A quick and hearty Bolognese Sauce filled with beef, tomatoes, red wine, and cream. This delicious sauce is perfect served over pasta with a glass of red wine.
This Quick Bolognese Sauce was created as part of a shop that has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are my own. The following content is intended for readers who are 21 or older.
Have you made plans for Valentine’s Day? Do you prefer going out or staying in? I always prefer to stay home on Valentine’s Day. I love cooking for my family, and I’d much rather be in my home than in an over-crowded restaurant with mediocre service. My husband and I are planning a low-key evening at home this Valentine’s Day. After the kiddos go to bed, we’ll be diving into pasta with Bolognese and a glass (or two!) of red wine.
When trying to come up with the ideal recipe for Valentine’s Day dinner I knew I wanted something elegant and easy. The dish needed to be hearty, too. My husband is not going to get excited about a kale salad. 😉
Bolognese Sauce
This Quick Bolognese Sauce fits the bill perfectly. If you’ve ever made a traditional Bolognese sauce before, you know that it takes many, many hours to simmer away on the stove. This quick version is filled with similar flavors in a fraction of the time; less than an hour! It’s meaty and flavorful, with a slight hint of red wine in the background. It absolutely begs to be served over hot pasta and accompanied by a glass of wine.
I used The Dreaming Tree Crush (red blend) in the sauce itself, and I also paired it with the meal. The Dreaming Tree has several other varieties of red (I also picked up a Pinot Noir) as well as white wine. The Dreaming Tree Wines are a collection of approachable, high-quality California wines. As a California girl that counts Northern California wine country as one of my favorite places on earth, I am always happy to find a great California wine. I was also thrilled to learn that The Dreaming Tree is sustainably conscious from vine to table.
This Valentine’s Day express your love with food and wine! Whip up this Quick Bolognese Sauce, pour a couple glasses of wine, and enjoy a night in with someone special. Be sure to check out your local retailer for wine tasting demos.
Never miss a recipe – Subscribe to receive my recipes via email, or follow along on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest or Google+.
Quick Bolognese Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tablespons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, finely chopped
- 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ⅔ cup Dreaming Tree Crush, red wine blend
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes, I used crushed tomatoes with basil
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- parmesan cheese, for serving
- cooked pasta, for serving
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, about 8 minutes. Add the ground beef. Saute, stirring frequently and breaking up the meat, until it is brown, about 10 minutes. Add the Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Add wine and stir to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add crushed tomatoes and tomato paste, stirring until combined. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in heavy cream. If desired, you can also add some water to thin out the sauce slightly. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve over pasta with parmesan cheese.
Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Luna
This was delicious ! I loved it as well as the kids. No reason to cook any other Bolognese sauce again!
Celebrating Sweets
Fantastic! Thanks for taking the time to comment. Glad you enjoyed it. -Allison
Gabby
Hi!
I plan on making this recipe vegan by using a vegan beefless meat and was wondering if you had a cream substitute suggestion? I typically use coconut milk.
Thanks
Celebrating Sweets
Hi, Gabby. I don’t have another suggestion. I would assume that coconut milk should work if that’s what you typically use as a substitute for heavy cream. I would go easy on it, tasting as you go, just to make sure that no coconut flavor is coming through. I wouldn’t skip it altogether, because it adds a nice bit of fat and creaminess. Enjoy!
Jane
Qcan purée be used instead of crushed tomatoes ?
Celebrating Sweets
Sure!
Heather
I love this recipe. My picky husband and kids love it too. Exactly as written. Since they liked it so much I thought I’d try to sneak in some extra veggies….a couple extra carrot sticks, a few more celery and the whole onion. I do blend it so my kids don’t freak out with the chunks of healthy stuff. I’ve even made this with turkey. This is a keeper for sure!
Celebrating Sweets
Great idea to sneak in the veggies. I’m glad that you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂