Wagyu Beef Bolognese Sauce {Italian Meat Sauce}

Adapted from Pastor Ryan’s Bolognese Sauce, posted by the Pioneer Woman

When my daughter and I were in Winnipeg for Folklorama (an International festival showcasing culture from many countries around the world), one of the “countries we visited” was Italy (of course). My daughter tried some pasta with Bolognese sauce, which surprised me because she usually tends to eat her pasta without sauce. I asked her about it and she said that was getting kinda boring eating pasta without sauce. Anyway, she loved the bolognese, ate every bite of it, and I quietly vowed to myself to find a good recipe and make Bolognese for her when we got back from vacation.

Two other things happened to push me to get on it and make the sauce: first, the day we got back, she got braces. Her teeth hurt a LOT and she can only eat very soft foods. Pasta has been a top choice for her lately.

Then I also received a special package from Lone Mountain Wagyu, who had contacted me recently asking if I’d like to hear their story and try their beef. Curious, I looked at their web site and discovered they raise a special breed of Japanese cattle that are prized for their marbled meat. You might think marbled meat means unhealthy fats, but the cattle are naturally and humanely raised and grass fed, and the marbling in the Wagyu beef is rich in Omega-3, 6 and 9 fatty acids, making the beef very heart healthy (much like salmon). In fact, the monounsaturated to saturated fat ration is higher in Wagyu beef than any other beef, so it is deemed by nutritionists to be beneficial in decreasing LDL cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol) and increasing HDL (the “good” cholesterol). I love how Lone Mountain treats their cattle and I really love that they follow sustainable ranching practices, respecting the earth, using solar energy and conserving natural resources. They sent me 3 lbs of their ground beef and I really couldn’t wait to try it. Okay, I know it’s a Japanese breed of cattle that’s grown in New Mexico, but really, what better use for it than a meaty Bolognese sauce?

Many of the recipes I found for Bolognese tended to have LOADS of olive oil and/or butter and then heavy cream on top of that, which I felt was totally unnecessary and quite fattening. To lighten it up without sacrificing taste, I cut down the amount of added oil/butter and used fat free half & half in place of the cream. I can’t even tell you how happy I was when BOTH of my kids not only tried it–they LOVED it. We very very  rarely … ok NEVER … all agree on food, but this time we were ALL happy. I mean we were all severely happy. I was on top of the world. Thank you Lone Mountain Wagyu, for giving us a beautiful meal together and a delicious meal for a teenage girl with new braces. It felt even better knowing how healthy and nutritious our sumptuous meal really was. My kids have already requested that I make it again. I am SUCH a happy mom.

Wagyu Beef Bolognese Sauce

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour
• Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

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Description

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

© Copyright 2013, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 3 – 4 carrots, peeled & shredded (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 of a large red onion, chopped fine (about 1 cup)
• 3 – 6 cloves of garlic, peeled & chopped fine
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 lb. Wagyu ground beef (or other quality grass-fed ground beef)
• 1 small (6-oz.) can tomato paste
• 3/4 cup red wine
• 1 Tablespoon wortcestershire sauce
• 1 pint (16 oz.) or so of canned, chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 cup fat free half & half
• 3/4 teaspoon salt (more or less to taste)
• About 2 Tablespoons EACH: chopped fresh basil AND oregano leaves
• A bit of finely chopped fresh rosemary
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

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Instructions

1. Peel the carrots and shred them and chop the onion and garlic … or run all three through your food processor or handi chopper until finely chopped.
2. Heat a large saucepan or soup pot over medium heat and add the butter and olive oil. Add the carrots, onion & garlic and saute for 3 – 5 minutes.
3. Move the veggies over to the outside edges of the pan, making a spot in the center to cook the meat. Add the ground beef and cook until it is browned, stirring as it cooks to break it up into small bits, then stir the meat and the veggie mixture together and again, make a spot in the center.
4. Add the tomato paste in the center and let it warm for a minute or so, then stir it into the mixture, adding the wine, wortcestershire sauce and canned tomatoes as well. Stir in the half & half and the salt, then the herbs. Add pepper. Cover, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
5. Serve over cooked pasta and/or veggie “noodles” with freshly ground parmesan.

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Notes

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

© Copyright 2013, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.

This recipe was shared at Cast Party Wednesday, Thursday’s Treasures, Foodie Friends Friday, Foodie Friends Friday Noodles Party, What to Do Weekends, Super Sunday and Clever Chicks Bloghop.