Giada De Laurentiis’ Bison Bolognese Is Ready in 25 Minutes
Put a new spin on conventional Bolognese sauce with Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis’ Bison Bolognese.
Lean bison braises in a sauce infused with the flavors of white wine, Parmesan cheese, and fresh basil. The best part is, you can have it done in less than half an hour. Here’s how to make this hearty sauce that you’ll be craving again and again.
De Laurentiis says bison is a ‘lighter, leaner choice’
When it comes to lean protein, it’s hard to beat bison’s very low in fat nutritional profile. The best part, De Laurentiis noted on her food blog, Giadzy, is how quickly a Bolognese sauce cooks up when using bison.
“Bolognese is one of my absolute favorite classic Italian dishes, and I love it in all kinds of variations,” she writes. “My simple Bolognese is an old standby, but I like to switch it up – and in this case, bison makes for a lighter, leaner choice as opposed to beef. Bison generally has less fat and more protein, which makes it a lighter choice for an easy weeknight – and while some Bolognese recipes call for long simmer times, this one just takes 25 minutes to cook up to perfection.”
And you won’t need any fancy ingredients to make the chef’s bison Bolognese. In addition to the bison, plan to have on-hand olive oil, red onion, carrots, garlic, kosher salt, white wine, crushed tomatoes, Parmesan cheese rind, fresh basil, unsalted butter, pappardelle pasta, and grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
How to make Giada De Laurentiis’ quick bison Bolognese
The Simply Giada star’s meaty sauce comes together even more quickly than a Bolognese made with ground beef, as noted, because of its leanness.
Heat the ground bison in olive oil in a pot, cooking, the chef notes, to break apart “the meat into very small pieces.” Stir in the chopped carrot, red onion, and garlic until the vegetables are well-combined with the meat.
Salt and pepper the mixture and allow it to cook for a few minutes, “until the vegetables are soft and fragrant.”
Add the white wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the yummy brown bits from the meat that have settled on the bottom of the pot. The meat mixture can now simmer for a few minutes so that the wine has reduced.
Pour in the crushed tomatoes, and “nestle” in the rind of Parmesan cheese and the fresh basil. Season as needed with salt, reducing the heat so that the sauce simmers for about half an hour.
De Laurentiis’ quicker Bolognese impressed reviewers
To complete this dish, make the pasta, being sure De Laurentiis says, to cook it “for two minutes less than directed, about six minutes.” Once it’s done, it can be spooned right onto the pasta (or use tongs to add the pasta to the bison sauce, whichever method is preferred).
Sprinkle the Parmigiano Reggiano onto the cooked pasta, tossing it with the butter to coat. If needed, the chef says, add some of the starchy pasta water to the pasta in the sauce, “to ensure it clings to the pasta.”
The final dish can be served with additional olive oil and grated cheese.
Reviewers’ comments on De Laurentiis’ dish can be summed up in two adjectives: rich and flavorful.
Home cooks posted remarks including, “Loved this. Will make again. Great lean version with tons of flavor!,” “Really good – rich and flavorful,” and “Made this tonite with bison, used red wine….delicious!”
Get the complete recipe, video, and reviews on Food Network’s site.
