So most times, I'm on my own for dinner because I have to feed this growing cookie some decent meals if possible. Eric usually enjoys whatever I prepare when he comes home from his extra long days. (He loves coming home and dinner is ready.) I have been focusing on quick and easy meals that I can make a decent portion that will last us for two meals. However, blogging about the dish is another story and that takes me an another week to get my writing mojo up and going.
Good ole' spaghetti dinners are always a quick meal to make at a moments notice and most of the work lies in the bolognese sauce. It just needs a little time and love to build that wonderful flavor. I will admit that I had made this recipe twice already before I could blog about it. It's that GOOD. I loved the addition of veggies (carrots, onions and celery) and ground turkey in the bolognese sauce. You can usually tell the difference between a hearty ground beef sauce versus ground turkey, but I couldn't tell at all.
Hearty, delicious and perfect for cookie.
Adapted from The Well-Rounded Pregnancy Cookbook
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced finely
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced finely
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 pound ground turkey
1 cup dry red or white wine, or chicken/veggie stock
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes
2 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 (16-ounce) box spaghetti
Preparation:
In a large saucepan or dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute. Mix to combine.
Add the ground turkey and cook until browned, about 10 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high heat, add the wine, and cook until the wine is almost evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, tomatoes and their juice, bay leaf, and the salt. Crush the tomatoes with the back of the wooden spoon. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. Add the oregano and thyme and continue to simmer until the sauce has thickened, for about 30 minutes. Taste for seasonings, and add salt and pepper if needed.
As the sauce is cooking, towards the end of the cooking time - cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain well, transfer to bowls and top with the sauce. Serve with freshly grated parmigiana-reggiano.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Review: DELICIOUS! I already made this dish twice, and my husband raved about it so much that I had to make it again. Plus, the 2 buck chuck wine really helped make this dish extra fancy and tasty! The addition of the red wine gives the bolognese sauce that extra rich layer of flavor that most bolognese sauces have and it came from a pregnancy cookbook. Double thumbs up for that! Pin It
