Best Ever Bolognese

Heat the oil and butter over medium heat until melted together. Add in the onion, carrot, and celery and sauté until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add in the pancetta, beef, pork and veal and cook until raw color is gone and mixture is fragrant. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Turn the heat to low and add the garlic, bay leaves, milk, wine and tomatoes. Stir well to combine.

Cook, uncovered, on extremely low heat until the mixture has thickened and all of the excess liquid has been cooked off, about 5–6 hours. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking/burning on the bottom of the pan. If the mixture is bubbling violently, your heat is way too high. Cook it low and slow!

Notes:
1. My favorite tip for this recipe is to use Trader Joe’s mirepoix instead of chopping veggies forever. 2 tubs of it seems to be the perfect amount.
2. Please don’t fret about getting the exact right amounts of meat. Having a little extra or a little less of something isn’t going to ruin the sauce, and it’s much easier to grab the pre-packaged ground meat in the butcher case.
3. I recommend serving it with fresh pasta (look for it in the refrigerated section of your grocery store), or using it as the sauce in lasagna.
4. It freezes and stores well.