When cooking bolognese sauce, you want it to be as genuine as possible. Naturally, since bolognese sauce is a typical Italian sauce, it should be served with Italian pasta. Yes, there are several alternatives. Linguine, tagliatelle, spaghetti, and many more options are available. But this time, I chose the lesser-known pasta mafalda!
Continue reading to learn what mafalda is and how to create mafalda bolognese!
What Is Mafalda Bolognese?
Mafalda is a sort of pasta used in Mediterranean cooking. It’s long, like tagliatelle, but broader and has wavy edges. Mafalda pasta is produced with durum wheat semolina and water and has a firm texture that retains sauces nicely. As a result, it was ideal for my bolognese sauce.
Typical bolognese components include onion, carrot, red pepper, ground beef (or a blend of ground beef and ground pig), tomato sauce, and a variety of herbs and spices. I used salt, pepper, sugar, cayenne pepper, oregano, bay leaf, and thyme in my recipe.
Lettuce is my favorite side dish for any meal with bolognese sauce (including lasagna).
How to Make Mafalda Bolognese?
This is one of the easiest dinners I prepare. That’s probably why I prepare it so often.
To begin, cut the veggies into tiny pieces. They cook quicker when they are smaller. I use a tiny chopper to finely chop everything and make things go quicker.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat the olive oil. When the onion is cooked and browned, add the carrots and red pepper. Stir with a pinch of salt as needed. If the veggies begin to burn after 5 minutes, add a splash of water. Cook for a further 5 minutes.
Season the meat in a separate dish with salt, pepper, Cayenne pepper, dry oregano, and dry thyme. You may experiment with spices and herbs. Add a pinch of powdered nutmeg, garlic powder, or dried shallot, for example.
Put the meat in the pot. Stir well and simmer for a few minutes with the veggies.
Now add tomato sauce (I chose tomato passata since it has the thickness I like in a sauce), 1 cup warm water, bay leaf, and 1 teaspoon sugar. You may be wondering why I add sugar. Tomato sauce may be acidic at times, and sugar helps to balance it out.
Cook for another 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, boil the mafalda pasta in salted water according to the package directions. Pouring oil into the water will make it sticky. The same thing will happen if you cook in too little water.
If you’re not sure how much pasta to cook, I prefer to put it on a plate first and assess how much is adequate for one serving. Remember that pasta expands when cooking. That is almost 100 grams, 1.5 ounces, or 1.2 pounds in grams.
Serve heated pasta with warm sauce and, if desired, add Parmesan cheese over top. Enjoy your dinner with a side of lush greens!
How to Store Mafalda Bolognese?
Bolognese sauce may be refrigerated or frozen for future use. Allow the bolognese sauce to cool to room temperature before placing it in an airtight container. You may keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days. It will also keep in the freezer for approximately three months.
The steps for making pasta are the same. However, I like to cook just the quantity of pasta that I need at the time. It tastes better that way.