Novella’s Bolognese Sauce
Dairy free, egg free, gluten free, grain free, lactose free, nut free, peanut free, soy free, keto, low carb
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: about 2-2.5 h
Total time: 2-2.5 h
Servings: 3.7-3.9 lb (1.7- 1.8 kg) of sauce, about 7 cups
Every Italian family probably has their own version of a bolognese sauce. This is my mother Novella’s recipe. I use this sauce with pasta, zoodles, and of course lasagna.
The variety of meats in this sauce makes it tricky allergen-wise. In the ingredients list I provide some allergen-friendly options or replacements. Specifically,
Sausages - normally I use original brats but if you’d rather avoid sausages feel free to use bacon instead (Applegate has a delicious no sugar added bacon).
Mortadella - in Chicago I can find Levoni (lactose and gluten free) or San Daniele (gluten free). So, depending on your dietary preferences feel free to omit it or use a different brand.
Finally, my mother adds to the sauce a little bit of milk at the end, but you can make it dairy free by omitting it, or by using coconut milk or your favorite dairy free alternative.
You can freeze this sauce for months, and then defrost it on the stove over low heat.
Ingredients
Click on the ingredients in the list for buying options (you might find alternative brands in the section Spesa/Grocery of this website)
Extra virgin olive oil, 12 g (1 tbsp)
Onion, ½ (130 g, 4.6 oz)
Celery, 2 stalks (100 g, 3.5 oz)
Carrots, 2 medium/small (100 g, 3.5 oz)
Grass-fed ground beef, 500 g (1 lb)
Ground pork, 250 g (0.5 lb)
Mortadella, 100 g (3.5 oz) – omit it for dairy and/or lactose free, depending on brand.
Original Brats Sausages, 2 (150-200 g, ⅓ lb) or no sugar added bacon 150 g (⅓ lb)
Dry white wine (pinot-grigio like), 240 g (1 cup) - to remove some fat from the sausages
Whole peeled canned tomatoes, 2 14 oz cans
Broth, 470 g (2 cups)
Salt to taste
Lactose free whole milk, ¼ cup (60 g, 60 ml). For dairy free, omit or swap with coconut milk or your favorite dairy free alternative.
Tools you might be missing
Instructions
1. Wash, clean and chop the onion, celery, and carrots.
2. Heat up the oil in a deep saucepan. If you are using bacon instead of sausages, mince it, add it to the pot, and let it cook for a few minutes over medium/low heat or until it starts browning.
3. Add the onion, celery, and carrots and cook for 3 minutes, mixing a couple of times.
4. Add the ground meat (beef and pork), break it down with a wooden spoon and cook until brown (5-7 min).
5. Add the tomatoes and broth, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook over low heat for a couple of hours, or until the sauce has reduced to the “right consistency” (the pictures should give you an idea). Mix every 15–20 minutes.
6. While the sauce is cooking, remove some of the sausages’ fat (if you are using them) as follows. Poke holes in the sausages with a fork, place them in a saucepan with the wine, cover with water, and boil them for 30 minutes. Remove them from the water, chop them, and add them to the sauce while it’s cooking.
7. When the sauce has reached the right consistency, chop the mortadella (if you’re using it) and add it.
8. Blend the sauce with an immersion blender, add salt to taste, the milk (or your dairy free alternative), and mix well. Cover, and let sit for 10 minutes.
9. Enjoy!
Notes
The variety of meats in this sauce makes it tricky allergen-wise. In the ingredients list I provide some allergen-friendly options or replacements
My mother adds to the sauce a little bit of milk at the end for creaminess, but you can make it dairy free by omitting it, or by using coconut milk or your favorite dairy free alternative.
Storing and re-heating
You can store this sauce in the fridge for 2-3 days in an airtight container. Alternatively, you can freeze it (I did it up to 6 months) and then defrost it on the stove over very low heat.
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, using the ingredient in the list and the USDA Food Database via myFitnessPal. This information is meant as a guideline only and should not be construed as a guarantee. Here we assume the use of bratwurst and mortadella Levoni
Serving size: 4 tbsp| Calories: 112 | Total fat: 7 g | Total carbohydrates: 2.5 g | Total fiber: 0.6 g | Total sugars: 1.5 g | Protein: 7.8 g | Net Carbohydrates: 1 g