Stanley Tucci Shared a Quick Bolognese That’s Perfect for Weeknights

Actor, cookbook author and all-around food enthusiast Stanley Tucci is always sharing his favorite home-cooked meals on his Instagram. From a simple five-ingredient zucchini pasta to an ultra-cozy grilled sandwich, Tucci has proved time and time again that he knows how to make a mouthwatering meal.

In a recent post, Tucci showed off yet another delicious creation—a quick-and-easy Bolognese sauce using ingredients he already had around his kitchen.

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“I was cleaning out the freezer yesterday, and there’s this beautiful meat that I get from the farmers market here, and I say ‘beautiful’ because there’s a huge amount of fat in it,” Tucci said in the Instagram video. “And I’ve decided to make a quick Bolognese.”

While you may have an idea in mind of what a quick Bolognese sauce consists of, Tucci assured fans that his version bends the rules.

“Quick Bolognese is normally made with veal and you put beef stock in it, and you don’t put tomatoes in it, but I did a combination of things,” he explained.

He went on to explain his tweaks: Tucci added carrots, onion, celery and a “little bit” of butter and olive oil to a sauté pan and cooked it down.

“Then the meat goes in on top of that. Then I had these little tomatoes that were in water, these really beautiful little organic tomatoes, so I cooked some of those in,” Tucci said, later noting that he added pasta water and chicken stock, and seasoned the Bolognese with nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Tucci added the hearty sauce on top of plain fettuccine pasta, topping the two displayed dishes with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

“I tasted it last night and it was really good, so [we’re] having it for lunch,” he said before trying it. But once he dug out his fork, Tucci realized his mistake: “It’s good. I put too much pasta water in it, otherwise it’s good.” Hey, we’ve all overdone it with the pasta water at least once in our lives, so it’s nice to know that even Stanley Tucci can relate!

His result was nearly a spitting image of our own Fresh Pasta with Quick Bolognese Sauce recipe. It only takes 35 minutes to make, and just like Tucci, you can make the sauce ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze it until you’re ready to heat it up and serve. It’s an easy high-protein option for dinner that makes for great leftovers.

And if you’re looking for different variations of the classic Italian dish, we have plenty of healthy options for you to choose from. Try our Vegan Mushroom Bolognese for a plant-based dinner or our Crispy Baked Ravioli with Red Pepper & Mushroom Bolognese for a fun way to shake things up.