My Husb and I have started a dorky little tradition called Spaghetti Sundays. It’s pretty self-explanatory. On Sunday nights, we throw caution to the wind and do some serious carb loading. It’s fun to cook a new recipe and not feel guilty about it. We generally try to keep our carb intake low, and I’m constantly tempted by the millions of amazing pasta recipes out there. Hence, Spaghetti Sunday was born.
This week’s Spaghetti Sunday was a smash hit. I made Barefoot Contessa’s Weeknight Bolognese, and it was to die for. So, without further ado…
Barefoot Contessa Weeknight Bolognese
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons good olive oil, plus a bit more to cook the pasta
- 1 pound lean ground sirloin
- 4 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 1/4 cups dry red wine, divided
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 box pasta (I use Barilla Protein Plus Spaghetti)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I didn’t have any nutmeg so I omitted this)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
Directions:
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground sirloin and cook, crumbling the meat with a wooden spoon, for 5-7 minutes, until the meat has lost its pink color and started to brown. Stir in the garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 more minute. Pour 1 cup of the wine into the skillet and stir to scrape up any browned bits. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper, stirring until combined. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a tablespoon of salt, a splash of oil, and the pasta and cook according to the directions on the box.
While the pasta cooks, finish the sauce. Add the nutmeg, basil, cream, and the remaining 1/4 cup wine to the sauce and simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened. When the pasta is cooked, drain and pour into a large serving bowl. Add the sauce and 1/2 cup Parmesan and toss well. Serve hot with Parmesan on the side.
Makes 4-5 servings.
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