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Photo of Penne with homemade Bolognese sauce by WW

Penne with homemade Bolognese sauce

9
Points® value
Total Time
1 hr 40 min
Prep
25 min
Cook
1 hr 15 min
Serves
4
Difficulty
Easy
This Italian sauce transforms a package of humble ground beef into a flavourful, multipurpose sauce that’s delicious over pasta, zucchini noodles, or even a baked potato. Onion, celery, and carrots are traditional, but we’ve added in pancetta for savoury richness. The wine adds depth to the sauce without tasting like alcohol, but you can substitute low-sodium beef broth, if you like. The 45 minutes of simmering helps tenderize the meat and meld all the flavours together. The results are worth the effort.

Ingredients

Pancetta

2 oz, diced

Olive oil

½ tbsp(s)

Onion

½ medium, finely chopped

Carrots

½ large, finely chopped

Celery

1 stalk(s), medium, finely chopped

Canned tomato paste

½ tbsp(s)

Uncooked 95% lean ground beef

½ pound(s)

Table salt

¼ tsp(s)

Ground red pepper

⅛ tsp(s)

Ground nutmeg

1 pinch(es)

White wine

6 tbsp(s), dry variety

Canned crushed tomatoes

1 cup(s)

Fat free evaporated milk

2 tbsp(s)

Uncooked yellow lentil pasta

8¾ oz, penne variety

Instructions

  1. In a medium, heavy pot or Dutch oven, cook pancetta over medium heat until crisp, stirring frequently, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to paper towels with a slotted spoon; set aside.
  2. Add oil to pot and then add vegetables; cook, stirring frequently, until pan is nearly dry and vegetables are soft, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in tomato paste; cook 1 minute. Add beef, salt, pepper and nutmeg; cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes.
  3. Add wine; simmer, stirring often, until wine is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and reserved pancetta; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a low simmer; cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes (add a bit of hot water if necessary to keep meat and vegetables from sticking).
  4. Stir in milk; simmer for another 5 minutes. Taste, adjust seasoning and serve.
  5. While sauce simmers, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta; toss with sauce.
  6. Serving size: about 1 1/4 cup pasta and 1/2 cup sauce

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