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Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 lb. ground beef sirloin
- 1 ⁄2 lb. bulk Italian sausage
- 1 ⁄2 cup chopped onion
- 1 ⁄2 cup chopped celery
- 1 ⁄2 cup chopped carrot
- 1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
- 1 can whole tomatoes, chopped (28 oz.)
- 1 ⁄2 cup milk
- 1 ⁄4 cup dry red wine
- 1 ⁄4 cup low-sodium beef broth
- 1 ⁄4 cup tomato paste
- 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 ⁄2 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1 ⁄2 tsp. fennel seed
- 1 ⁄2 cup mascarpone or cream cheese
- Be sure to use lean beef, like ground sirloin, to avoid a greasy sauce. If you have difficulty locating bulk
- sausage, the link variety works as well — just remember to remove the casing before browning the meat.
Details
Servings 6
Preparation
Step 1
Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add beef and sausage; cook until no longer pink. Using a fine-mesh sieve, drain off fat; set beef and sausage aside.
Mince onion, celery, carrot, and garlic in a food processor; transfer to a 4- to 6-qt. slow cooker.
Add meat mixture, tomatoes, milk, wine, broth, tomato paste, vinegar, salt, basil, oregano, pepper flakes, and fennel seed to slow cooker. Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 3–4 hours. Immediately before serving sauce, stir in mascarpone or cream cheese.
Nutrition Information
Per serving: 367 cal; 25g total fat (12g sat); 93mg chol; 782mg sodium; 12g total carbs; 2g fiber; 22g protein
Editor’s Note
To lower the calorie count in this sauce try substituting neufchatel in place of the mascarpone cheese, swap Italian turkey sausage for fullfat pork sausage, or use skim milk instead of the 2-percent we use in testing our recipes.
1. Start with chopped vegetables, then mince them in a food processor until they are very fine.
2. Whisking mascarpone into the sauce just before serving gives bolognese its rich, velvety texture.
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