Pasta is always a great option when you’re searching for quick dinner ideas. But if you’re in a hurry, you might think you don’t have time to make sauce from scratch. With the help of this make ahead ground beef Bolognese sauce recipe, you can whip up a homemade sauce ahead of time and store it in your freezer until you’re ready to enjoy it.
This recipe works best in the slow cooker because it allows all those flavors to meld beautifully. Our One Pot Bolognese recipe cooks up on the stovetop.
What makes this homemade pasta sauce chunky is the mix of vegetables and ground beef. If you want to add in more vegetables, thinly sliced or shredded carrots can also be added.
Chunky Ground Beef Bolognese Recipe
Ingredients:
1 ½ pounds lean ground beef, browned
1 onion, diced
2 celery stalks, chopped
½ zucchini, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled
28 ounces diced tomatoes
2 5.5 ounce cans tomato paste
2 cups water
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper
Assembly Instructions:
Combine the ground beef, onion, celery, zucchini, garlic, bacon, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, water, and Italian seasoning in a large resealable freezer bag.
Squeeze the bag to mix all the ingredients together.
Remove excess air from the bag, seal it, and place the sauce ingredients in the freezer until the day of cooking.
Cooking instructions:
Transfer the Bolognese to the refrigerator to thaw overnight.
Pour all the ingredients into the bowl of your slow cooker and set to cook on low for 4 to 5 hours.
Alternately, you can bring it to a boil on the stovetop over medium heat and then simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Serve the cooked sauce over spaghetti, spaghetti squash, or zucchini noodles.
This delicious sauce recipe is perfect for freezer cooking because it can be frozen both before and after cooking!
If you’re hoping to speed up your workload on prep day, simply combine the sauce ingredients in a freezer bag and store it in the freezer until you’re ready to cook your sauce. On the day of cooking, you’ll need to reserve four to five hours to prepare the sauce.
To speed up the time you sped cooking on preparation day, you can also cook the sauce in advance and store it in the freezer. Follow the recipe instructions for preparing the sauce, then allow the cooked sauce to cool completely before transferring it to your freezer container. To reheat the sauce, simply warm it up in a saucepan or large skillet.
How Do You Store Ground Beef Bolognese?
This prepared sauce can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer after it’s been cooked. If you plan on storing the sauce in the fridge, transfer your leftover Bolognese to an airtight container and chill it for up to four days.
Your sauce can also be frozen for long-term storage. When stored in a freezer bag or airtight freezer friendly container, the sauce will stay good for up to five months.
How should I serve Bolognese?
If you’re looking for a low carb option, this can be served over zucchini or squash noodles. This meat sauce is traditionally served on long pasta noodles such as spaghetti, pappardelle, or tagliatelle. Cook pasta according to the package directions, drain, and top with the sauce.
If you want to elevate this sauce and add some depth of flavor, you can stir some dry red wine into the sauce towards the end of the cooking time.
Pro tip: You can freeze leftover wine in ice cube trays and transfer the cubes to a freezer bag. You can then toss a few cubes into a sauce like this.
Sprinkle with red chili flakes and shredded Parmesan cheese if desired.
Serve with a side salad, garlic bread, or Caesar salad.
Combine the ground beef, onion, celery, zucchini, garlic, bacon, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, water, and Italian seasoning in a large resealable freezer bag.
Squeeze the bag to mix all the ingredients together.
Remove excess air from the bag, seal it, and place the sauce ingredients in the freezer until the day of cooking.
Cooking instructions:
Transfer the Bolognese to the refrigerator to thaw overnight.
Pour all the ingredients into the bowl of your slow cooker and set to cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or simmer on the stovetop for 25 minutes.
Serve the cooked sauce over spaghetti, spaghetti squash, or zucchini noodles.
Worcestershire or balsamic vinegar can also add sweetness and richness to the sauce quickly. Tomato paste gives a rich kick to a sauce, it is the result of tomatoes being cooked down for hours, so all the hard work has been done for you.
Manage the sizzle and the heat in your pan and your mince will be tastier without working too hard. Break the mince up BEFORE it hits the pan and use a whisk or plastic egg lift to break up the lumps. Change your life Bolognese.
If you are missing an umami note, it's possible you are missing a very common ingredient in bolognese - chicken livers. These give a meaty, almost sweet flavour. Soak them in water for a few minutes, then finely chop or pulse in a food processor. I use minced (ground) pork, beef and chicken livers.
As the sauce simmers, the water in it will evaporate and the sauce will get thicker. You can also add a little bit of cornstarch to the sauce to thicken it without changing the flavor. If you don't mind altering the sauce's flavor, try adding grated cheese, tomato paste, or even mashed potatoes to thicken it.
Get that depth of flavour by cooking the sauce very gently until it's super rich. This spag bol is designed to be a low cost recipe. Each serving provides 787 kcal, 35g protein, 103g carbohydrates (of which 19g sugars), 24g fat (of which 8g saturates), 8.5g fibre and 1.5g salt.
The reason for sprinkling a pinch of sugar into a simmering saucepan of tomatoes is simple: sugar cuts the acidity of the tomatoes and creates an overall more balanced sauce. The exact acid levels in tomatoes can vary quite a bit depending on whether they're fresh or canned, the tomato variety, and the time of year.
Artusi's recipe, which he called maccheroni alla bolognese, is thought to derive from the mid 19th century when he spent considerable time in Bologna (maccheroni being a generic term for pasta, both dried and fresh). The sauce called for predominantly lean veal filet along with pancetta, butter, onion, and carrot.
Q1: What is the distinction between traditional and American Bolognese? A1: While some of the ingredients in bolognese are similar to those in American-style spaghetti meat sauce, authentic bolognese is thicker, has milk added (which is delicious), and uses far less tomato.
Heat the oil in a pan then slowly brown the onion over a gentle heat. Add the mince, stirring to stop it from sticking. Add the remaining ingredients, apart from the spaghetti, bring the sauce to the boil, cover and then lower the heat and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes, giving it a stir now and again.
Taste.com. au's food director, Michelle Southan, says: “Sometimes when I've been in a rush and I haven't added bay leaves to my bolognese, my family and I eat it and notice something is missing. “Bay leaves add a subtle warm, herby-yet-floral flavour.
According to our Food Director Amira, not only does milk add a rich flavour to the bolognese, but it also “helps cut through the acidity of the tomatoes and red wine”. She adds: “It also makes the mince meat nice and tender, creating that melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness.”
The best tip for intensifying the flavour of your sauce is just to cook it slowly on a low heat for a long time. This reduces the sauce and intensifies the flavours – four hours is not uncommon for my bolognese.
Leave on low to simmer for 15-20 minutes minimum, lid off if you prefer a thicker sauce. This can be left for 60-90 minutes or longer but place a lid on to avoid reducing too much. If you're using dark chocolate or chilli, stir in 5 minutes before serving.
To make your sauce rich and luxurious, finish it with a pat of butter, a splash of cream or coconut cream, or a spoonful of yogurt, crème fraîche, or sour cream. 13. Swirl in some high-quality olive oil Adding a glug to the sauce just before serving gives it a similar richness and shine to butter without adding dairy.
Your spaghetti sauce may taste bland due to insufficient seasoning. Try adding more salt, herbs (like basil, oregano, or thyme), and other flavor enhancers like garlic, onion, or red pepper flakes. Also, a dash of sugar can balance flavors and bring out the natural sweetness of tomatoes.
Cheese and dairy give sauces creaminess while butter and oil give them richness. You also don't need to use a lot — these are just for finishing and rounding out the flavors in a sauce. Whole Milk or Heavy Cream: Add a splash and let the sauce simmer for a few minutes to thicken.
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