Grass Fed Bolognese

This past week I was in Atlanta to work with Graco Babies, came back to Miami for a wonderful weekend spent with  friends, before heading back to Atlanta for another day with Graco! I may be a little crazy, but I HATE missing weekends with my hubs. That is my favorite time together, so I forced myself on four flights this week, and although I am am a little tired, it was a great decision. I fell in love with Atlanta thanks to my BFF Elaina and Her boyfriend. They took great care of me while I was staying with them, and I had the opportunity to catch up with an old friend, Katherine Mason, former Wilhelmina Fitness model and creator of Sculpthouse in Atlanta. I am finally home for six days straight and I could not be more excited! My cousins are coming to town on Thursday, and I am looking forward to a long weekend of Florida fun before heading to Dallas on Monday.

Back to last weekend. Friday night, right off my flight, I glamorously changed in the airport bathroom, Cory and I met our friends at Steak 954 in Fort Lauderdale, Saturday and Sunday were spent on the water, but Saturday night was spent with the girls! We decided to go to the grocery store and see what we could create. It was probably the quickest trip to the grocery store I have ever experienced. You know what they say, “great minds think alike”. We saw peaches and thought flat bread, and for the main course, grass-fed beef was on sale, and I suggested a bolognese. Easy, breasy, we were home, wine was corked and the great conversation began. I love Cory to the moon and back, and then back again, but I need my girls, and this will go down as one of the best nights I have ever had in Miami! Oh, and BTW, yes…my husband recently brought home thrones fit for a queen. He has been talking about these wedding chairs for over two years, and one of Cory’s favorite docs gifted them to him! Lucky us…my friend Jill helped me to see the humor in it all, and honestly, I kind of enjoy pretending to be a queen, but don’t tell Cory.

Now that I have rambled on, let me get to the point of this post, the recipe. On our honeymoon cooking class in Tuscany, I learned how to make a Bolognese sauce. I had made Sunday Sauce last week and had a full container frozen, so I thawed that, but throwing in some diced tomatoes and tomato paste will also do the trick with the Bolognese. When it comes to meat I really try to use grass-fed and organic. Especially with chicken, eggs and ground meat. You can really taste the difference.

Ingredients:

Olive Oil

1 Onion

4 Garlic Cloves

1lb Grass Fed Beef

2 Chopped Celery Stalks

1-2  Chopped Carrots

1.5 C of Sauce or 1 Large Can Diced Tomatoes plus 1 Small Tomato Paste

1 tsp Garlic Salt

1-2 tsp Italian Spices (Oregano, Basil, Parsley)

1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper

Optional: Red Wine (I use some in my sauce so I didn’t need it. I like to add a little because it adds some depth of flavor, but if trying to watch weight and calories, feel free to eliminate)

Directions: Preheat oil over medium-high heat, add onion and begin to cook, once soft, add garlic, celery, carrot and rosemary, cook down until they begin to soften, but not completely cooked, add spices and stir. Remove rosemary stalk. If you do not have pre-made sauce add tomato paste here and cook down. Once combined, add wine or beef/chicken stock to deglaze the pan. Add meat and begin to brown. Once meat is browned, but still slightly pink, add sauce. Bring mixture to a boil and reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Taste and adjust spices as needed. Add a little salt and pepper to taste.

For girls night we served over the bolognese over zucchini pasta, but Cory and I had it with eggs and onion the next day, and the best part about a sauce like this is that, not only is it is so versatile, but it gets better and better as it sits! Feel free to try it with ground chicken or turkey, but since those dry out a bit, I would add a little more tomato sauce. I hope everyone has a great week! I have began my Bulletproof Coffee journey, and I cannot wait to share how I feel!