Bolognese Sauce with Green Olives

I love pasta. I mean, looooove pasta. And one of the most disappointing parts of transitioning to a real food lifestyle (for me) was eliminating pasta, since it was primarily made using white flour. However, as food choices have improved over the years, there are now really great alternatives to the white flour pasta noodles of days past and my family enjoys pasta once or twice a month now. If you have not tried the Jovial line, I highly recommend it. This meat sauce goes really well with whole wheat pasta, brown rice pasta, or even rice. Or get creative and try serving over gnocchi, pierogi, spaghetti squash, Portobello mushrooms, or even potatoes.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef, I used this

1 pound ground pork, I used this

1/2 large onion, chopped

1 1/2 cups chopped bell peppers
4 to 5 cloves garlic, diced

About 1/4 cup dried mushrooms, crumbled, or the equivalent fresh (a couple of cups, chopped)
4 large green olives (or up to 10-12 smaller olives), pitted & chopped, and about 1/4-1/3 cup of the liquid in which they were stored, try these

Italian Seasonings to taste (~2 tbsp.), I use this or make your own

About 5 cups chopped tomatoes, try 1-2 boxes of Pomi Tomatoes (or the equivalent in fresh chopped tomatoes) - the exact amount used will be based on your preference

Sea salt & ground black pepper to taste

About half a teaspoon of hot seeds (optional)

1 pound of cooked pasta or rice, try this

How To:
1. Cook Ground Beef: In a large pan (I use a 4-qt. braiser for this, like this one or this one), brown ground beef and pork over medium heat.

2. Cook Vegetables: Add onions, peppers, garlic, and mushrooms and cook until the vegetables are softened, the garlic aroma is strong, and the mushrooms have reduced in size, about 10 minutes. While simmering, slice your olives, removing the pits, and dice. Add the olives and juice. Stir to combine.

3.  Add tomatoes: Add tomatoes, mix well, and  simmer. You'll need about 20 minutes total for the dried mushrooms and you can serve any time after they are done.

Serve over your favorite pasta or rice.
 

Comments:

This is a delicious and super easy sauce you can throw together in a relatively short time. I love this Einkorn pasta. This brown rice pasta is the best I've tried. The recipe makes enough sauce for about a pound of pasta (if you like extra sauce) or up to 1 1/2 pounds possibly. My husband likes extra sauce, so we are always sauce heavy. Serve with grated parmesan or other cheese on top and a salad on the side.

One of the best things about this meal is that the little one always loves it because it's pasta. Talk about an easy and enjoyable family dinner.

The picture shows the meat sauce over the Jovial brown rice pasta.

 

This post was shared on Simple Meals Friday, Foodie Friday, Food on Friday, Busy Mondays, and Strut Your Stuff Saturday, Foodie Friday at Simple Living and Eating, Tasty Tuesdays, and Countdown to 2013: Best Main Dishes of 2012.

 

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