Week 52: Spaghetti Bolognese

I adore pasta and am always searching for a new favorite sauce. I have several favorite bolognese recipes. They each require a mixture of different meats. I was drawn to this one because it only requires beef.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Makes 8 generous servings

1/4 C olive oil
1/4 C butter
1 1/2 C grated carrots
1 large red onion, diced
2 lb ground beef
2 Tbsp dried oregano
2 Tbsp dried basil
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 - 2 C red wine
2 Tbsp Worcestershire
2 cans (28 oz each) whole tomatoes
1 C milk
Salt and pepper, to taste
Parmesan cheese, for serving
Favorite pasta noodles, for serving 

Heat oil and melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add grated carrots and onions and cook for a few minutes. Add the ground beef. Cook for a few minutes until brown, gradually stirring it into the carrot mixture.

Add oregano and basil. When the meat is browned and combined with other ingredients, add tomato paste and let it heat. Add garlic and stir to combine.

Add red wine. Stir together. Add Worcestershire and stir. Add canned tomatoes. Finally, pour in milk, stir, and let simmer for 2 hours.

Serve with pasta and a generous sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

My Notes:
This was really greasy. The grease actually cooked to the top of the sauce after the two hours of simmering and was difficult to combine back into the actual finished product. Next time, I might use just the 1/4 C olive oil and skip the butter. Or, maybe I'll just use the butter and skip the olive oil. Skipping the butter sounds like insanity.