A good meat sauce doesn’t need to cook all day to be delicious. This one can be made in under 30 minutes, and is a wonderful inexpensive weeknight meal.
The idea to use balsamic vinegar instead of red wine comes from Diane of Balanced Bites, who was there for me when I was having a “how can I make sauce without wine?!” crisis.
Quick Bolognese
1 onion, small dice
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 pound ground beef (grassfed if possible)
12 ounces Italian sausage, removed from casings if in links (check ingredients!)
20-24 ounces jarred tomatoes
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
pinch salt
pinch red pepper flakes, if desired
1 tablespoon bacon fat
- In a large cast iron or stainless steel sauce pan, heat the bacon fat over medium heat.
- Add the onions and cook, stirring every minute or so, until fragrant and softened, about 7-10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and saute one more minute.
- Sprinkle in a pinch of salt.
- Add the beef and sausage, and break it up with a spatula as much as possible.
- Once the meat is browned, add the tomatoes. rosemary, red pepper flakes, and bring to a simmer.
- Turn the heat to low and allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- When it’s nearly done, add the balsamic vinegar and simmer another minute or two.
Bolognese with zucchini noodles
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Jennifer Conner says
That 7 things to never eat was gross…blech…yuck…nasty! Glad I read it though.
Tiffany Sanderson says
Quickest, most uniform zucchini noodles ever: use a cheese grater. It takes seconds per squash, and they come out beautifully uniform and taste fabulous. I even leave the seeds in mine, and have never noticed a problem 🙂
Tiffany Sanderson says
In case it wasn’t obvious, you pull the squash long-ways down the grater 🙂
zenbellyblog says
That’s a great idea! I use a julienne peeler, which I LOVE, but have been developing recipes recently for people who may not have the gadget addiction that I have. I’m definitely going to use your grater idea as an option!
Julia says
I am obsessed with using balsamic in ground meat dishes… Pretty sure that’s my go to!!
AK says
Delicious! Thanks for a great recipe, zucchini noodles and all!!