Description
The longer this ragu meat sauce cooks, the better it tastes. Plan to start cooking at least three hours before dinner time, or make this sauce in the morning and reheat it later.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil or bacon grease
- 1 12-oz bag frozen mirepoix or about 1/2 cup each of chopped onion, celery & carrot
- 1/2 cup minced bacon or pancetta
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1.5 cup dry white wine
- 2 or 3 14-ounce cans tomato sauce (I use 2 pints home canned tomato sauce)
- Unrefined sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Optional: 1 cup heavy cream
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese (or pecorino romano, which is sheep’s cheese)
- Roasted spaghetti squash or zoodles
Instructions
- Put the oil or grease in a large soup pot over medium-low heat.
- When the oil is melted, add the onion, carrot, celery, and bacon or pancetta. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
- Add the ground meat and cook, stirring and breaking up any clumps, until all traces of red are gone, about 5 minutes.
- Add the wine, raise the heat a bit, and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is evaporated, about 5 minutes.
- Add the tomato sauce. Turn the heat to low and cook at a slow simmer, stirring occasionally and breaking up any clumps of meat that remain.
- After an hour or so, add salt and pepper. Cook for another hour or so, until much of the liquid has evaporated and the sauce is very thick.
- Add cream, if using, and cook for another 15 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally; taste and add more salt and/or pepper as needed.
- Serve immediately over roasted spaghetti squash or zoodles, with grated parmesan or pecorino romano.