This Easy Sunday Bolognese Sauce is a delicious sauce for a long weekend and it's one you can freeze too! Freezing leftover sauce is a good idea to reduce food waste and have sauce on hand for future use. This sauce recipe is a spin off more traditional bolognese recipes. Here, I'm opting to keep it dairy free (unless you want to add cheese; I won’t blame you if you do!). It's also full of all the summer vegetable flavors. It’s the sauce that you let simmer in your Dutch oven, low and slow, on a Sunday while enjoying a glass of your favorite wine, chatting it up with your nearest and dearest.
In this base recipe, we roast fresh tomatoes in garlic, olive oil, and a tiny bit of crushed red pepper flakes for just a hint of heat that’s undeniably delicious. We also grate the veggies here. The carrot and zucchini melt into the sauce so well even your pickiest eaters won’t notice—trust me. I’ve got two of them. Scroll down below to add this recipe to your weekend Sunday Sauce repertoire and serve with your favorite pasta. Note: fresh pappardelle is perfect here.
Why This Recipe Works Well
A good homemade sauce is one you'll keep on hand for anytime of year. This tomato-based sauce was a great way to use up our summertime whole tomatoes from our CSA box and from our garden. It's the kind of pasta sauce we return to again and again. As a bonus: when asked "can you freeze bolognese sauce?" Yes! Scroll down for my tips on how to do just that. Whether tossed with fresh or dried pasta, this bolognese sauce recipe is a winner.
Ingredients for the Easy Bolognese Pasta Sauce
This spaghetti bolognese recipe will yield about 6 cups of sauce. Here's what we need:
- 1 and ½ pounds tomatoes, Roma or hot house
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium carrots, grated
- 1 small zucchini, grated
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 small yellow onion, peeled and finely diced
- 1 celery stalk, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves
- optional: a parmesan cheese rind + grated parmesan and pecorino for garnishing
- 1 pound of your favorite pasta: fresh pappardelle was used here. Highly recommend.
How to Make This Delicious Sauce Recipe
This might be an unpopular take but from my view: there is no quick bolognese recipe. The best sauces of this type have a depth of flavor that is truly achieved from the low and slow cooking. That said, this is a go-to recipe for a Sunday when we have a little more time and can prep larger quantities as part of our usual freezer cooking plans. Here's how we make what I feel is the best bolognese sauce:
Step 1: Roasting Tomatoes for the Sauce
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Rinse your tomatoes and slice them in half. Place the halved tomatoes on your prepared baking sheet. Season the tomatoes with olive oil, kosher salt, black pepper, your dried herbs, crushed red pepper flakes and add in your cloves of unpeeled garlic (this helps the garlic avoid burning while roasting). Roast your tomatoes for 30 to 40 minutes, until edges of your tomato halves begin to shrivel slightly and the juices start to release. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 5 to 10 minutes.
Remove the skins from the roasted garlic cloves and place in your blender. Add in your tomatoes and blend on medium-low speed until well blended. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Set aside to begin working on the next stage of your sauce.
Step 2: Making the Bolognese Sauce
In a 4-quart dutch oven heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Grate your vegetables using either a hand grater or food processor fitted with the shredding blade. Add your onions, celery, garlic, grated carrot and zucchini and cook until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 to 7 minutes. Next, add your ground meat and, using a wooden spoon, break up your beef to combine with veggies and cook until the beef is browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in your tomato paste to combine. Add your roasted tomato sauce and a ½ cup water then stir to combine it all together. Add in your basil leaves and bring the sauce to a simmer. Cover and simmer for about an hour, checking about halfway to stir.
During the last 15 minutes of cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add in your pasta of choice and cook until al dente. Strain your pasta, reserving about ¼ cup to ½ cup of pasta water, and place in a large bowl. Spoon your sauce over the pasta and begin tossing it together, adding pasta water as needed to help create a luscious sauce. A blend of grated pecorino and parmesan works beautifully here, but is still optional if you’re not consuming dairy.
Ladle the pasta into bowls, garnish with a sprig of fresh basil, and enjoy immediately.
Tips for Freezing Your Bolognese Sauce and FAQ
Yes! You can absolutely freeze bolognese sauce. Once cooked, allow sauce to cool to room temperature. Portion out the cooked sauce into an airtight container, glass jars, or freezer-safe bags. Remove as much air from the container or freezer bag as possible to reduce the chance for freezer burn. Store in the freezer for up to six months.
You can absolutely use crushed tomatoes in this dish. Tomato puree will also work well here. If using that, you might also want to use additional Italian seasonings to pump up the volume of flavor for your sauce. The roast tomatoes in this recipe afford an umami flavor that works beautifully. If you don't want to take the time to roast the tomatoes, using your favorite canned variety works just as well.
I wanted to craft a recipe that could versatile enough to do without these two ingredients. For one, my family and I are working to limit our dairy intake. Secondly, while you could use red or white wine to help deglaze the pan to remove any browned bits, I find that a splash of cold water or lukewarm water helps just as well to deglaze while the spaghetti sauce simmers over low heat.
More Pasta to Love
If you're looking for a delicious seasonal pasta dish to add to your menu, I've got you covered! Head to my Pasta page for some easy pasta inspo the next time you're looking to make something delicious with any of your favorite pasta shapes!
The Sunday Pasta Sauce (Easy Bolognese)
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds tomatoes Heirloom, Roma or hot house
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic unpeeled
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium carrots grated
- 1 small zucchini grated
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 small yellow onion peeled and finely diced
- 1 celery stalk finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves
- optional: a parmesan cheese rind + grated parmesan and pecorino for garnishing
- 1 pound of your favorite pasta: fresh pappardelle was used here. Highly recommend.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Rinse your tomatoes and slice them in half. Place the halved tomatoes on your prepared baking sheet. Season the tomatoes with olive oil, kosher salt, black pepper, your dried herbs, crushed red pepper flakes and add in your cloves of unpeeled garlic (this helps the garlic avoid burning while roasting). Roast your tomatoes for 30 to 40 minutes, until edges of your tomato halves begin to shrivel slightly and the juices start to release. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Remove the skins from the roasted garlic cloves and place in your blender. Add in your tomatoes and blend on medium-low speed until well blended. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Set aside to begin working on the next stage of your sauce.
- In a 4-quart dutch oven heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add your onions, celery, garlic, grated carrot and zucchini and cook until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add your ground beef and, using a wooden spoon, break up your beef to combine with veggies and cook until the beef is browned, about 5 minutes. Add your tomato paste and stir to combine. Add your roasted tomato sauce and a ½ cup water then stir to combine it all together. Add in your basil leaves and bring the sauce to a simmer. Cover and simmer for about an hour, checking about halfway to stir.
- During the last 15 minutes of cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add in your pasta of choice and cook until al dente. Strain your pasta, reserving about ¼ cup to ½ cup of pasta water, and place in a large bowl. Spoon your sauce over the pasta and begin tossing it together, adding pasta water as needed to help create a luscious sauce. A blend of grated pecorino and parmesan works beautifully here, but is still optional if you’re not consuming dairy.
- Ladle the pasta into bowls, garnish with a sprig of fresh basil, and enjoy immediately.
