Penne Bolognese
Penne Bolognese is a classic Italian main course combining a rich, slow-simmered sauce of ground pork, ground beef, onion, carrots, celery and garlic, tossed with penne pasta and topped with grated Emmental cheese. The Thermomix TM7 chops the vegetables, browns the meat and simmers the sauce hands-free, delivering restaurant-quality depth of flavour with minimal effort on busy weeknights.
About this recipe
Penne Bolognese Thermomix TM7 is the quick weeknight dinner every pasta lover wants on the table: al dente penne coated in a rich, slow-simmered ragù of ground pork and ground beef. Searching for Bolognese recipes for your all-in-one kitchen machine ends here, because this version builds the entire sauce in a single mixing bowl. The TM7 chops the onion, carrots, celery and garlic into an even soffritto in seconds, then browns both meats and simmers everything hands-free while you cook the penne separately. The combination of two ground meats gives the sauce a deeper, rounder flavour than beef alone, and the grated Emmental melts into a wonderfully creamy finish that children especially adore. Precise temperature control means the tomato sauce never catches on the base of the bowl, a common problem when making ragù on the hob. Serve it for a family Sunday lunch or portion it into meal prep containers, since the flavour improves even more the next day.
Preparation tips
- For the deepest flavour, let the chopped onion, carrots, celery and garlic sweat in the olive oil before adding the ground pork and beef, so the soffritto sweetens and forms the aromatic base of your Bolognese.
- Cook the penne separately in salted water and reserve a splash of the pasta cooking water; stirring it through the finished sauce helps the ragù cling to every piece of pasta.
- This sauce freezes brilliantly, so double the quantities of ground beef and pork and freeze half in portions for a future quick dinner; it also makes a great filling for lasagne.
- For a kid-friendly version, chop the carrots, celery and onion very finely so they melt invisibly into the sauce, and serve the Emmental on the side for picky eaters.
Recipe variations
- Vegetarian Bolognese: replace the ground pork and beef with finely chopped mushrooms and lentils, keep the onion, carrot and celery soffritto and finish with the same grated Emmental for a fully vegetarian penne.
- Festive variation: add a splash of red wine and a pinch of nutmeg to the sauce, serve the penne in individual oven dishes topped with Emmental and gratinated until bubbling for an Italian Sunday lunch.
Thermomix TM7 Benefits
- Weighing precision - The integrated scale of the Thermomix weighs ground pork and beef directly into the bowl, saving dirty scales. [Built-in scale]. [Precision Control]
- Fine chopping - The TM7 chops onion, carrots and celery into an even soffritto in seconds without tears. [Time savings]. [Time Savings]
- Gentle heating - The Thermomix simmers the Bolognese sauce with precise temperature control, so the tomatoes never burn. [Temperature control]. [Precision Control]
- Fresh grating - Grate the Emmental cheese in the TM7 bowl in seconds, creating a fine texture that melts evenly over the pasta. [Multi-functionality]. [Multi-Function]
- Hands-free stirring - The Thermomix stirs and cooks the meat sauce automatically while you boil the penne separately. [Hands-free]. [Hands-Free]
Ingredients
- Emmental cheese
- red onion
- carrots
- garlic cloves
- celery
- extra virgin olive oil
- ground pork
- ground beef
- salt
- dried oregano