Bolognese Sauce with Pappardelle Pasta

Large red pot on the stove top, 3/4 full of homemade Bolognese Sauce.

The Best Bolognese Sauce

Bolognese is a sauce made by sautéing Sofrito, chopped onion, carrot and celery, which is then cooked with minced meat and slowly boiled with diced tomatoes, sauce, tomato paste and red wine. It’s cooked and stewed for several hours, on low heat, to allow the meat to soften and tenderize as the flavor concentrates through the power of reduction. The very best Bolognese Sauce will melt in your mouth with your favorite pasta and will comfort you like any stew or hot chili on a cold winter’s day.

Sofrito: Chopped Celery, Carrot and White Onion.
3 lbs of minced meat; 1 lbs ground Beef, 1 lbs ground Lamb and 1 lbs of ground Italian Sausage.
Cooked Sofrito and minced meat.
Cooked Bolognese Sauce.

The origins of the Bolognese Sauce

Bologna Italy is normally considered to be the birth place of this amazing dish known as Bolognese Sauce but, the truth is, it originated just outside of town in a place called Imola in the late 17th century. “It was then that Alberto Alvisi, the chef of the Cardial of Imola, cooked the first real tomato-based meat sauce, which was served with a plate of macaroni pasta.”

1 lbs bag of Pappardelle pasta nests and another 1 lbs bag of Tagliatelle pasta nests.

Bolognese Pasta

Most Americans know about spaghetti, a thin noodle with some type of Ragu or Marinara over the top, sometimes served with hamburger or Italian sausage and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. What many don’t know much about is other pasta’s and the do’s and don’ts with other sauce recipes.

Spaghetti, for example, is not suppose to be served with Bolognese Sauce. Though folks all over the world prepare it this way, there isn’t considered to be enough surface room to hold the sauce. Wider noodles, like Tagliatelle or Pappardelle are preferred. Shorter noodles like Rigatoni and Penne Regatta are also acceptable because they’re able to hold more sauce.

2 nests of Pasta: Pappardelle on the left and Tagliatelle on the right.
Plate of Pappardelle pasta with Bollognese Sauce and fresh grated Parmesan cheese.
How to make Bolognese Sauce video tutorial by PoorMansGourmet.
Bolognese Sauce Ingredients:

1/4 cup Olive Oil
1 Onion, chopped
1 Large Carrot, diced
3 Celery Sticks, chopped
1 lbs Ground Beef
1 lbs Italian Sausage
1 lbs Ground Lamb
1 Cup Red Wine (half Vegie cook other half meat cook)
29 oz Can Tomato Sauce
5 oz Tomato Paste
14.5 oz Can Diced Tomato
1 cup milk, add last

Salt and Pepper to taste

Chopped Onion, Carrot and Celery should be approximately the same amounts.
Cook for 3 to 4 hours and add 1cup of water every hour or so and let it reduce to
soften and thicken the minced meat.

Preferred pasta: Tagliatelle Pasta, Pappardelle Noodles(really wide), Penne, Rigatoni pasta. NEVER use Spaghetti and top off each serving with fresh grated Parmesan.

Chicken Marsala

Chicken Marsala: 3 chicken breast cutlets with Marsala wine sauce, sautéed mushrooms and bacon.

The Best Chicken Marsala

I can’t say enough about this recipe. Braised Chicken never tasted better than with this Mushroom, Marsala and cream wine sauce. It’s very easy to make but the complexity of the sauce is derived from specific ingredients that change the flavor of the dish, if they’re not fresh and/or dried. The taste of dried Thyme or Oregano is a complete game changer if they’re not added fresh. Both still taste great, in my opinion, but change the flavor drastically, none the less. You might want to experiment with both to find where your tastes lie.

One Chicken cutlet and Mushroom and Marsal Wine Sauce served over Shell pasta.

Deepen and Enrich the Flavor

Season everything from the start. After I butterfly the chicken breast, I season with Kosher salt and pepper. I salt the sautéed mushrooms. I salt the water my pasta cooks in. I even add cooked bacon, which is salty. This may sound like a lot of salt but a little goes a long way.

I also add Spaghetti Sauce (Prego) and Lemon Juice. The tomato, from the sauce deepens the flavor and darkens the tone. Alternatives could be tomato paste or plain tomato sauce if you’d like. I’m betting that it could even be done with a squeeze of Ketchup. I add the lemon to the sauce while it’s cooking but, I find that it’s even more refreshing, adding a fresh squeeze of lemon juice, over the top of each serving, even more satisfying.

The wine I use in this dish is what gives this recipe its name, Marsala. It can be dry or sweet and most recipes call for dry Marsala wine but, I prefer mine sweet. Again, that’s just a personal preference so you decide what’s best for you.

Chicken Marsala “How to” video tutorial by PoorMansGourmet.

Chicken Marsala Ingredients: Serves 2 to 3

1 Chicken Breast, Halved, Butterflied & Tenderized with a Mallet, then seasoned with Kosher Salt and Pepper and dredged in flour
1/4 cup All Purpose Flour
3 tbsp Butter, add 2 for chicken and 1 for Mushrooms
1 tbsp Olive Oil
2 Garlic Cloves, chopped
5 oz Mushrooms
1 cup Marsala Cooking Wine, Dry is recommended but I used Sweet and loved it!
1/2 cup Whipping Cream/Half and Half
1/3 cup Marinara or Spaghetti Sauce
1 pinch Fresh Parsley, chopped
1 Green Onion, chopped (optional)

Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste

This recipe can be served over your favorite pasta, rice, bread etc. and is often garnished with Scallions over the top. Just follow the instructions in the short video tutorial and I’ll show you exactly how to make this Chicken Marsala recipe.

Pizza Tacos

Spinach Chicken Alfredo and Pepperoni & Sausage Pizza Tacos.

The Best Pizza Tacos

If you’re a fan of both Pizza and Tacos, you’re in for a real treat because nothing could be more satisfying than putting those two things together to make Pizza Tacos. And, the way I do it, the recipe stays true to Italian ingredients, only shaped and stuffed like tacos. If you need a Pizza Sauce recipe, I’ve got one. If you need an Alfredo Sauce recipe, I’ve got that too. I even have recipes for Pizza dough, if you choose not to use the frozen dinner rolls, and homemade Italian Sausage or you can just do what I did, and by everything for this recipe, pre-made, from your grocery store. It’s that easy.

Store bought, frozen dinner roll dough.

Pizza Tacos Dough

There’s several different ways to make these Pizza Tacos. You can make your own Pizza Dough, for which I have a great recipe for, or use store bought dough like these frozen dinner rolls. I used this dough when I showed you how to make Utah Scones and it works great for recipes like this too because it cuts out half the work and makes it virtually fool proof. Plus it’s fun for a quick snack, lunch or dinner dates and/or for kids, if you want to get them cooking.

Alfredo Sauce, Pizza Sauce, chopped Spinach, Chicken and Pepperoni.

Pizza Tacos Filling

When I made these Pizza Tacos for the video, I made a standard Pepperoni and Sausage Pizza Taco and a Chicken Alfredo Taco with Spinach, just for variation. You, however, can make what ever you like. Just use this as a basic guide to get you from A-Z and have fun with your toppings. It doesn’t have to be the way I did it. Though, I used Italian sausage and some left over pulled chicken, you could totally go vegetarian or vegan with this recipe. Maybe a Philly Steak and Cheese sounds good, I don’t know. You decide. The sky’s the limit.

Pizza Tacos Ingredients:

8 Dinner Rolls Frozen Dough, thawed
1 cup Alfredo Sauce
1 cup Pizza Sauce
1 lbs Mozzarella Cheese, grated
1 lbs Italian Sausage, cooked
1 lbs Seasoned Chicken, cooked
1/2 cup Spinach, chopped
8 oz Mini Pepperoni

Oven max temperatures vary but I bake the Pizza Tacos twice at 500 degrees Fahrenheit for 3 to for minutes, both times. Just follow the instructions in the video tutorial for best results.