Entertaining

Quick Thinking Bolognese
May 13, 2010 • Posted by Jennifer Perillo

Most mornings I wake up with a dinner strategy. Then there are the days that slip away and next thing I know it’s 5:00pm — also known as the witching hour with a seven and two year old in tow. I’ve got to think fast before the pleas for more snacks risk ruining their appetite.

Luckily I always have some cooked meatballs in the fridge or freezer—a perk of being Italian and all. While I can easily just heat and serve them, some nights I crave a dish a bit more, shall we say, elegant. It was on such a night that I came up with my recipe for 10-minute Bolognese. Tired of plain old meatballs, I decided to mash them up with a fork and sauté the bits of meat with some red wine. A quick simmer in some marinara sauce and in the time it took for the pasta to cook, dinner was done and I had a new found respect for the humble meatballs of my youth.

10-minute Bolognese
Serves 4 to 6

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
4 leftover cooked meatballs (about 6.5 ounces), crumbled
about 1/4 cup dry red wine
2 cups prepared marinara sauce
8 ounces fettucine or linguine, prepared according to package directions
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese or ricotta, to taste

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the crumbled meatballs and saute for two minutes. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add the marinara sauce and reduce heat to a simmer. Let cook for 10 minutes, until meat is tender. Serve over hot, cooked pasta. Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese or ricotta, if desired.

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Comments

Add New Comment | Blog Comments (1):

April 5, 2011 3:47 AM CarolM
This seems to be a mouthwatering recipe. It looks like an Italian recipe because of the use of wine. A lot of dishes in restaurants have wine but I don't know how it is done until I have read that the use of wine in cooking depends on the tips and techniques. I found this here: How to cook dinner with wine It seems hard but I think if I will learn, it will be worth it.
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