Name: Gnocchi Bolognese
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 75 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons DeLallo Private Reserve Extra Virgin Olive Oil; 2 medium carrots, diced; 1 stalk celery, diced; 1 medium yellow onion, diced; 1/2 pound 85% lean ground beef; 1/2 pound ground pork; 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated; 3 tablespoons DeLallo Tomato Paste Tube; 1 cup unoaked dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio; 1 1/2 cups DeLallo Passata Rustica Rich Tomato Puree; 1/2 – 1 cup chicken stock or water; 2 sprigs fresh rosemary; 8–10 sprigs fresh thyme; 2 bay leaves; Optional: 1 parmesan rind; 2 (16-ounces) box DeLallo Potato Gnocchi (can sub DeLallo Gluten Free Gnocchi); 1/3 cup heavy cream; 1/3 cup grated Saviola Imported Parmigiano Reggiano D.O.P. Wedge or Delallo Imported Italian Pecorino Romano; Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season; For serving, as desired: Saviola Imported Parmigiano Reggiano D.O.P. Wedge or Delallo Imported Italian Pecorino Romano, finely chopped fresh basil or parsley, crushed red pepper flakes, etc.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons DeLallo Private Reserve Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 medium carrots, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1/2 pound 85% lean ground beef

1/2 pound ground pork

6 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated

3 tablespoons DeLallo Tomato Paste Tube

1 cup unoaked dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio

1 1/2 cups DeLallo Passata Rustica Rich Tomato Puree

1/2 – 1 cup chicken stock or water

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

8–10 sprigs fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

Optional: 1 parmesan rind

2 (16-ounces) box DeLallo Potato Gnocchi (can sub DeLallo Gluten Free Gnocchi)

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup grated Saviola Imported Parmigiano Reggiano D.O.P. Wedge or Delallo Imported Italian Pecorino Romano

Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season

For serving, as desired: Saviola Imported Parmigiano Reggiano D.O.P. Wedge or Delallo Imported Italian Pecorino Romano, finely chopped fresh basil or parsley, crushed red pepper flakes, etc.

Directions

Brown the soffritto. Add the olive oil to a Dutch oven (or large, heavy-bottomed pot with lid) over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add the carrots, celery, and onion. Season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until deeply browned and fragrant, 15-20 minutes. If the veggies begin to brown too quickly, reduce the heat to medium or medium-low. Once browned, push the soffritto mixture to the outer edges of the pot.

Brown the meat. Add the ground beef and ground pork to the center of the pot, such that it’s surrounded by the soffritto mixture, and season with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Reduce heat to medium. Let the meat brown 2-3 minutes without touching it, then turn it over and brown the second side 2-3 minutes before using a wooden spoon to break it apart into fine pieces. Stir to combine with the soffritto mixture.

Deglaze the pot. Add the garlic and tomato paste to the Dutch oven, stirring to coat the ground meat and soffritto mixture. Cook 2-3 minutes, until browned and fragrant, then build the bolognese sauce. Deglaze the pan by slowly pouring in the white wine, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits that may have formed on the bottom of the pan.

Build and simmer the bolognese sauce. Once the wine is almost completely cooked off, add in the tomato purée and 1/2 cup of the chicken stock/water to the pot. Tie the herbs together using kitchen twine (or finely chop if you do not have twine), then add to the pot with the bay leaves and parmesan rind (if using). Season with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and stir to combine. Bring the bolognese to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Partially cover the pot (place the lid on the pot such that it’s just partially covered, allowing some steam to escape as the sauce simmers). Simmer until the sauce is thickened, about 30 minutes. Give everything a stir every 10 minutes, splashing in a little more chicken stock/water as needed if the sauce is thickening too much.

Cook the gnocchi. Meanwhile, as the bolognese sauce simmers, cook the gnocchi. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi and cook 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until the gnocchi float to the top of the pot. Reserve 1 cup of the starchy water then drain the gnocchi.

Finish the gnocchi bolognese. Remove the lid from the pot with the bolognese sauce, increasing heat to medium-high to maintain a steady simmer. Stir the heavy cream and grated parmesan into the bolognese. Cook 1-2 minutes, allowing everything to meld together. Add the gnocchi straight into the pot, tossing to coat it in the bolognese sauce. From here, adjust as needed so the bolognese sauce evenly coats the gnocchi – if the mixture is too thick, toss in a little of the reserved gnocchi water; if the mixture is too loose, toss in an extra handful of parmesan cheese, etc. Cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, allowing the gnocchi to meld with and absorb some of the sauce.

Serve the gnocchi bolognese immediately, topped with additional grated parmesan, chopped basil or parsley, and/or a sprinkling of crushed red pepper, as desired. Enjoy!