Cherry Tomato Bolognese

attosa
Diamond Post Medal for All Time! 1,246 Posts

September 23, 2020

A plate of pasta topped with cherry tomato bolognese. When the pandemic hit, we started expanding our garden to grow our own food. One of our fastest-growing and most plentiful items are cherry tomatoes. A bit tired of salad, I tried making a bolognese sauce with them for pasta night. It was so incredibly delicious. You don't have to grow your own tomatoes to make this, but I urge you to try this recipe either way!

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb ground beef (or turkey or chicken)
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 to 1 cup beef stock (or chicken or beef)
2 cups cherry tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
fresh cooked pasta for serving
grated Parmesan cheese for serving

Steps:

Heat some oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook a couple minutes.

Onions and garlic being sauteed in a pan.

Add ground beef and chopped peppers. Cook until meat is browned.

Ground beef and peppers being sauteed in a pan.

Add tomato paste, thyme, oregano, and a bit of salt and pepper. Stir well, cooking for a couple minutes.

Adding tomato paste to the ground beef mixture.

Add 1/2 cup of stock and stir well. Cook for a few minutes, scraping up bits on bottom of the pan. Keep a bit more stock available to add later if dry.

Adding stock to the ground beef mixture.

Add cherry tomatoes and cook until they begin to burst, about 4-5 minutes.

Adding whole cherry tomatoes to the ground beef mixture.

Smash some of the tomatoes with the back of a spoon so the juices will help make the sauce. You can add some more stock now if it seems a bit dry. Add salt and pepper to taste.