Pasta and Easy Italian Meat Sauce

I love Spaghetti Bolognese. Love it. I also love to try any and every recipe I can to find one that is easy to cook and doesn't require all day long cooking. Now, don't get me wrong. I do love my all day long Bolognese sauce, but once in a while I'd like a quicker version. I may have found it.

This recipe seems to be styled after the famed Ragu alla Bolognese (sauce in the style of Bologna). Adding the milk to this sauce may seem unusual, but I assure you a real Bolognese has milk in it as it's a traditional ingredient to the Northern Italy classic.

Cook time is about 30 minutes and anyone who can turn on the stove can do this one.

Pasta and Easy Italian Meat Sauce
Note: Reserve some of the pasta cooking water, and add a little to the sauce if it seems too thick. The water is ideal for adjusting the consistency of the sauce, and the starch in the water helps the sauce adhere to the pasta.

Serves 4

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 carrot, grated (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3/4 pound ground beef
• 1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 pound fettuccine
• Grated Parmesan, for serving

Heat butter and oil in a large saucepan over medium. Stir in carrot, onion, and garlic. Add ground beef, and cook until it turns from pink to brown, about 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes and their liquid, crushing them with the back of a large spoon. Stir in milk, bay leaf, thyme, nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Simmer 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook fettuccine until al dente according to package instructions, about 12 minutes. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the cooking water; drain fettuccine, and return to the warm pot. Add meat sauce, and toss. Add pasta water as needed if the sauce seems dry. 

 

To serve, sprinkle with Parmesan.

 

Don't fret about the nutmeg. I've found a lot of Italian recipes call for nutmeg. It adds just a hint of sweet.