There are times I turn to kitchen conveniences like the slow cooker or quick and easy dishes with limited ingredients. But, when time allows and I feel a need to slow down, I like a dish that needs tending. A dish that can’t be rushed and needs some attention. A dish like the Bolognese I made on Sunday.
Bacon Bolognese
I’ve long been a fan of dicing vegetables for soups and sauces. I like how vegetables on a cutting board clear my mind of worries, to do lists, and other mental clutter. I like how the knife feels against the cutting board as I slice through onions, carrots, and garlic. I like that I’m in the moment with no other thoughts than what’s just in front of me.
So on Sunday, I found myself in the perfect Sunday zen spot. The afternoon lay ahead with nothing more to do than tend to my pot of Bolognese. And once the onions, garlic, and carrots started sizzling away there wasn’t much left to do than add some smoky bacon, ground beef, red wine, and chicken stock. From there all it required was the occasional stir and check on the heat to ensure it maintained a quiet simmer.
For a couple hours, the Bolognese was a gentle bubbling reminder to stay in and be cozy. As it slowly reduced and thickened, marrying all the flavors into one, life slowed down. There was time to read a few chapters of a book and flip through a neglected magazine. Between sauce stirrings, Feynman and I soaked up some early afternoon sun in the backyard.
And even after I put away the dishes and tucked the extra Bolognese in the freezer the mood still hung in the air. I held on to it for the rest of the day.
More Comfort Food Recipes
Bacon Bolognese
This recipe is adapted from one I found on Bon Appetit. It’s best cooked on the stove top low and slow so it reduces and all the flavors get a chance to blend together. Bacon is not found in most traditional Bolognese sauces, but it adds a wonderful smoky flavor to the sauce. The sauce is rich and little goes a long way, so this recipe makes enough for 6 people with some bread, and maybe a salad, on the side.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Sauces
- Method: Simmer
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 4 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 pound ground pork
- 3 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into small pieces
- ½ cup dry red wine
- 3 cups chicken stock
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 cup 2% milk
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- Grated Parmesan, for serving
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the vegetables and cook them for about five to ten minutes, or until they soften. Add the ground pork and bacon. Break the pork up as you stir until it’s browned.
- Add the wine and chicken stock stirring to combine. Bring the pot to a strong simmer and add the tomato paste. Stir until combined and then reduce the heat so that only a few bubbles break the surface at a time. Simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally, for about an hour an a half. Season the sauce with 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Once the sauce has simmered add the milk slowly in small batches. Bring the pot to a simmer again, and then reduce the heat like before to maintain a gentle simmer. Let the sauce cook another 45 minutes to an hour until it’s thickened.
- Check the sauce for seasoning. If needed, add up to one teaspoon of salt. Add the chopped parsley and stir to combine.
- Serve with your favorite long pasta and garnish with grated Parmesan.
Notes
Nutrition estimate does not include the grated Parmesan (for serving) or the pasta.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe
- Calories: 414
- Sugar: 10.6g
- Sodium: 780.5mg
- Fat: 26.5g
- Saturated Fat: 9.1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15.2g
- Trans Fat: 0.1g
- Carbohydrates: 20.g
- Fiber: 3.3g
- Protein: 20.6g
- Cholesterol: 70.6mg
Keywords: bolognese, bacon bolognese recipe
Donna says
Added one can San Marino tomatoes minus juice and one half tsp. cinnamon to sauce.
★★★★
Ryann says
Curious how thick this is supposed to be? I made it tonight and it was delicious, but the consistency was more like soup then a “sauce”. I followed the directions for cook time and simmering but maybe didn’t have it simmering high enough? Any tips would be much appreciated!
April Anderson says
Hi Ryann – it’s not a super thick sauce, but it shouldn’t be soupy. You may want to either increase the heat so it’s bubbling more or increase the cooking time to give it more time to reduce.