Pasta with Bolognese Sauce

This is one of those recipes that always turns out fantastic and gets my family excited for dinner time. This is not a quick recipe, the longer it sits on the stove the better, so it's great for a weekend meal. I make it often for Sunday night dinner. I usually have enough left over to freeze a meal, just defrost it and heat it up in a saucepan when you are ready to have it again.

The other reason I love this recipe is because it sneaks in a lot of veggies, which is great if you have picky eaters in the house. The veggies are chopped up really small and softened in the sauce so they add to the overall flavor of the sauce without being too "chunky". I cook with wine a lot and this recipe has plenty of it. It cooks off over hours of simmering so there is no alcohol left, just a very flavorful meat sauce. The final trick to this sauce is the cup of milk. Do not omit this ingredient, it breaks down the meat and makes it soft and velvety. Yummy!

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

½ cups Olive Oil
3 Carrots, Grated or finely chopped
1 whole Large Red Onion, finely chopped
2 pounds Ground Beef or Meatloaf Mix
2 Tablespoons Dried Oregano
2 Tablespoons Dried Basil Flakes
1 can (6 Ounce) Tomato Paste
5 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 1/2 cups Red Wine2 Tablespoons Worcestershire
2 cans (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes (smoosh them with your hands as you add them to the sauce)
1 cup Milk
Salt And Pepper, to taste
Fresh Parmesan Cheese

Preparation Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or deep skillet over medium heat. Add carrots, onions and garlic and cook for a few minutes.

2. Make a well in the center of the mixture, and then add in the ground beef. Cook for a few minutes until brown.

3. Throw in oregano and basil. Use fresh if you have it; if you don’t, it’s fine.

4. When the meat is browned and combined with other ingredients, make another well. Add tomato paste and let it heat.

5. Make a well in the center of the mixture and add red wine. Stir together.

6. Add Worcestershire and stir.

7. Add canned tomatoes.

8. Finally, pour in milk, stir, and let simmer for 30 minutes to 2 hours—the longer the better.

Serve with pasta and a generous sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.