Sunday Rigatoni Bolognese

I believe Sundays are for pasta. Specifically bolognese. Specifically rigatoni bolognese.

Or at least that’s how it was for me growing up and nine out of ten times how it still is when I visit home.

My dad has nailed his bolognese recipe, and when I tell you I have dreams about it, I’m not lying. I’ve actually never made it until recently because it’s always been one of those foods that I just know tastes better when it’s made for me, not by me. I found myself facing a serious craving for it a couple months ago, though. So, I finally had to learn to make it myself. After a quick phone call to my dad and a trip to my aunt’s house to snatch a link of my mom’s side of the family’s infamous Christmas sausage, I set out to make it. And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think it rivaled my dad’s.

My dad’s original recipe uses lean ground beef, pork sausage, and occasionally the family Christmas sausage, which is how I made it the first couple of times. I recreated the bolognese the most recent time using Crossover Meats Chicken + Beef and Chicken + Pork blends as the meat. The only thing I ended up changing was adding a pat of butter at the end to make up for the vital fat that the pork sausage lends. The end result was similar to the bolognese I know and love. It definitely felt a bit lighter and the chicken flavor came through a bit more than in the original, but besides that there wasn’t much of a difference.

Pasta wise, feel free to use your favorite. Aside from rigatoni, I love pairinig a paparadelle or a thicker, heartier noodle with bolognese because of how heavy the sauce is. I chose rigatoni because it’s just so nostalgic for me, and I also love how the bolognese gets stuck inside of each noodle.

Rigatoni Bolognese

Serves 8 

·      1 lb. (3 patties) Crossover Meats Chicken + Beef blend, or 1 lb. 80/20 ground beef

·      1 lb. (3 patties) Crossover Meats Chicken + Pork blend, or 1 lb. ground Italian pork sausage

·      1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes

·      1 12-oz can tomato paste

·      2 tbs. balsamic vinegar

·      1 large yellow onion

·      1 large carrot or 2 medium carrots

·      1 large celery stalk or 2 medium stalks

·      4 large garlic cloves

·      2 cups chicken stock, vegetable stock, or water

·      ¼ cup olive oil

·      1 tbs. salt

·      1 tbs. granulated sugar

·       2 tsp each: black pepper, dried oregano, dried basil, and crushed red pepper

·      1 tsp. dried thyme

·      1 bay leaf

·      ½ cup whole milk or half and half

·      16 oz. dry Rigatoni pasta

·      Parmesan, for topping

Finely dice the onion, carrot, and celery into a brunoise (about 1/8 inch sides). Mince the garlic. Another option is to puree all of the vegetables if you prefer less chunks. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a medium-sized stock pot. Once the olive oil is hot, add both beef and pork blends of the Crossover Meats patties and cook until all of the pink is gone, breaking up the patties into a medium ground. Remove the ground meat using a slotted spoon to reserve as much oil as possible in the stock pot. Set meat aside on a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb excess grease. Add more olive oil if needed to coat the bottom of the stock pot.

Over the same heat, add the onions, carrot, celery, and garlic. Stir to coat in the oil. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook until completely softened and slightly golden brown. Add in the thyme, black pepper, dried oregano, dried basil, and crushed red pepper and stir. Push the vegetables aside and add the tomato paste, stirring into the oil to lightly brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, sugar, remaining salt, bay leaf, and chicken/vegetable stock or water. Bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer, cover and let simmer for at least 20 minutes and up to an hour. Remove the bay leaf.

While simmering, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add in the dry rigatoni and cook until al dente, about 7-10 minutes depending on the pasta. Once cooked through, strain and reserve 1 cup of pasta water.

 Remove the lid of the pot. Stir in the milk or heavy cream. Add ½ cup to 1 cup of the reserved water depending on the consistency of the Bolognese. You want it to have a thicker meat sauce consistency but still be runny enough to coat the pasta. Let simmer uncovered for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and serve over the cooked rigatoni. Top with grated parmesan.