Tortelloni Bolognese

The weather has been really windy, chilly, and rainy here lately, which makes me hungry for pasta.... just a rainy day food I think. Have you eaten the Braised Beef and Tortelloni at Olive Garden??? it's YUMMO and I was craving something like that, so I looked on the Olive Garden Recipe site to see what they had there. No luck, that recipe wasn't on there, but this recipe was (Click here) and sounded like I should give it a try, so I did. I did tweak the recipe just a bit by adding bell peppers and a little more seasoning to  mine, and about 1/2 cup half n' half, I like my red sauces just a bit creamy. This was Yummo and just what I needed on a chilly rainy day. I served mine with steamed veggies, but it would also be good with a crispy garden salad and crusty french bread. YUM!

Tortelloni Bolognese

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time:1 hour, 15 minutes
Serving Size:4

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ lb ground beef
6 oz HOT Italian  sausage, skinned
1 cup red wine ( I used a mixture of beef broth with about 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, and a teaspoon of sugar since I didn't have any wine on hand :)
18 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped (1/2 tsp dry)
1 tsp fresh sage, chopped (1/2 tsp dry)
1 tsp fresh basil, chopped (1/2 tsp dry)
1/2 cup half n' half (optional)
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
2 lbs Tortelloni (I buy the buitoni  3 cheeseTortelloni)
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Directions:
HEAT oil in a large pan. Add celery, carrot, onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook about 5 minutes. Add meat and cook 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
DEGLAZE pan with wine (or beef broth mixture); let reduce. Add tomatoes and remaining ingredients and stir. Simmer for about 1 hour.
When sauce is about done add the half n'half if you're using it and turn heat to low; cook Tortelloni's according to the package directions.
TOSS hot, drained pasta in sauce. Top with parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.