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–+ servings
Weeknight Bolognese sauce in a pot

Weeknight Bolognese Sauce

Print Recipe
This Weeknight Bolognese Sauce tastes like a restaurant dish but is easy to make at home!
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Italian
Keyword Meat Sauce, Pasta Sauce, Weight Watchers, WW Recipes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 8 (2/3 cup) servings
Author Sunny Cooking

Ingredients

  • 1 small onion peeled and cut into quarters
  • 1 medium carrot peeled and cut into a few chunks
  • 1 medium rib of celery cut into a few chunks
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 lb uncooked 90-95% lean ground beef (I used 93% lean)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • ⅛ - ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (¼ teaspoon gives it a kick)
  • ¾ cup red wine
  • 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon Beef Base
  • ⅛ - ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ cup half and half cream I recommend using the full fat version
  • ¼ cup water

Instructions

  • Place the onion, carrot, and celery pieces in the bowl of your food processor. Turn on and run for a minute or so until the vegetables are very finely minced, almost like a paste.
  • Drizzle the olive oil into a Dutch oven or large pot and bring over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the finely minced vegetables from step one and stir to coat with the oil. Spread across the bottom of the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes until softened.
  • Add the ground beef, salt, and black pepper to the pot and use a cooking spoon or spatula to stir in and break up the meat. Cook, breaking the meat into crumbles, for about 5 minutes or until browned. Add the garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and stir into the meat and vegetables. Cook for an additional minute.
  • Pour in the wine and stir together, scraping up any stuck-on bits from the pot. Simmer the mixture for 3 minutes over medium until the wine is mostly absorbed.
  • Add the can of crushed tomatoes, the tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, and Better Than Bouillon beef base. Stir until combined and allow to come to a boil. Reduce the burner heat to low and allow to simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Add the nutmeg, half and half, and water and stir until well combined. Continue to simmer uncovered over low heat for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Notes

To view your current WW Points for this recipe and track it in the WW app, click here!
WW Points per (2/3 cup) serving: 3 (SP calculated using the recipe builder in the WW app)
Nutrition Information per (2/3 cup) serving:
193 calories, 12 g carbs, 2 g sugars, 9 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 14 g protein, 3 g fiber, 210 mg sodium (from myfitnesspal.com)
Weight Watchers Points Plus:
5 per (2/3 cup) serving (PP calculated using a Weight Watchers PointsPlus calculator and the nutrition info)
Adapted from Ina Garten