Sonoma-Cutrer provided me with product for the purpose of this post, as well as compensation for my time. As always, all opinions expressed in this post are my own.
Rich in flavor, this 30-Minute Beef Bolognese with Herbes de Provence and Red Wine is impressive enough to entertain with, but fast enough for weeknight dinner!
Once cooking for yourself or for your family becomes a regular part of your routine, you find ways to make it work even on busy weeknights. Maybe it’s grocery shopping and prepping ingredients over the weekend, or maybe it’s batch cooking a couple nights a week and then eating leftovers the rest of the time. No matter what your game plan is, having a few easy recipes that come together in just 30 minutes is always a welcome trick to have up your sleeve. Especially when it’s a meal that you can entertain with!
Pasta night is always fun when you’re inviting people over. Homemade sauce makes all the difference in the world, and when it takes just 30 minutes to whip up you know you have a winner. You can of course serve this Bolognese on top of your favorite pasta (regular, gluten-free, or any of the other types that are out there these days!), on top of spaghetti squash, or on a bed of steamed cauliflower and broccoli to cut carbs. Have people bring different components of the meal, like a big green salad, crusty bread, or maybe fudgy brownies for dessert.
To start this sauce, I used extra-virgin olive oil and a beautiful trifecta of veggies (onion, carrot, and celery), and then added a healthy dose of garlic, fire-roasted tomatoes, and Herbes de Provence. Complexity comes from deglazing with Sonoma-Cutrer Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, which is rich with the flavor of dark fruit. Everyone who tastes this Bolognese will be surprised that it didn’t simmer on the stovetop all day!
The intriguing thing about Sonoma-Cutrer is that they strike a perfect balance between Old World tradition and New World innovation, marrying the practices of Burgundy with the innovation of California. For those of you 21 years old and up who are in the Windsor, CA area, their tasting room is open daily from 10am until 4pm, and is a lovely way to experience how each vineyard’s unique terroir is reflected in its wine. Follow them on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Youtube, and Facebook.
This time of year so many of us are hosting gatherings of family and friends; what’s you’re go-to menu when you don’t have a ton of time to spare?
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1¼ lbs (570 g) 85% lean ground beef
- 1 medium-large yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 large carrot, finely diced
- 2 large stalks celery, finely diced
- 5 large cloves garlic, crushed
- 1½ cups (355 ml) Sonoma-Cutrer Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
- 1 cup fire-roasted no-salt-added crushed tomatoes
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons Herbes de Provence
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream
- Fresh parsley leaves, for garnish (optional)
- Pasta, cooked to al dente, for serving
- Heat a large skillet over high heat. Once hot, add the oil, beef, onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, and cook (uncovered) until the meat is browned and the vegetables are softened, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the wine and cook (uncovered) until the liquid is reduced by about 90%, about 5 minutes.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, Herbes de Provence, salt, and black pepper. Turn the heat down to medium, cover the skillet, and cook until the sauce is thick, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the cream.
- Serve garnished with fresh parsley on top of pasta if desired.
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
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