“My Beef Bolognese with Rigatoni”

Thanksgiving is just days away however, we still have to eat before the big day. Cook make ahead meals everyone can enjoy spur of the moment like My Beef Bolognese with Rigatoni. At this point time is of the essence especially if you’re working or welcoming family and friends for the holiday. Bolognese is the perfect sauce to prepare one night after work then refrigerate to serve later. All you’ll need to do is cook pasta which takes about 10 minutes. In fact, Bolognese tastes even better the next day. I think you’ll be hooked and requested quite often.

My Beef Bolognese with Rigatoni

Nothing is as satisfying as Bolognese in my opinion. Tender beef with onion, celery, carrots, red wine, mushrooms, nutmeg to start and the beloved finish of heavy cream to bring this sauce all together. When preparing Bolognese quite a bit of chopping vegetables is involved so I recommend prepping ahead of time.

In my Bolognese, I love to use beef chuck which means the sauce will cook a bit longer than using ground beef. You can use ground beef if you like however, if you’ve never used chuck, give it a try next time. You may never go back to ground beef. The meaty shreds of beef are irresistible with chopped vegetables and that hint of nutmeg just adds that special touch.

My Beef Bolognese with Rigatoni

Be sure to cut the beef into bite-size pieces and once cooked shred with the back of a large spoon. Do this before you pour in the heavy cream. Adjust your seasonings and serve.. A large pasta works best with hearty Bolognese. Spaghetti is a bit small. To serve, just top pasta with Bolognese and sprinkle with Pecorino Romano and chopped fresh parsley. Dinner’s on! Truly heaven in a bowl!

My Beef Bolognese with Rigatoni

This is the perfect dinner recipe before the big day or to have on hand during a busy work week and well worth the effort. Whatever your plans, you can’t go wrong with My Beef Bolognese with Rigatoni. An awesome blend of flavors sure to ignite your taste buds with every bite. This Bolognese is befitting any guest not to mention your family. My husband loves rigatoni and this sauce is on my favorites meal rotation. Enjoy and if you make this recipe leave me comment and #chowdownlowdown with photos of your creations.

My Beef Bolognese with Rigatoni

 

My Beef Bolognese with Rigatoni

3 strips smoked uncured bacon, chopped

4 T. unsalted butter

1 to 1 1/4-pounds beef chuck, cut into bite-size pieces

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 large carrot, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

2 large portabella mushrooms, gills removed and chopped

1/2 t. each kosher salt and ground black pepper

1/2 t. fresh ground nutmeg

2 bay leaves

1/4 cup red wine

1 – 14.5 oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 – 14.5 oz. can beef stock

3/4 cup heavy cream

1-pound box Rigatoni pasta or more if needed

Grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano

Chopped fresh parsley

 

In a 5-quart Dutch oven, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until crispy.

Add beef, salt and pepper, cooking until no pink remains, about 10 minutes.

Stir in onion, garlic, carrot, celery, and mushrooms, sautéing until all vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle in nutmeg and bay leaves, stirring 1 minute.

Pour in red wine, tomatoes, and beef stock.

Bring sauce to boil, reduce heat, half cover pot and low simmer for 1 hour 30 minutes or until beef is tender. Break up beef with large spoon.

Pour in cream and heat through about 10 minutes before serving.

Cook rigatoni according to package directions and drain.

Ladle pasta in bowls and top with Bolognese. Sprinkle with cheese and chopped parsley.

 

Makes 6 servings.