Spaghetti Bolognese

There’s nothing better than a classic. A statement that could not be more true when talking pasta sauce. When it comes to pasta sauce, there are 3 staples—

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  • Alfredo
  • Marinara, and…
  • My personal favourite, bolognese

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Spaghetti bolognese has been around for ions, and for good reason. It’s hearty, nutritious, delicious and damn easy to make.

Here’s my favourite recipe! Hope you enjoy it as much as my family does. 🙂

xo

Nicole

 

Spaghetti Bolognese 

This recipe came from my grandma, who’s been making it since well before I was born. It’s been tweaked and updated over the years, but is always a family favourite. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 teaspoon of virgin coconut oil

1 medium onion, diced

3 medium carrots, diced

1 small zucchini, diced

1 medium red or green pepper, diced (optional)

½ brown bag of cremini brown mushroom, sliced or diced

1lb ground grass fed beef (organic if possible) **Check out spud.ca for your beef!

1 head (not clove) of garlic, crushed or diced **I LOVE garlic so if this seems like too much for you adjust according to your tastebuds

1 large jar of tomatoes **No other ingredients, just tomatoes. Use fresh if you can’t find the jar

2 small cans of tomato paste

2 tablespoons of each fresh oregano & basil **You can substitute dry, but use 2 teaspoons instead if you are

Sea salt to taste

Pinch of cinnamon (optional)

Pinch of curry powder (optional)

Glug of red wine, about 1/2-1 cup. (Optional but I highly recommend)

 

Instructions

I like to saute all of the veggies and meat then put them in the slow cooker with the rest of the ingredients to cook all day. However if you’d prefer you can also make this recipe on the stove top. If you decide to go that route, just keep adding the ingredients in order listed to saute them, and skip to step 3.

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  • In a large cast iron or sauce pan add the coconut oil. Once melted add the onion, carrot, zucchini, mushrooms and saute for 5 mins on medium heat or until the onions are soft and translucent. Transfer to slow cooker.
  • Add the ground beef to the cast iron pan and saute over medium high heat until cooked through, transfer to slow cooker.
  • Add the tomatoes and seasoning to the slow cooker, I also add a glug (yes a glug, if I had to guess I would say ¼-½ cup) of red wine if I have some open or I am planning to have some with dinner. This helps deepen the colour and flavour but is not necessary.

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Slow Cooker Method

Cook on high for 1 hour then turn to low for 4-6 hours. You can cook on low for the entire day if you are leaving the house for the day.

Stove Top Method

Bring to a boil then cook on low for 1-4 hours stirring frequently. The longer it cooks the more the flavour develops.

Serve over brown rice spaghetti noodles or zucchini noodles.

This is an easy recipe to double and freezes very well. I always double then freeze my pasta sauce in large mason jars; which is great to take camping or for easy storage at home.

Enjoy!