Holy smokes. We’ve kicked this pasta up a notch, with serious barbecue flavour for a bold dinner that even sneaks a secret vegetable or two. Smoky Beef and Bacon Bolognese is the best thing since Spag Bol, with enough smoky beef and bacon to satisfy the hungriest of meat lovers.
As I sit here writing, another weekend has come and gone and I can’t believe we’re now in our third week of being-back-home-shenanigans already. Gosh time flies when you’re having fun!
This weekend was just the relaxing break we needed after a full-on year. A chance to catch up on family happenings and spend some time in the great outdoors.
Our retreat was a cute little renovated 60’s shack on Hindmarsh Island, South Australia. It was such a stunning spot, bright green grass, away from city noise, and only a few steps to the banks of the Murray River.
Topping the activities list:
- Go fishing off a rickety wooden jetty
- Relax in the shade with a good book, and
- Play endless games of Balderdash til we drop.
Mission Completed.
(We even cranked up our 3DS’s for a few rounds of Mario Kart – haven’t done that in years!) :O
Weirdly we didn’t do any of the cooking this weekend. It feels like we haven’t touched a spatula in so too long and I don’t know about Sarah but I’m starting to get twitchy.
There was a trip to a local pub for dinner the first night, chicken schnitzels all round because REASONS. And then there were the sausages and steak and fried potatoes and CORN on the barbecue the second night and OH-MY-GOD if you haven’t tried barbecued corn yet you need to get on this.
It’s ridiculously simple. Find corn cob -> put on BBQ -> slather with butter (if that’s your thing, it is totally our thing) – > bask in the ambiance.
Oh sorry, was that a bit too corn-y? 😛
Corny or not, for the best flavour make sure to grab corn cobs with the husk on and remove it yourself before cooking. Trust us it’ll taste way better than the pre-husked plastic-wrapped variety.
Smoky Beef and Bacon Bolognese
Our last escapade in the kitchen was Sarah’s Smoky Beef and Bacon Bolognese Experiment.
While I was coughin’ and splutterin’ and oglin’ Crispy Korean Pancakes from the couch, Sarah was flitting around the kitchen chopping this, frying that, adding tablespoons of this sauce and drops of that Liquid Smoke.
We use Tone’s Liquid Smoke with Hickory Barbecue Flavour that we got from the Adelaide Central Market, but you can just as easily buy it online. It is so damn perfect for those times your need big, bold, smoky American-style flavours in your life, but you don’t want the hassle of having to smoke it yourself.
Offsetting the smoky beefy bacon-y deliciousness Sarah added grated zucchini and carrot which blended amazingly into the sauce that I had no idea they were even there.
It even fooled her brother, who’s usually got a keen eye for sneaky unwanted vegetables. Success!
Sick or no, I can tell you I wolfed down that Smoky Beef and Bacon Bolognese in record time along with the rest of the hungry family. Mr I-Don’t-Eat-Vegetables even said it should be called Texas BBQ Bolognese. What do you think?
P.S. If you love pasta you might want to check out this Napoli Sauce or this Spaghetti All’Amatriciana.
If you want more cooking tips, lifehacks and general food amazingness beyond Wandercooks, make sure you join the conversation and LIKE us on Facebook.
Ingredients
- 750 g beef mince
- 4 slices bacon diced
- 500 g pasta fettuccine or spaghetti
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 60 ml red wine
- 800 g diced tomatoes
- 1 carrot grated
- 1 zucchini grated
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 4 tbsp tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp BBQ sauce
- 20 drops liquid smoke
- 2 tsp smoky paprika or more, to taste
- Salt & pepper to taste
- oil for cooking
Instructions
- Set a large saucepan of water over a high heat and bring to the boil.
- Meanwhile heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium high heat. Add the onions and garlic and stir fry until onions are translucent.
- Add the minced beef and diced bacon and continue fry until browned.
- Pour in red wine and cook until liquid evaporates. Reduce heat to a simmer.
- Add the grated carrot and zucchini, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and BBQ sauce. Stir through until well combined.
- Gradually add the liquid smoke, smoky paprika, salt and pepper until you’re happy with the flavour. Continue to simmer on low.
- Add the pasta into the pot of boiling water and cook according to packet directions.
- When pasta is ready, place on serving dishes and top with the Smoky Beef and Bacon Bolognese sauce.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
20 Comments
Ilona @ Ilona's Passion
05/04/2016 at 10:54 amGreat dinner idea. I usually make my bolognese with pork. I need to try yours 🙂
Wandercooks
05/04/2016 at 12:58 pmOooh pork would be delicious too. We usually make bolognese with beef in Australia but definitely trying it with pork next time!
Karly Campbell
11/03/2016 at 4:01 amHoly SMOKES is right, this looks amazing! And the bacon! Agh!
Wandercooks
11/03/2016 at 9:01 amOooh we baaaaad. 😉 Hahaha
Muna Kenny
09/03/2016 at 10:35 pmImpressive! I like how you added few more flavors to this classic dish 🙂
Wandercooks
11/03/2016 at 9:00 amExperimenting with the classics is too fun to pass up! 😀
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way
08/03/2016 at 10:53 pmYour Bolognese looks amazing and what a different take on the classic!! Now lets get down to business and talk corn — here in the States, especially Indiana, we have lots and lots of corn and we do grill it a LOT!! You want a great topping — all of my kids love it — it is maple chipotle butter. OMG it transforms everything to a different level. We even put it on our pork chops!! Yes indeed our barbie gets lots of use. Hey! Are you going to post pictures of your adventures?? Would love to see them. A dopo!
Wandercooks
09/03/2016 at 9:12 amOh. My. God. That flavour combination sounds incredible Marisa! We are SO going to do this at our next BBQ. Oooh and I wonder if you could use this instead of garlic butter and make spicy maple chipotle ‘Garlic Bread’? What do you think?
Emma @ Supper in the Suburbs
08/03/2016 at 8:10 pmI’ve heard a few times that bolognase is best made with a mix of pork and beef but never tried it myself. (Though I do make meatballs this way. ..) Your recipe is very tempting!
Wandercooks
09/03/2016 at 9:07 amHey Emma, yep it’s amazing with an even mix of pork and beef mince. Sarah’s experiment used bacon instead and it went really great with the smoky BBQ flavours in this version. We haven’t made meatballs in ages though, must do that soon!
Martin @ The Why Chef
08/03/2016 at 7:29 pmWas dosing up on liquid smoke just last night for some BBQ wings! I love the stuff, but I posted about liquid smoke in a British BBQ Facebook group and got torn a new behind! I didn’t realise how controversial it could be!
My better half loves all things BBQ so I’ll be cooking this up for her! And she’s very much a won’t-go-near-carrots-or-courgette either, so it’ll be worthwhile if I can slip them in!
Wandercooks
09/03/2016 at 9:02 amOh really? We never realised it could be so controversial. Serious Eats have done an amazing article on liquid smoke which I think you might enjoy reading! The key is definitely to use it sparingly to avoid overpowering the dish. We’ll definitely keep using it though. (Hint hint: Oysters Kilpatrick with a drop of liquid smoke. Do it. We’ll be sharing this one on the blog soon!)
Diana
08/03/2016 at 7:18 pmLove a good tasty bolognese! Proper comfort food 🙂 I never tried making my own bolognese sauce, but I will have to try this!
Wandercooks
09/03/2016 at 8:45 amOoooh you definitely should! It always tastes better homemade, especially because you can tweak the flavours and make it just how you like it. Hope you enjoy, and let us know how you go!
Barely Vegan
08/03/2016 at 6:58 pmBacon, BBQ, and Wine?!?! This sounds very decadent and tasty! Great recipe. 🙂
Wandercooks
09/03/2016 at 8:44 amYep, Yep, and Yep! It’s got all of the good stuff in there!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme
08/03/2016 at 6:01 pmI have to go to bed but this bolognese has got me feeling hungry! Looks delicious!
Wandercooks
09/03/2016 at 8:41 amThis one’s worth staying up for. 😉 😛
Sandra - The Foodie Affair
08/03/2016 at 4:05 pmMy husband was just saying he was craving a pasta dish! He’ll love the bacon in this bolognese and I love all the veggies!
Wandercooks
09/03/2016 at 8:41 amIt’s like the best of both worlds! And at least you don’t have to tell him about the veggies haha. 😉