I love this recipe. I adapted it from one I found online after having fabulous Pasta Bolognese out to dinner one night. I made it recently to send to a friend’s house after she had just had a baby. I also like to serve it with fresh pasta from our local Mona Lisa Pasta, Yum! It makes a very easy dinner that everyone will like during the hectic holidays.  It really is easy to make, the ingredient list just looks long.

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 medium carrot, finely diced
1 medium celery rib, finely diced
2 ounces thickly sliced pancetta (or bacon), finely diced
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground veal (I know, you can substitute ground chicken)
1/4 pound ground pork
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
3/4 cup dry white wine
One 28-ounce can peeled Italian tomatoes–seeded and finely chopped, juices reserved
1 cup chicken stock or canned low-sodium broth
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4-6 ounces Parmesan rind
1/4 cup heavy cream (you can skip it, but it’s not the same ☺)
2 pounds Penne Rigate, Conchiglie (my favorite), or Rigatoni
Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving
Minced parsley and/or basil for garnish

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan until shimmering. Add the onion, carrot, celery and pancetta and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened but not browned, about 8 minutes. Scrape the vegetable mixture into a large bowl.

Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil to the saucepan and heat until just shimmering. Add the beef, veal and pork and cook over moderately high heat until just barely pink, about 5 minutes. Return the vegetable mixture to the saucepan. Add the garlic and cook over high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost evaporated, about 8 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and their juices, the chicken stock, Parmesan rind, thyme and bay leaf. Season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover partially and cook over moderately low heat for 1 hour. (your house will smell heavenly!) Discard the bay leaf and rind. Stir in the heavy cream and cook the sauce just until heated through.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain well, return to the pot and toss with the sauce. Serve the pasta in deep bowls, top with minced parsley and pass the Parmesan at the table.

Serves 8-10  Extra sauce can of course be frozen…

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