Whip up an Italian classic with a family-friendly recipe for Easy Bolognese Sauce made with an authentic blend of garlic, onions and dried herbs, plus a mix of ground beef and Italian sausage that delivers big flavor in every bite.
I’m a firm believer that everyone should have a tried-and-tested homemade bolognese sauce in their recipe repertoire. It’s the kind of comforting classic that can be whipped up and enjoyed immediately, or frozen in batches for defrostable comfort food in minutes.
This has been my go-to Easy Homemade Bolognese Sauce for nearly a decade. It yields an incredibly flavorful sauce without the hours-long simmer time.
Bolognese Sauce Ingredients
With a million variations on this authentic Italian favorite, I defer to a semi-classic combination of ground beef and Italian sausage on the meat front. When it comes to aromatics and herbs, I’m a big fan of fresh garlic and onions and a heavy hand of dried oregano and fennel seeds (a must!).
The only out-of-the-ordinary twist here is the addition of light brown sugar rather than traditional white sugar. I love the added sweetness provided by the molasses, which makes this Easy Bolognese Sauce the ultimate dinner winner.
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tablespoon light brown sugar, plus more to taste
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound Italian sausage (sweet or spicy), casings removed
- 1 (6-oz.) can tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
- 1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (28-oz.) can tomato sauce
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a large, heavy-bottomed stock pot set over medium-low heat, then add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.
- Increase the heat to medium. Add the ground beef and Italian sausage and cook, breaking apart the meat with a spatula, until it is cooked through and no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and fennel seeds and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomato paste begins to caramelize, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, dried oregano and brown sugar. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and simmer the sauce for 10 minutes.
- Remove the lid, taste and season the sauce with salt, pepper and additional brown sugar as desired, then serve.
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Finally had an opportunity to make this. It turned out delicious! The recipe is as easy as described. The brown sugar was a great fun surprise. This will be my new freeze the leftover sauce for the future recipe.
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Leah!
This is a keeper! My family loved it – thank you!
I’m thrilled your family enjoyed the recipe, Ruth!