Make Ahead Chunky Ground Beef Bolognese Sauce
Pasta is always a great option when you’re searching for quick dinner ideas. But if you’re in a hurry, you might think you don’t have time to make sauce from scratch. With the help of this make ahead ground beef Bolognese sauce recipe, you can whip up a homemade sauce ahead of time and store it in your freezer until you’re ready to enjoy it.
This recipe works best in the slow cooker because it allows all those flavors to meld beautifully. Our One Pot Bolognese recipe cooks up on the stovetop.
What makes this homemade pasta sauce chunky is the mix of vegetables and ground beef. If you want to add in more vegetables, thinly sliced or shredded carrots can also be added.
Chunky Ground Beef Bolognese Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef, browned
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- ½ zucchini, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled
- 28 ounces diced tomatoes
- 2 5.5 ounce cans tomato paste
- 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper
Assembly Instructions:
- Combine the ground beef, onion, celery, zucchini, garlic, bacon, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, water, and Italian seasoning in a large resealable freezer bag.
- Squeeze the bag to mix all the ingredients together.
- Remove excess air from the bag, seal it, and place the sauce ingredients in the freezer until the day of cooking.
Cooking instructions:
- Transfer the Bolognese to the refrigerator to thaw overnight.
- Pour all the ingredients into the bowl of your slow cooker and set to cook on low for 4 to 5 hours.
- Alternately, you can bring it to a boil on the stovetop over medium heat and then simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Serve the cooked sauce over spaghetti, spaghetti squash, or zucchini noodles.
Can I Freeze Ground Beef Bolognese?
This delicious sauce recipe is perfect for freezer cooking because it can be frozen both before and after cooking!
If you’re hoping to speed up your workload on prep day, simply combine the sauce ingredients in a freezer bag and store it in the freezer until you’re ready to cook your sauce. On the day of cooking, you’ll need to reserve four to five hours to prepare the sauce.
To speed up the time you sped cooking on preparation day, you can also cook the sauce in advance and store it in the freezer. Follow the recipe instructions for preparing the sauce, then allow the cooked sauce to cool completely before transferring it to your freezer container. To reheat the sauce, simply warm it up in a saucepan or large skillet.
How Do You Store Ground Beef Bolognese?
This prepared sauce can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer after it’s been cooked. If you plan on storing the sauce in the fridge, transfer your leftover Bolognese to an airtight container and chill it for up to four days.
Your sauce can also be frozen for long-term storage. When stored in a freezer bag or airtight freezer friendly container, the sauce will stay good for up to five months.
How should I serve Bolognese?
If you’re looking for a low carb option, this can be served over zucchini or squash noodles. This meat sauce is traditionally served on long pasta noodles such as spaghetti, pappardelle, or tagliatelle. Cook pasta according to the package directions, drain, and top with the sauce.
If you want to elevate this sauce and add some depth of flavor, you can stir some dry red wine into the sauce towards the end of the cooking time.
Pro tip: You can freeze leftover wine in ice cube trays and transfer the cubes to a freezer bag. You can then toss a few cubes into a sauce like this.
Sprinkle with red chili flakes and shredded Parmesan cheese if desired.
Serve with a side salad, garlic bread, or Caesar salad.
- 1 ½ lbs. ground beef browned
- 1 onion diced
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- ½ zucchini chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 4 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
- 28 oz. diced tomatoes
- 2 5.5 oz. cans tomato paste
- 2 cups water
- 1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
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Combine the ground beef, onion, celery, zucchini, garlic, bacon, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, water, and Italian seasoning in a large resealable freezer bag.
-
Squeeze the bag to mix all the ingredients together.
-
Remove excess air from the bag, seal it, and place the sauce ingredients in the freezer until the day of cooking.
-
Transfer the Bolognese to the refrigerator to thaw overnight.
-
Pour all the ingredients into the bowl of your slow cooker and set to cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or simmer on the stovetop for 25 minutes.
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Serve the cooked sauce over spaghetti, spaghetti squash, or zucchini noodles.
