Spaghetti Bolognese

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2004

Show: Emeril LiveEpisode: Familial Melting Pot

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (110)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(110)

Cook Time:
2 hr 20 min
Level:
Easy
Yield:
6 to 8 servings

Times:

Prep: 30 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook: 2 hr 20 min
Total:: 2 hr 50 min

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Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 ounces bacon or pancetta, diced
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
3/4 cup diced carrots
3/4 cup diced celery
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 pound ground beef or ground veal
1/2 pound pork sausage, removed from the casings, or ground pork
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup red wine
2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes and their juice
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup beef or chicken stock or broth
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 pound spaghetti
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring, until browned and the fat is rendered, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onions, carrots and celery and cook, stirring, until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, salt, pepper, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, cinnamon, and nutmeg and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the beef and sausages, and cook, stirring, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring, to deglaze the pan and remove any browned bits sticking to the bottom of the pan, and until half of the liquid is evaporated, about 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and their juices, the tomato sauce, beef broth, and sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, to keep the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pan, until the sauce is thickened and flavorful, about 1 1/2 hours. Add the cream, butter, and parsley, stir well, and simmer for 2 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and adjust the seasoning, to taste. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm until ready to serve.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and return the water to a low boil. Cook, stirring occasionally to prevent the noodles from sticking, until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain in a colander.

Add the pasta to the sauce, tossing to coat. Add 1/2 cup of the cheese and toss to blend. Divide among pasta bowls and serve with the cheese passed tableside. (Alternatively, toss only the desired portion of pasta with a bit of the sauce at a time in a serving bowl, reserving the remainder for another meal.)

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Spaghetti Bolognese
V brooklynn, NY 11-18-2009
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Worth the effort
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I am a fan of Emeril's and though I did search around to the traditional Italian Food Network cooks' recipes (Giada, Rachel... Ray, Batali) first...I settled on this one b/c it sounded very much like Bolognese I've eaten in Italy. Though it took a while to cook, it was SOOOO worth it. I did skip the cinnamon b/c I really don't like cinnamon in any way, shape or form and I halved the nutmeg b/c I know it does tend to over power. I also used turkey sausage instead of pork b/c we're a no-pork household and therefore also skipped the pancetta and just used plain olive oil to start the process. I was pretty satisfied with the results nevertheless and could imagine that the pancetta would have made this dish way to heavy and greasy, esp mixed with pork sausage (ugh!) .... Have some patience and MOST importantly, give everything time to brown properly at every single step, almost to the point of starting to get burned, esp the veggies in the beginning and the meat cooking phase (see Anne Burrell's video on Bolognese for a good explanation of why). These flavors need time to build and this recipe's cooking times for each section are too short. but all in all, it was a hit! Next time, I'll prolly use only beef and skip the turkey sausage altogether. Thanks Emeril. Read more
recipe Spaghetti Bolognese
L San Diego, CA 11-09-2009
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Loved it as written!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I made this recipe as written and loved the cinnamon and nutmeg in it. It gave the sauce a different flavor to the norm and... made the dish for me! I will be making this on a normal basis this winter. If you want to cut down on cost, I think it would also be delicious with just ground beef.Read more
recipe Spaghetti Bolognese
Dino Lexington, MA 10-02-2009
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Kitchen Sink
Rated: 1 stars out of 5

Emeril, I love ya' but this Bolognese recipe has everything in it but the kitchen sink. TOO MUCH extraneious stuff and... flavors. To your credit you have the correct ingredients in it, except that they are surrounded by a gazzillion other things. Here are the classic Bolognese ingredients: Ground Beef Ground Pork Pancetta Onion ( NEVER MIX ONION AND GARLIC IN ITALIAN COOKERY, one or the other) Celery Shreded Carrots Tomatoes Wine Nutmeg Sugar Milk Butter/Olive Oil Salt Black Pepper Parmigiano-Reggiano grated AND...by all means...thyme and oregan...particularly OREGANO!!!!! do not belong in this sauce. Adding Oregano to any Italian food recipes is akin to adding Soy Sauce to any Asian recipe. NO GOOD.Read more
recipe Spaghetti Bolognese
kelly garwood, NJ 09-29-2009
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Love, Love, Love This!!!!!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I have made this a dozen times. I love it because it makes so much and there is enough left over that I can freeze it in... batches. I see that a lot of people have commented on the nutmeg and cinnamon and that it was two much. I totally agree and have cut the measurements in half and it works wonderfully. I find this recipe to be very easy and very delicious.Read more
recipe Spaghetti Bolognese
Terri Sarasota, FL 08-07-2009
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Very good, but be careful
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I have made this three times. The first two times I did not use cinnamon or nutmeg and I loved it. It was very good and I... would highly recommend the recipe. Last night I made it with a very, very small amount of cinnamon and nutmeg and I didn't like it at all. It smelled funny and I didn't like the taste. I will make this again in the future, but without those two ingredients.Read more
recipe Spaghetti Bolognese
Kyle Quincy, MA 07-05-2009
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My favorite pasta sauce!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

After reading the reviews, I'm disappointed to find that so many people did not like the nutmeg an cinnamon in the sauce.... Those two ingrediants make the sauce for me! I'm originally from the southern US, and now live in Boston. I made this sauce for a dinner party and received so many wonderful compilments. In fact, I gave the recipe to a second generation Italian immigrant to give to his mother and she loved it! Some people may find nutmeg and cinnamon overpowering; cut back on the suggested amounts. The one alteration I made was to add a little bit of flour after cooking the meat. One thing I learned while cooking in the south, Do Not Waste Meat Drippings! There is so much flavor there! It's not figure friendly. But if you're trying to be figure friendly, then just eat only the celery and carrot sticks. Read more