healthy bolognese sauce

Happy New Year!!! I hope everyone had a great holiday season and I’m wishing that your 2015 be filled with much laughter, love, and many kisses!  We all know that after the overload of gluttony during the Christmas season we need to get back to a healthier routine. It’s tough to think healthy especially when it’s cold and dreary outside but we have to make the effort. This is healthy comfort food (it does exist), which is exactly what I need at this time of year. This is my take on a healthy Bolognese sauce (a.k.a. as meat sauce at my house). It’s not a quick recipe but it is easy and it can be a total lifesaver because this is freezer friendly.

Healthy Bolognese Sauce at laughlovekiss 6

This recipe makes A LOT of sauce and that’s the point because who’s going to put in the work for three hours and have it disappear in 30 minutes? Not me, that’s for sure so I divide this sauce up into 2 serving sized portions in freezer bags and freeze it. This way I have a quick, healthy meal in no time especially when I’m in the mood for comfort food.  This sauce is really versatile; it’s the one I use in my lasagna recipe, you can also throw it on pizza, over your favourite pasta, or just eat it straight up.

Healthy Bolognese Sauce at laughlovekiss 3This recipe is easy to prepare especially if you have a great food processor like mine (thanks mom and dad) because it does all the chopping for you. This is the perfect recipe for those weekends when you’ll to be around the house for the morning or an afternoon doing whatever you have cross off your TO DO list or just lazing around.

Healthy Bolognese Sauce at laughlovekiss 2

 

Healthy Bolognese Sauce laughlovekiss 8

Healthy Bolognese Sauce
A healthy version of the Italian classic.
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Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
3 hr 40 min
Total Time
4 hr 10 min
Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
3 hr 40 min
Total Time
4 hr 10 min
Ingredients
  1. 2 Tbsp. + 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  2. 700 gr. / 1½ lbs. of lean ground beef
  3. 2 large onions, finely chopped
  4. 3 large cloves of garlic, crushed
  5. 1 large green pepper, chopped ( approx. 1½ cups)
  6. 2 cups chopped fresh mushrooms
  7. ¾ cup chopped celery (4 stalks)
  8. 2 cups chopped carrots (peeled)
  9. 2 780 gr. / 28 oz. cans of whole tomatoes, including the juice
  10. 3 cups tomato purée*
  11. 2½ cups tomato juice
  12. 1 Tbsp. sugar
  13. 2 tsp. dried oregano
  14. 2 tsp. dried parsley
  15. 1½ tsp. dried basil
  16. Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Add 2 Tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil to a large pot over medium heat and add ground beef once the oil is hot. Cook ground beef until no longer pink. Drain meat and set aside.
  2. Add 2 Tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil to the same large pot over medium heat and sauté the onions until translucent, about 10 to 12 minutes (you don't want to brown the onions).
  3. Add crushed garlic to the onions and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until fragrant.
  4. Add all the chopped vegetables to the pot and stir and cook until most of the liquid is gone, about 20 to 25 minutes.
  5. In the mean time, break up the canned tomatoes into chunks with a fork.
  6. Once the vegetables have cooked down a bit, add the ground beef and stir until combined.
  7. Add the canned tomatoes (including the juice), tomato purée, and tomato juice to the veggies and meat and stir well.
  8. Add the sugar, salt, oregano, basil, parsley, and pepper and stir.
  9. Cook on medium heat until simmering, about 20 minutes.
  10. Cover slightly with pot's lid and turn the temperature down to low and cook for approximately 3 hours or until the sauce reaches desired consistency.
Notes
  1. I like the vegetables finely chopped but chop them to your preference depending on whether you like a very chunky or smoother sauce.
  2. *In Italian it is called "Passata di pomodoro".
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I hope 2015 is treating you well so far and I’m looking forward to spending this year hanging out with you at laughlovekiss.com.

3 Comments

  1. Annabelle says:

    Just found your blog/website this morning; yoursbolognese sauce looks great. I’m not a meat eater these days, but will try this without the meat. How many cups does this make? Thanks in advance for your response.
    Merry Christmas to you & yours

    • Carla says:

      Hi Annabelle! I’m so glad that you stumbled upon my site and are thinking about making the bolognese sauce. Sorry about the late reply but I was away on vacation and wasn’t checking my blog. I honestly can’t say how many cups it makes because I’ve never measured it out that way but i’ll definitely be taking note next time I make it so that I can update the recipe accordingly. Considering there are about 6 cups of liquid ingredients plus all the veggies, I’d say this probably makes at least 5 or maybe even 6 cups once it’s cooked down. I’ve never made a vegetarian version but i’d love to hear how yours turns out so please comment below. I hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday season and all the best for 2016! Cheers, Carla

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