One of the fundamentals of Italian cooking is knowing how to make a good pasta sauce. I’ve already covered tomato sauce and pesto, so the next up is ragù alla bolognese, or simply, tomato sauce with ground meat. There are many variations – a healthier option uses ground turkey, while the truly sumptuous includes a trio of ground meats – beef, veal and pork. The husband doesn’t eat pork, so these days, I’m making my ragù alla bolognese with ground beef but feel free to substitute as you wish. This sauce is perfect with a larger pasta like penne, or as a component of lasagna or baked ziti. I made the recipe below and for 2 people, you’ll get about 4 servings out of it. It freezes well and makes for a great quick dinner. Read the full story for the recipe, tips and photos.
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One of the foundations of good Italian cooking is a solid tomato sauce. The sauce can be perfect on it’s own with some pasta, or can be built upon to make more complex sauces. Growing up my “Nonna” (grandmother) would grow her own tomatoes and basil and really make the sauce from scratch. I don’t have much of a green thumb so I buy tomato puree but my recipe is loosely based on my Nonna’s. Today I’m going to show you how to make a simple, tasty tomato sauce and my favorite thing, ravioli. The ravioli are only half-homemade . . . I didn’t make the pasta and used wonton wraps instead because they are a great substitute for homemade pasta when you’re short on time but not short on flavor.

The recipe, instructions and photos after the jump . . .
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