As I mentioned last week, I have a handmade recipe book that I have been writing down my all-time favorite recipes in to be passed down, and this Bolognese sauce recipe made the cut. This is hands down the best Bolognese sauce I have ever tried; although time consuming, it is absolutely worth it. I like to double the recipe so I can freeze some for later and pull it out on a snowy day. If you're putting in the time, you might as well make it worth your while.

One day I will have enough confidence to make homemade pasta to go with this incredible sauce, but this Bolognese is enough to impress anyone on its own. It does require a bit of effort but is incredible to have on a Sunday with friends and family around the table. 

Serves 4-6

Cook time: 3-4 hours total

For this incredible Bolognese you will need:

1 medium onion roughly chopped

2 carrots peeled and roughly chopped

1 celery stalk roughly chopped 

3 tbsp olive oil

½ lb ground beef

½ lb ground pork

1 cup dry white wine 

1/3 cup tomato paste

1 bay leaf 

Pinch of nutmeg

2 cups chicken stock

1 cup milk

1 large can tomatoes (28 oz)

Add onion, carrots and celery to a food processor and pulse to a fine paste and transfer to a bowl. This step is key. These finely chopped veggies are going to completely melt into your sauce once it cooks down after a few hours.

Heat about 3 tablespoons olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot and cook your meat, seasoning with salt. To get it browned, let it sit in the pan for a few minutes without touching it. After it's cooked, take it out and transfer to a bowl.

Next, cook your minced vegetables 6-8 minutes in the same pan (scraping up all those delicious, browned bits), then return cooked meat and pour in your wine on medium low and cook 12 minutes.

Add in the tomato paste, bay leaf, nutmeg, and cook an additional 5 minutes.

Pour in your tomatoes, stock and milk and cook for 2 ½ hours stirring occasionally. 

Before serving, season to taste and remove your bay leaf. The longer it sits, the better it will become. I like to serve this over some al dente pasta with olive oil and fresh Parmesan cheese over top. 

This is a recipe you will want to cut out and save, I guarantee it.