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Pasta with Use-What-You’ve-Got Bolognese

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Makes 4 servings 1x

Time 30 minutes

Units Scale

Ingredients

  • Salt
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, or more as needed
  • 1 pound ground beef or other ground meat
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • Pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried herb (like oregano, thyme, or marjoram)
  • 1 teaspoon spices (like fennel seeds, ground coriander, or celery seeds)
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 1 cup dry red wine or water
  • 1/2 cup milk or heavy cream
  • 1 pound any pasta
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan or pecorino cheese (about 4 ounces)

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Put the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat with the beef, onion, and garlic and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently and breaking the meat up until it’s browned and the vegetables are soft, 5 to 10 minutes.
  2. Add the herbs, spices, and tomato paste and stir until fragrant and the tomato paste has caramelized, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the wine, raise the heat a bit, and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping any browned bits off the bottom. Add the milk and adjust the heat so the sauce bubbles gently and cook until thickened, 5 to 10 minutes. Cover and keep warm.
  3. Add the pasta to the boiling water, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, then start tasting. When the pasta is tender but still has some bite, scoop out 2 cups cooking water, then drain the pasta. Immediately add the pasta and 1/2 cup cheese to the skillet and toss to coat; if it’s too dry, add enough of the reserved cooking water to coat the noodles in sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning, toss again, and serve, passing the remaining cheese at the table.

— Recipe from Dinner for Everyone