breathtaking bolognese

Be happy, people of the blogosphere. You live in a world where spaghetti bolognese exists!

But wait, it gets better! There is a RECIPE!

Mouthwateringly Heavenly Heart Stoppingly Delicious Turkey Bolognese

Part 1: The aromatics

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 a large onion, chopped

1 small carrot (or 1/2 a regular one), minced

Heat the olive oil on medium heat. Add aromatics and cook, stirring often, until golden brown.

Part 2: the protein

10 oz. ground turkey (I used 93% lean, which still got nice and tender)

1 large clove garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

Add turkey and garlic to pan. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Brown, until there’s no more pink, using your spoon to crumble up the meat.

Part 3: Tomato products and seasoning

2/3 cup canned tomato sauce

2 ripe tomatoes, blanched and peeled, then roughly chopped (I used one red and one yellow)

1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

splash of red wine vinegar, or larger quantity of red wine (a week from tomorrow—my 21ST BIRTHDAY!—I’ll finally be able to add the real stuff)

Add seasoning ingredients and stir to coat the turkey with the liquid. Bring to a boil, then let simmer on low for approximately 40 minutes, adding liquid (I used water, chicken broth would’ve been great too) as needed to keep it looking moist.

Step 4: Admire your handiwork. Inhale the luscious fragrance filling your dwelling.

This sauce was seriously a beaut. None of the recipes I found had all the elements I wanted to include, so I created my own, and this had EVERYTHING- the melting sweetness of the vegetables, the richness of the olive oil, the heartiness of the meat (but it was so lean that it was still light! But it was cooked so long that it wasn’t tough, it was tender!)

I really cannot recommend it enough. And seriously, the smell is unreal. Un. real.

Step 5: Accessorize

I served this atop whole wheat spaghetti. Since this was Roomie Dinner (I am LOVING these! It is SO MUCH FUN cooking together and hanging out in the kitchen and enjoying a leisurely meal together!) my roomie offered to make the side, and she had nummy fresh asparagus!

She made it by sautéing about 1/2 a clove of garlic in about a tbsp of olive oil, then adding the asparagus which she had segmented(in total about twice what you see on my plate), and sautéing until it was golden and crisped. It was DELICIOUS!

  

The best part is, there is LEFTOVERS! Elizabeth and I each get a tupperware of pasta and sauce for our respective busy days (Wednesday for her, Thursday for me) and then I have one more tupperware of just sauce that I can freeze and defrost when I want luscious lingering slow cooked flavor!