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Home » Dinner Recipes » Homemade Bolognese Pasta Sauce

Homemade Bolognese Pasta Sauce

Published: Oct 1, 2014 · Modified: Mar 10, 2022 by Louisa Clements · This post may contain affiliate links

This post may contain affiliate links

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A budget friendly version of classic bolognese, perfect for budget-conscious cook. | livinglou.com

If you’ve been reading for a little while, it will come as no surprise that I’m a student. And you know what that means; great tasting meals on a budget are an important part of my life. I’ve lived at home through my university career, but from what I’ve heard from my friends one of the things they struggle with the most in terms of living on their own is cooking, and on a student budget no less. To prepare for this post, I conducted a very scientific survey (I asked around to my peers) what was the one meal they miss the most that their mom (or dad) makes at home. I got quite a variety of responses but the two big ones were spaghetti Bolognese and macaroni and cheese (pasta is the clear favourite in my circle).

I’ve always been a savvy grocery shopper, but I’m even more careful now that I’m constantly developing new recipes. With their commitment to low prices, my Dad has always done his grocery shopping at No Frills and we would often go together when I was a little girl.  As I’ve started doing my own grocery shopping, I’ve followed his frugal lead and it’s continued to be my go-to store. Now that PC Plus is available at No Frills, you can earn points and thus save money while grocery shopping. And remember that pasta dilemma I had earlier, the fact that my PC Plus had an offer that was “200 points for every $1 spent on fresh meat” meant that the Bolognese sauce was meant to be. Just with that once purchase I earned 3,000 points.

Shopping at No Frills

A very old photo from my Instagram (2012!) shopping at No Frills

If you’re not familiar with PC Plus, let me break it down for you, it’s a free rewards program offered at many Loblaw owned grocery stores such No Frills, Loblaws, Zehrs and many other stores across Canada (find a store close to you). You can download the app to your smartphone (or pickup a trusty card in-store), and start earning points based on personalized offers. Once you have a minimum of 20,000 points, you can redeem them on your grocery bill.

A budget friendly version of classic bolognese, perfect for budget-conscious cook. | livinglou.com

As for the recipe, this is a budget friendly twist on your favourite Bolognese sauce. I left out the red wine and opted for beef broth as a liquid. The spices in this sauce are minimal so it gets its flavor from a long cooking process, which is perfect for a Sunday afternoon spent studying. I was able to finish writing an essay while this sauce was simmering away on the stove, and it makes a large batch for lunches and dinners throughout the week.

Homemade Bolognese Pasta Sauce

A budget-friendly take on Mom's classic bolognese sauce!

10 minPrep Time

2 hr, 25 Cook Time

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5 based on 3 review(s)

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Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 lbs lean ground beef
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 2 stalks of celery, diced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ tsp dried oregano
  • ¼ tsp ground fennel
  • 3 tbsp tomato paste
  • ½ cup crushed tomatoes
  • ½ cup milk
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • sugar to taste
  • salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add carrots, celery and onion. Cook until very soft, about 7-8 minutes.
  2. Add garlic, oregano and fennel. Cook for another 1-2 minutes.
  3. Add in ground beef, cook and crumble until fully cooked, about 15 minutes. This is a long process, but it helps build flavour.
  4. Stir in tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, milk, beef broth and white wine vinegar. Bring to a simmer and allow sauce to simmer, partially covered for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
  5. Season with sugar, and salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

Recipe by Louisa Clements

Nutrition

7.8.1.2
86
https://www.livinglou.com/homemade-bolognese-pasta-sauce/

Disclosure: I was compensated to write this post. All experiences and opinions are 100% my own. Thank you for supporting Living Lou!

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Comments

  1. Shirley Clements

    March 19, 2022 at 2:11 pm

    I love your delicious Bolognese Sauce!
    ★★★★★
    Reply
  2. Shirley Clements

    April 28, 2020 at 7:04 pm

    I love your Bolognese Sauce! I make it all of the time! I am sooo enjoying your Elmwood Spa show! Great job!
    ★★★★★
    Reply
    • Louisa Clements

      April 29, 2020 at 2:32 pm

      Thank you!! :) xo!
      Reply
  3. Shirley Clements

    July 22, 2019 at 9:39 am

    I can’t believe that I didn’t leave you a comment about your delicious Bolognese sauce that you initially posted in 2014! I made it & loved it & will be making it soon again! All of your recipes are yummy, healthy & easy to make! Thanks soooo much for sharing them with us!
    ★★★★★
    Reply
  4. CakePants

    October 27, 2014 at 11:49 pm

    Mmm..this looks like the perfect kind of comfort food for fall. I can't say I remember my parents ever making Bolognese sauce...clearly, I should start making up for lost time! Looking forward to giving this a try.
    Reply
    • Lou

      December 09, 2014 at 10:43 am

      Thank you, let me know if you give it a try!
      Reply
  5. Anna (Hidden Ponies)

    October 08, 2014 at 4:00 pm

    I actually love the PC Plus program and wasn't expecting to like yet another grocery store loyalty program. Their offers for me each week are almost always things I planned to buy anyway and the points add up way faster! This sauce sounds amazing, pinned :)
    Reply
    • Lou

      October 08, 2014 at 11:35 pm

      Thanks, Anna! I love it too, mainly because of how personalized the offers are. It makes grocery shopping much easier!
      Reply
  6. Helen @ Scrummy Lane

    October 03, 2014 at 6:23 pm

    Hi, Lou. I love that you've added in some 'extra' flavours to this like the milk and fennel and vinegar. It sounds like the perfect budget bolgonese, and I'm sure the wine isn't missed at all. It can be quite a lot of fun shopping on a budget - you certainly feel proud of yourself when you get some bargains!
    Reply
  7. Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl

    October 03, 2014 at 3:43 pm

    I just want a big bowl of this asap! YUM!
    Reply
    • Lou

      October 04, 2014 at 9:34 pm

      Thanks, Pamela!
      Reply
  8. Chelsea @ Chelsea's Healthy Kitchen

    October 02, 2014 at 8:30 am

    Looks fantastic! I love a good bolognese sauce around this time of year when it starts getting chilly out.
    Reply
    • Lou

      October 04, 2014 at 9:34 pm

      Thank you, Chelsea. It really is perfect for those chilly evenings!
      Reply
  9. Kathy @ Olives & Garlic

    October 01, 2014 at 9:02 pm

    I adore bolognese sauce.
    Reply
    • Lou

      October 04, 2014 at 9:34 pm

      Me too, Kathy. It's so comforting!
      Reply
  10. Robyn

    October 01, 2014 at 11:56 am

    I'm currently hangry waiting for lunch and this looks amazing Lou!
    Reply
    • Lou

      October 04, 2014 at 9:34 pm

      Thanks, Robyn! :)
      Reply

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Hi, I'm Louisa Clements & welcome to Living Lou. I've been creating simple, fresh & flavorful recipes for the modern kitchen for 12 years.
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