Pasta Bolognese

This rich red sauce combines ground beef, carrots, celery, onion, and tomatoes with a touch of milk for added creaminess. This sauce is slow simmered and delicious served over any favorite pasta.

• Prep: 20 min
• Cook: 1 hr 27 min
• Total: 1 hr 47 min
• Servings: 4
• Cuisine: Italian
• Difficulty: Medium

Dietary

• Nut-Free
• Soy-Free
• Egg-Free
• High-Protein
• High-Fiber

Tags

• comfort food
• savory
• classic
• healthy
• crowd-pleaser
• boil

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 carrot (diced into 1/4-inch pieces)
• 1 celery stalk (diced into 1/4-inch pieces)
• 1 yellow onion (chopped into 1/4 inch pieces)
• 0.75 pound ground beef (lean (80-85% lean))
• 1 cup water
• 29 ounce crushed or diced tomatoes (no salt added, including liquid)
• 0.25 cup tomato paste (no salt added)
• 1 cup milk (2%)
• 8 ounce whole wheat pasta
• 0.25 cup Parmesan cheese (grated)

Instructions

1. To make the Bolognese sauce: Put skillet on the stove over medium heat and when it is hot, add vegetable oil.
2. Add carrot, celery stalk, and yellow onion and cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to brown.
3. Raise the heat to high.
4. Pinch off tablespoon-sized pieces of the ground beef and add a few at a time, stirring well between additions.
5. Cook, breaking the meat apart until it is no longer raw, starts to give off liquid, and no longer clumps together, about 10 minutes.
6. Add the water, crushed or diced tomatoes, and tomato paste, stirring well.
7. Cook about 10 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken.
8. Slowly stir in the milk, a little bit at a time.
9. Turn the heat down to low and cook 45 minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed.
10. To make the pasta: Fill a large pot halfway with water.
11. Bring it to a boil over high heat.
12. Add the whole wheat pasta and about 12 minutes cook until just tender.
13. Drain the pasta and divide into 4 bowls.
14. Top each bowl with about 3/4 cup Bolognese and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese.
15. Serve right away.

Nutrition (per serving)

• Calories: 509
• Protein: 30.9 g
• Carbohydrates: 66.9 g
• Fat: 15.8 g
• Fiber: 12 g
• Sodium: 197 mg
• Saturated Fat: 4.9 g
• Sugar: 13.8 g
• Cholesterol: 58 mg