I’m always looking out for great jarred tomato sauces. With the right sauce and a box of pasta in the pantry, dinner is always 15 minutes away. So when the celeb-loved New York City restaurant Carbone added a collection of simmer sauces to its line of pantry items, I had to give them a try.
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A jar of sauce might be the closest I’ll get to eating the food from the infamously impossible-to-reserve hotspot, but hey — maybe cozying up with a bowl of meaty red sauce at home is even better than braving the crowds and cold.
Credit: Lizzy Briskin
What’s So Great About Carbone Bolognese Italian Simmer Sauce?
The Bolognese simmer sauce from Carbone has a rich, deep flavor that sets it apart from typical jarred tomato sauces. Unlike a bright and sweet marinara, for example (Carbone’s is also excellent), the Bolognese sauce is cooked with ingredients that complement red meat.
Its bold flavor foundation comes from the classic mirepoix of onions, carrots, and celery. It also has a nice amount of umami-rich garlic, and a touch of nutmeg gives the sauce a homey, warming quality that makes it taste like it’s been simmering away for hours. This sauce really needs no doctoring up; it’s made to elevate any beef, pork, or poultry.
What’s the Best Way to Enjoy Carbone Bolognese Italian Simmer Sauce?
The jar offers instructions to make Carbone’s signature Bolognese by searing ground meat and simmering it in the sauce, and I’m sure this makes a quick restaurant-quality meal. But my favorite way to serve the Bolognese sauce is even simpler (and skips the raw meat): I add frozen meatballs.
I start by browning the meatballs (I love Force of Nature or Butcher Box) in a cast iron skillet until they’re caramelized on a few sides. Then I dump in a jar of simmer sauce and let things bubble away until the meatballs are heated through, which takes about 10 minutes, depending on their size. I’ve served the saucy meatballs straight from the skillet as a toothpick-spiked appetizer or piled high over spaghetti for a hearty dinner.
If you want to skip the meat altogether, the Bolognese sauce is equally delicious served as-is over pasta. You get all the rich, hearty flavor of a meat sauce, but it’s totally vegetarian.
Buy: Carbone Bolognese Italian Simmer Sauce, $23.99 for 2 (24-ounce) jars at Carbone
Have you tried Carbone’s new simmer sauces? Tell us about it in the comments.
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