Italian Sausage Bolognese
Serves: 4-6, Cook time: 1 hour-ish

Olive oil
1 lb. mild Italian pork sausage
½ a small red onion, chopped
½ a green bell pepper, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled & chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
½ cup dry red wine
1 (28 oz.) can whole tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
Kosher salt
Crushed red pepper flakes
Pinch of sugar
Splash of heavy cream
¼ cup chopped parsley, divided
¼ cup chopped basil, divided
To serve: cooked pasta (I prefer rigatoni), freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add olive oil.

While pan is heating, chop the onion, bell pepper, and carrot until fine using a food processor. Add vegetables to the pan and saute 2-3 minutes or until starting to become transluscent. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the Italian sausage to the pan and break up using a wooden spoon. Cook 5-6 minutes or until sausage is cooked through.

Add tomato paste to the pan and stir to combine. Cook for one minute. Deglaze pan with red wine, scraping up any bits from the bottom. Carefully add the tomatoes to the pan (they will splatter!) and crush slightly with your spoon. Add dried Italian seasoning. Season with salt, crushed red pepper and sugar. Bring to a bubble, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about an hour.

After an hour, add most of the parsley and basil, leaving a little for garnish. Stir and check for seasoning. Adjust to your preference. Stir in a splash of heavy cream and simmer for 2 minutes.

Toss bolognese with pasta (I prefer a short noodle like rigatoni or penne) and serve in a big bowl (or bowls) topped with reserved herbs and parmesan cheese.

Source: Ruth’s Table, 2021.