this type of sauce. Too much dairy is never a good thing, so I try to make recipes dairy free whenever I can (keyword TRY lol). Also, to make this recipe even healthier- you can serve over zoodles.
If you are having a family gathering or dinner party, making a pot of this sauce is one of the easiest things to serve.
Serve with a big bowl of pasta, some really good Italian bread, a salad and you’re good to go. Or make a big pot of this and freeze some of it for later. That’s typically what Alex & I do. It’s great having a meal ready to go in the freezer, so all you have to do is heat it up after work and make some pasta! Easy & ready in minutes!
You can garnish the sauce & pasta with Parmesan cheese (helloooo dairy) & chopped parsley. I actually prefer it without the cheese, I believe it’s perfect on its own.
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1-1½ pounds meatloaf mix (pork, veal & beef mixture)
- 4 oz. diced pancetta
- 2 cups dry white wine (I prefer Pinot Grigio)
- 2 28 oz. cans crushed tomatoes with herbs
- 1 5 oz. can tomato paste
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 1 tsp. Pepper
- 1 tsp. Nutmeg
- Heat the olive oil over medium low heat in a large stock pot or Dutch oven. Add the onion and garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the diced pancetta, cook for 3-5 minutes.
- Add the meatloaf mix. Shred the meat with a fork & cook until no longer pink.
- Add the wine & bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until the sauce is reduced to half, about 15-20 minutes.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, the tomato paste, nutmeg, salt & pepper. Raise heat to high & bring to a boil.
- Once bubbling, reduce heat to low and simmer sauce for about an hour.
- Serve over pasta.
