Heat your dutch oven over medium heat until hot. Add pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally until crisp.
Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic, saute until tender.
Add ground beef, pork, salt, and pepper. Break up meat with the back of a spoon until cooked through (no longer pink).
Add wine, tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste and stir, bringing to a boil.
Reduce heat to a simmer. Add the cheese rind, bay leaves, thyme, and parsley. Cover and simmer for 4 hours.
Last 30 minutes of cooking time stir in milk, cover and continue to cook.
Remove and discard the cheese rind, bay leaves and thyme. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve over your favorite pasta, polenta or spiral noodles with Parmesan cheese.
Notes
Tiffy's Tips
Serve alone or with your favorite pasta (or a gluten free alternative), veggie noodles, or polenta. I also love to incorporate into lasagna.
When it comes to cooking pasta, I swear by this pot… the strainer insert is a total game changer.
This recipe freezes beautifully.
I also love simmering this recipe in my crock pot all day long as the secret is in the simmer.
Parmesan cheese rind is the protective layer on the outside of the cheese wheel that develops during aging. This rind is packed with flavor and is used to enrich sauces, soups and stews.
A frequently asked question is how to remove red sauce stains from clothing… My go-to is this effective and clean stain remover!