Fresh Pappardelle with Bolognese

This fresh pappardelle with bolognese is comfort food at it’s finest. Slow-cooked bolognese sauce pairs perfectly with the wide fresh pappardelle noodles.

Some tips for a good Bolognese Sauce

•  Use fattier ground beef – the sauce needs the fat for flavor here, and it will yield a much tastier result.
•  Not all canned tomatoes are created equally – I like to use San Marzano, they have fewer seeds, a nice pulp and are superior to many other brands on the market. A little pricier, but worth the extra dollar. I buy them by the case as they are a little more affordable this way. You can find them at any Italian market or well-stocked grocery store.
• Bolognese sauce is all about balance, not too heavy on the tomatoes. Cream, white wine, and tomatoes create a beautiful balance for this sauce.
• Patience will pay off. This sauce needs a minimum of 3 hours to develop flavor.
• A little fresh grated nutmeg goes a long way. Just a little adds a nice back note to the sauce.
• Salt your beef as soon as you add it to the pan.
• Chop your veggies really fine – this lends to a nice finished texture of your sauce.
• Taste and salt at the end – salt makes a huge difference in flavor – be sure to taste before serving and adjust as needed.
• A good heavy-bottomed pot for cooking works well – one that retains the heat well.
• Add a bit of water throughout if the sauce gets too thick as it cooks.
• Although I’ve just used beef here, a mixture of pork and beef is nice, or add a bit of ground bacon or pancetta to the mix (I use my food processor to grind it up for this when I add).

How to make homemade pasta

• Homemade pasta is really simple to make and only takes a few ingredients, which likely many of you have on hand, flour and eggs. You can even use flour and water if you don’t have eggs. The eggs lend to a richer dough, but both work fine in a pinch
• A simple ratio to remember is 2 eggs to 1 cup of flour. Make a well, pour in your beaten eggs and gradually work the flour into the egg mixture. Knead well until it forms a smooth ball of dough. Wrap it tightly with cling wrap and let it REST. Ensure that you let it rest at least 30 minutes (1 hour is better) – in the fridge.
• A pasta machine works well to get the dough thin. Use a little of the dough at a time, keeping the rest of the dough wrapped well while working. Start at level 1 and move up a notch each time until you get it to the desired thinness. Try to get the dough as thin as you can. If you don’t have a pasta machine, a rolling pin will work.
• You don’t need 00 flour here or semolina. All-purpose flour works just fine.
• Dust your noodles well with flour so that they don’t stick
• Fresh pasta only take a couple of minutes to cook in salted boiling water. Then carefully toss it up with your sauce to finish. A little pasta water helps loosen the sauce.

Feeling the way so many of us are right now during this coronavirus outbreak, I think we all deserve a little comfort right now. For me, comfort food means – pasta! Making homemade pasta is a great way to get the kids involved with cooking too! It’s simple, fun, and a great way to introduce them to some new cooking skills. If you don’t want to make your own pasta to go with this dish – no worries. Dried pasta will work in a pinch. I would recommend De Cecco for a good grocery store brand if you go that route.

If you like this recipe you should try: Beautiful Easter Salad

Fresh Pappardelle with Bolognese

Homemade slow cooked bolognese goes perfectly with the wide pappardelle noodles. A comfort food classic your family will love!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 3 hours hrs

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Ingredients

  

Bolognese Sauce

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3/4-1 lb regular ground beef
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 28 oz can san marzano tomatoes, pureed
• 1 bunch italian parsley, chopped fine
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 whole onion, chopped fine
• 1-2 whole carrot, chopped fine
• 1 whole celery stalks, chopped fine
• 1 fennel, white part only, chopped fine
• 1/8 tsp grated fresh nutmeg
• pepper to taste
• kosher salt to taste
• water, as needed

Fresh Pasta

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 6 large eggs preferably organic free run

Instructions

 

• In a large heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat, melt your butter and oil. Put in your onions and cook for a couple of minutes or so until translucent.
• Add in your fennel, carrots, celery, and garlic. Cook for a couple more minutes until tender.
• Add in your ground beef, parsley and add about 1-2 tsp of kosher salt and a bit of pepper. Cook until mostly browned.
• Add in your cream and let reduce a little into the meat and vegetable mixture. At this point, using a microplane, grate in your nutmeg.
• Add in your white wine. Again let this cook down a little and reduce.
• Add in your tomatoes. Make sure to puree them a little in your food processor, or break them up with a potato masher or your hands.
• Put the pot, partially covered on a low heat and allow to just barely simmer for 3 hours. Checking periodically and adding a bit of water (1/2 cup at a time approx), if it gets too thick.
• When finished the fat will have seperated from the suace. Stir and add salt and pepper to taste.

For the Fresh Pasta

• On a clean surface put your flour and make a little well in the middle.
• In a seperate bowl, whisk together your eggs.
• Add your eggs to the well and gradually mix in a bit of flour at a time from the edges. Only mix in enough flour to make a nice dough (not too dry). It will eventually come together just keep working it, and then knead it well until smooth.
• Wrap the pasta well in cling wrap and put in the fridge and let rest for 1 hour.
• Using a pasta machine - work with a bit of the dough at a time, keeping the rest covered. Roll the dough into a rectagular shape.
• Feed the dough through the machine on the widest setting (1). Keep feeding the dough through moving up a notch to a thinner setting each time, until you reach desired consistency. Try to get as thin as you can. If you are using a rolling pin - roll until thin in a large rectangular shape.
• Cut the dough in halve lengthwise and loosely fold over dusting well with flour as you go. Cut the folded over dough into wider strips (think a bit fatter than fettucine noodles.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt heavily. Cook the noodles for a couple minutes and then finish them in the sauce, loosening the sauce with a bit of pasta water if need be.
• Serve with grated parmesan, fresh parsley and a drizzle of olive oil if you like. We also garnished ours with a bit of the reserved fennel fronds.

Keyword Pasta