Low & Slow Bacon Bolognese

Bacon Bolognese
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
- 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
- ยฝ cup dry red wine
- 3 cups chicken stock
- ยผ 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
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 โsauceโ. I followed the directions for cook time and simmering but maybe didnโt have it simmering high enough? Any tips would be much appreciated!
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.
Added one can San Marino tomatoes minus juice and one half tsp. cinnamon to sauce.
Love the recipe! Weโve made it a few times now and itโs always a hit on game night!