One-Pot Pasta Bolognese

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There’s no denying that when it comes to meat sauces, a good bolognese is matchless, but it is a sauce that many a Nonna can spend the better part of a day creating. I’m not going to sit here and tell you that it’s not worth that time and patience – it most certainly is and the results are often mindblowing – I’m just going to tell you that you can still get a great bolognese in a much quicker fashion. Like this One-Pot Pasta Bolognese, for instance. This is our quick-fix answer to bolognese and it happens to be absolutely delicious even though it comes together in one pot (as in you don’t even need to boil the pasta separately) in just under thirty minutes.

The nice thing about bolognese is that it doesn’t take a ton of ingredients to make a great one. It’s really a simple list – a few aromatic veggies, some tomatoes, some ground meat. Speaking of which, we’re using only ground beef here since this is a quick-fix, easy version, but you could absolutely use a more traditional combination of pork, veal, and beef if your heart so desires.

One Pot Pasta Bolognese

It’s not just like Nonna’s, but it IS quick and easy!

INGREDIENTS
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 1 ribs celery, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 1 lb uncooked bucatini or fettuccine
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated, plus more for serving
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped, plus more for serving
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
PREPARATION
  1. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
  2. Stir in tomato paste and cook another minute, then add the beef and season with salt and pepper. Cook until browned, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add tomatoes, Italian seasoning, pasta, and 3 cups of water. Stir everything to make sure that the pasta is covered in liquid.
  4. Bring to a boil and stir frequently to keep pasta from sticking. Cook until pasta is al dente and sauce has thickened, 10-12 minutes.
  5. Stir in Parmesan and parsley and season with salt and pepper as needed.
  6. Serve with additional Parmesan and parsley, and enjoy!