This white Bolognese sauce puts the spotlight on soffritto (sautéed onions, carrots, and celery), which is enhanced with salty pancetta, fennel seeds, ground pork, and a splash of heavy cream and white wine to make a rich and delicious pasta sauce.
Aromatic sautéed vegetables are the star of this no-tomato Bolognese. Adding the starchy pasta cooking liquid to the Bolognese sauce gives it just enough body to coat the al dente orecchiette.
*We reduced the amount of pasta down from 1 pound to 12 ounces, providing more delicious bolognese per bite. Doing so will most likely not produce six servings. The other quantities were not altered. You could substitute ground sausage for the pork.
Make Ahead: Bolognese can be made through step 2, cooled, and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days or frozen for up to two months. Bring Bolognese to a simmer over low heat, and proceed with step 3 as directed.
Orecchiette with White Bolognese
Ingredients
- 4 oz. diced pancetta
- 8 oz. cremini mushrooms, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 4 small carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped (about 1 1/3 cups)
- 3 celery stalks, trimmed and chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 tsp. fennel seeds
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
- 2 Tbsp. minced garlic (about 6 cloves)
- 1 lb. ground pork
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup lower-sodium chicken broth
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 lb. uncooked orecchiette pasta*
- 1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
Directions
- Heat a large Dutch oven over medium. Add pancetta, and cook, stirring often, until browned, about 6 minutes. Add mushrooms, and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid released by mushrooms has mostly evaporated, about 4 minutes.
- Increase heat to medium-high; add carrots, onion, celery, butter, fennel seeds, oregano, salt, and crushed red pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Add garlic, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add pork and black pepper; cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to break meat into small pieces, until browned, about 4 minutes. Add wine, and bring to a simmer over medium-high. Add broth and cream, and return to a simmer. Reduce heat to low; simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until broth mixture is slightly thickened and reduced to about 5 cups, about 15 minutes.
- While Bolognese cooks, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high. Add pasta, and cook according to package directions for al dente, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid.
- Add cooked pasta and 1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking liquid to Bolognese. Cook over low, stirring constantly, until a creamy sauce forms and coats pasta, about 3 minutes, adding remaining 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid as needed to loosen sauce.
- Season with salt to taste. Divide evenly among serving bowls, and sprinkle with parsley and cheese.
Recipe from Lidey Heuck for Food & Wine
Accounting for Taste 