To me, comfort food is a big bowl of pasta. It speaks to me all about love, home, family, laughter, warmth, and togetherness. The twirl of a fork, the sprinkle of parmesan, the slurp of a noodle – it doesn’t get much better than that!
One of my favorite sauces is a hearty, warm, meaty bowl of bolognese. My recipe is slightly sweet from the caramelized onions, but still savory and filling. The herbs give the recipe depth, and I love how the chunky diced vegetables give the sauce great texture.
My caramelized onion bolognese is perfect over a larger pasta, like linguine, pappardelle, or tagliatelle. But it’s great with spaghetti noodles too, and that’s what we usually have in our pantry. You could also pile it on top of polenta. I’ve also been known to eat it plain out of a bowl, like chili. It’s that good!
- Prep Time: 20m
- Cook Time: 1h
- Total Time: 1h 20m
- Serves: 5
- Category: Recipes
Ingredients
- 2 onions, sliced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon of sugar
- 1 pound ground beef
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- carrots, diced
- 2 stalks of celery, diced
- 29 ounces can of peeled tomatoes
- 16 ounces can of diced tomatoes
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons chopped basil
- grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium high heat, cook the ground beef. Drain if necessary and move the cooked meat to a bowl.
- Reduce the heat under the pot to medium-low. Melt the butter with the extra virgin olive oil. Add the sliced onions.
- Cook the onions slowly, stirring now and then. Once they start to soften add the sugar. Continue stirring for around 30 minutes, or until onions are caramelized.
- Add celery, garlic, and carrot to the pan. Season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper
- Cook the garlic, carrots, and celery for a few minutes until they start to soften.
- Add meat back into the pot.
- Add both cans of tomatoes. You can either break up the peeled tomatoes with a spoon, or leave them chunky.
- Add the chopped herbs, reserving some for garnish.
- Simmer for up to an hour, or until the veggies are soft and the flavors have developed.
- Taste for seasoning and add more salt or pepper if needed.
- Serve over pasta or polenta. Top with grated parmesan and the remaining herbs.
