Bolognese

A Lighter Bolognese

We love pasta in our house but don’t make it that frequently as I have a gluten sensitivity. But, I still eat it :), just not in great quantities…I made this version a few years ago and I continue to keep making it by request.  It’s little lighter than a true Bolognese because I use some white wine, ground turkey, and also use chicken stock. I also use the greater quantity of vegetables as I am always scheming how to get more veggies into my kids. Its a good entertaining recipe too, as its hand-off for the last 2.5 hours of cooking in the oven.

Ingredients:

1 large whole yellow onion (in this recipe I used a combination of yellow and red onion – use what you have…)

2-3 stalks celery

2-3 carrots

1 lb. pork Italian sausage, any casing removed

1 lb. ground turkey

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 cup white wine (or as I did in this recipe, use a combination of white and red wine for a little more color)

2 cups chicken stock

1 cup whole milk

1-2 rinds of Parmesan cheese (I save these for just this purpose)

2 tablespoons Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon fresh Italian flat leaf parsley for garnish

1 lb fettucine noodles, cooked to package instructions

Grated Parmesan cheese for serving on top

Directions:

I use a Le Creuset stock pot for cooking this recipe as the pan needs to be oven safe.

Dice the onion, celery, and carrots finely by hand or in the food processor (my preference), brown those in 1 tablespoon olive oil for about 10 minutes. Remove these from the pot and set aside.

Brown the ground pork sausage with the ground turkey in another 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the same pot. Add tomato paste and brown for two additional minutes. Add in wine and the chicken stock. Add Italian seasonings. Add back in the previously lightly browned vegetables.

Nestle in two rinds of Parmesan cheese, and then add in the whole milk. Cover pot and move to oven to cook in at 325 degrees for about 2.5 hours, checking to make sure there is enough liquid in pot at about the 2 hour mark. Add more wine, or chicken stock if needed. If you like your sauce thicker, don’t add any more liquid here.

Boil noodles and serve, ladling sauce over the noodles and then sprinkling with fresh parsley and grated Parmesan cheese. Your house will smell divine at this point.

Buon Appetito!