Shortcut Italian Bolognese Sauce Recipe Is So Easy (8 Ingredients, 20 Minutes) by Donna John

Sometimes when you crave Italian food you want more than just a jar of spaghetti sauce and some noodles. Don't get me wrong, there are some good brands of spaghetti sauce on the market. But this night the jar in my pantry was not my favorite brand, just the store brand that I got free because of those enticing coupons. What to do? Doctor it up and make a shortcut Bolognese recipe.

Bolognese sauce is a red sauce that's associated with the city of Bologna in Italy. The rich red sauce is made with ground meat, vegetables, tomatoes, cream or milk and red wine. The tomatoes in the sauce usually come from tomato paste, tomato puree (passata) or whole tomatoes, definitely not a jar of marinara sauce. However, this shortcut recipe was quick, easy and delicious anyway.

You only need eight simple ingredients and about 20 minutes to make this Italian red sauce. Here is your short shopping list: ground beef or ground turkey, a carrot, celery, onion, fresh garlic, red wine, a jar of marinara sauce and milk.

Serve this high-protein (check out the health benefits of protein) Bolognese sauce recipe over or mixed into your favorite pasta, or use it in recipes for other Italian favorites like lasagna, meatball casseroles or as a dip for garlic bread (yum!).

Cuisine: Italian / American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef or ground turkey
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 1 large rib celery, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 23 ounces (1 jar) marinara sauce
• 1/4 - 1/3 cup milk

Here's how to make it: 

1. Put the ground meat, celery, carrot, onion and garlic into a skillet.
   
2. Cook until meat is browned and cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper, if desired. (If you like fine ground meat in your Bolognese sauce, use a potato masher.)
   
3. Crank the heat to high and add the wine. Cook until the wine evaporates. (I used a dry red wine. Avoid anything too sweet.)
   
4. Pour in the marinara sauce. (Use whatever brand or kind of sauce you like.)
   
5. Pour in the milk. (You could use cream or evaporated milk. I put the milk into the marinara jar and shook it to get all the remaining sauce out.)
   
6. Stir, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer. (You can simmer for a few minutes or let it go as long as you'd like. The longer it simmers, the thicker it will become.)
   
7. Use the sauce as desired. You could add some crushed red pepper flakes for a little heat.
   
8. If mixing with pasta, add about 12 ounces of cooked pasta to the sauce and toss to coat. (I like to use tongs.)
   
9. Store the sauce after it has cooled in an airtight container in the fridge if you are not using immediately.
   

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