Spaghetti with meat sauce is a comfort food like no other. The Italian dish is so popular that grocery stores dedicate a whole aisle to sauces and pasta variations. Even the most inexperienced of home chefs can pop open a jar and dump pasta into a pot of boiling water, but that is not how we do things around these parts. Elevating the experience is what we are going to do kiddos. That’s right, instead of grabbing that jar, we are going to make a meat sauce to be reckoned with, Bolognese.

Who knows what is in those meat-flavored monstrosities in the grocery store! Making a yummy Bolognese doesn’t have to take hour upon hour. With a little prep work and some slow, sexy simmering, we are going to develop beautiful flavor within an hour. Smoky bacon and lean beef are the stars of this dish, if you can look past the tomato. How we layer our flavor is the trick to making this dish sing in less than two to three hours, which most Bolognese recipes suggest. But the sauce is just a component in this great weeknight dinner.

Not only are we layering flavor in this dish, but the dish itself is layered. On the bottom, a foundation of velvety, cheesy shell pasta serves as a great foundation for our Bolognese sauce. This pale cousin to an American-style macaroni and cheese doesn’t fight with the flavorful Bolognese. Instead, the pasta tames the tomato intensity and proves to be the perfect medium to transport the Bolognese from the plate to your mouth. Garnished with fresh basil and served with garlic toast, this dish is a beautiful mash-up of mac-n-cheese and spaghetti with meat sauce.

Quick Bolognese Sauce

1 lb. Lean Ground Beef

1 C. Bacon, Small Diced

2 T. Olive Oil

2 Medium Yellow Onions, Small Diced

2 Stalks Celery, Small Diced

2 Carrots, Peeled and Small Diced

3 Cloves of Garlic, Minced

1 T. Dried Oregano

4 Oz. Tomato Paste

2 T. Balsamic Vinegar

1-28 Oz. Can Crushed Tomatoes

Salt and Pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, onion, celery, and garlic once the oil is hot. Sauté for 7-10 minutes or until the vegetables start to caramelize.
2. Stir in the bacon and cook until the fat starts to render out, 1-2 minutes.
3. Incorporate the beef and oregano. Cook until the beef is browned, 10 minutes.
4. Combine the tomato paste and balsamic then mix into the beef mixture. Cook this mixture for 1-2 minutes or until the balsamic is no longer pungent.
5. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and mix fully. Bring the mixture to a simmer and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 30 minutes. Adjust the seasoning.

Mac-N-Cheese Layer

1-12 Oz. Package of Sea Shell Pasta

½ C. Heavy Cream

2 T. Butter, Unsalted

1 C. Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded

½ C. Parmesan Cheese, Shredded

Procedure:

1. Prepare the pasta according to the package with a small change to the cooking time. Reduce it by 3 minutes. This will leave the pasta slightly under done.
2. Drain the pasta and reserve ½ cup of the cooking liquid. Return the pasta and water to the pot.
3. Stir in the remaining ingredients until fully blended.

Final Steps

1. Pour the Mac into the bottom of a 9×13 glass backing dish.
2. Place the sauce evenly over the top of the pasta mixture.
3. Sprinkle the top with mozzarella and parmesan, then bake at 350 F for 10 minutes or until the cheese browns.