Best Bolognese Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 6 cloves of garlic, smashed
• 1 3-ounce package of pancetta
• 1 10-ounce package of ground beef
• 3/4 cup dry red wine
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 cup whole milk or cream
• 28 ounces of canned tomatoes, pulped or crushed
• 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds pasta
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for serving

Instructions

1. Heat a pan over medium and add the oil, smashed garlic, and chopped onion. Stir until everything becomes translucent and starts browning.
2. Add the pancetta, and when the mixture is slightly brown, transfer everything to a small bowl, leaving some of the rendered fat in the pan.
3. Place the ground beef in the pan and begin to crumble the meat with the back of a wooden spoon. When the meat looks mostly cooked, add the wine and bay leaves and simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed.
4. Add the milk or cream and simmer again. When the liquid is mostly absorbed, reincorporate the reserved pancetta, onions, and garlic into the mixture. Add the tomatoes and stir everything together.
5. When the sauce starts bubbling, turn the heat down to low. Cook, covered, for one hour with the occasional stir. The fat will begin to separate from the sauce but that's OK — just stir it back together.
6. Taste, add salt and pepper, and cook for another 30 minutes. Stir occasionally and taste to adjust salt before serving.
7. Toss with cooked pasta and serve with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese on the side.