Weeknight Bolognese

One of my friend's has been raving about Barefoot Contessa's new book How Easy is That.  I decided to give it a try when another friend came for dinner.  This simple, fast bolognese didn't disappoint!    I can't imagine I'll ever slave for hours over the stove again to make a hearty meat sauce! 

I served this over homemade spinach egg pasta.

Weeknight Bolognese

Adapted from Barefoot Contessa, How Easy is That?

•2 TB good olive oil, plus extra to cook pasta
•1 pound ground bison
•1 TB dried oregano
•¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
•1 ¼ cups dry red wine, divided
•1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
•2 TB tomato paste
•Kosher salt & black pepper
•¼ tsp ground nutmeg
•¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
•¼ cup heavy cream
•½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

Heat 2 TB of olive oil in a large (12 inch) skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook, crumbling the meat until the meat is no longer pink and has started to brown. Add the garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 more minute. Pour 1 cup of the wine into the skillet and stir to scrape up any browned bits. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tsp salt, and 1 ½ tsp pepper, stirring until combined. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add the nutmeg, basil, cream, and the remaining ¼ cup wine to the sauce and simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened.