A thick, stick-to-your-ribs, meaty sauce traditionally perfumed with red wine, and chicken or beef bone broth or stock that's often made with three types of meat (often pancetta, veal, and beef), bolognese is an Italian ragù that's brightened with the paste of sun-ripened tomatoes and mellowed by stirring in milk before it gently simmers on the back burner for at least an hour. We simplified this robust, cozy dish to make it less fussy to make on a weeknight, but still be full of thick, meaty flavor. This Whole30, no-dairy bolognese uses only five ingredients and is ready to devour in about 40 minutes.

Shortcut 5-Ingredient Whole30 Bolognese 

Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 1 package pancetta, cubed (4 oz.)
• 1 pound grass-fed ground beef
• 1 white or yellow onion, diced
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 jar Primal Kitchen Roasted Garlic Marinara Sauce

Instructions

• Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add cubed pancetta to the pan. Cook and stir frequently until the pancetta is crispy and browned, about 5 minutes.
• Remove the cooked pancetta from the pan. Drain a little bit of the rendered fat from the pan, if desired (we kept it in!).
• Put pan back on heat and add ground beef to the pan. Break up the ground beef with a wooden spatula (tip: A metal potato masher works well for this job, too!) until the meat is separated into smaller chunks. 
• Cook meat until fully browned, about 7 to 10 minutes, breaking the meat up into smaller bits as it cooks.
• Add diced onion and diced carrot to ground beef mixture, stirring well to incorporate. Let vegetables cook until soft, about 4 to 5 minutes.
• Pour in jar of Primal Kitchen Roasted Garlic Marinara Sauce. Add cooked pancetta back into the pan. Stir the sauce and pancetta into the meat until well combined.
• Reduce heat to medium-low and allow sauce to simmer for 20 minutes. 
• Serve on top of spiralized veggie noodles, or spoon on top of roasted or grilled zucchini or eggplant slices.  

Nutritional Information (per serving*):

Calories: 207

Carbs: 9 grams

Fat: 12 grams

Protein: 15 grams

Nutritional information calculated using Cronometer.

*Nutritional information includes sauce recipe only.

You might like these other Whole30 recipes:

• Whole30 Lasagna
• Whole30 Macro Bowl
• Sweet Potato Toast with Avocado and Egg
• Whole30 Lunch and Dinner Recipes
• Whole30 Low-Carb Spaghetti with Tomato Basil Marinara
• Whole30 Cooking Tips and Recipes
• Whole30 Meatballs with Zoodles and Roasted Garlic Marinara
• Garlic and Olive Oil "Pasta"