Ingredients

½ cup / 125 mL diced pancetta
1 lb / 0.5 kg lean ground pork
2 cups / 500 mL chopped yellow onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
3 cups / 750 mL store-bought marinara sauce
⅓ cup / 80 mL dry white wine or sodium-reduced chicken broth
¼ tsp / 1 mL EACH ground nutmeg and ground cinnamon
1 bay leaf
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Hot cooked pasta for serving
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving
Chopped fresh basil for garnish

Directions

1. In large sauté pan, fry pancetta over medium heat until brown and crisp, about 5 minutes.
2. Remove pancetta to a plate lined with paper towels; set aside.
3. Drain all but 1 Tbsp fat from pan. Increase heat to medium-high. Add ground pork, onion and garlic to pan. Thoroughly cook pork until no pink remains, breaking up larger pieces with a spatula, about 10 minutes.
4. Stir in carrot and celery; cook until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.
5. Stir in marinara sauce, wine or broth, nutmeg, cinnamon and bay leaf. Return pancetta to pan; stir to combine. Cover and allow mixture to simmer over low heat, about 15 minutes.
6. Remove bay leaf, and season mixture with salt and pepper according to taste.
7. Serve meat sauce over your favourite style of hot cooked pasta. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and garnish with chopped basil.