Spaghetti Bolognese
with baby spinach side salad
Nobody says no to spaghetti and meat sauce night, right? This is one the whole fam will love. Bonus points for reenacting a 'Lady in the Tramp' moment!
Smarts: We use a new method to make our sauce thicker and to hide some veggies - by pureeing our veggies first, they cook fast, add flavor and texture, and make the sauce healthier!
Ingredients
- Balsamic vinegar - 1 1/2 Tbsp
- Dijon mustard - 2 tsp
- Maple syrup - 2 tsp
- Cooking oil - 2 Tbsp
- Salt and pepper - to taste
- Baby spinach - 4 oz
- Spaghetti - 10 oz
- Italian sausage, uncooked - 1/4 lb
- Lean ground turkey (or sub other meat) - 3/4 lb
- Red pepper flakes - 1/4 tsp
- Italian seasonings - 1 Tbsp
- Black pepper - 1/2 tsp
- Garlic - 2 cloves, peeled
- Onions, small - 1, rough chopped
- Carrots - 2, rough chopped
- Celery - 1 rib, rough chopped
- Cooking oil - 1 Tbsp
- Crushed tomatoes (28 oz / 794 g can) - 1 can
- Red wine (opt) - 1/2 cup
- Parmesan - for serving, grated
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Make pasta - Bring a saucepan of water to boil. Salt generously and add pasta. Cook until al dente, tender but not soggy. Drain. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
- Season meat - Mix together sausage, ground meat, red pepper flakes, Italian seasonings, and black pepper. (Can be done up to 1 day ahead)
- Garlic / Onions / Carrots / Celery - Rough chop and then puree in a blender, food processor or using an immersion blender. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
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Make
- Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil and then meat to heated oil.
- Use a wooden spoon to break meat up into bits. Brown for 4 to 6 minutes.
- Fold in your veggie puree and saute for another 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add crushed tomatoes and wine (if using). Boil and then simmer uncovered (be careful of spattering or just embrace it and clean up later) for 15 to 20 minutes.
- While sauce is cooking, whisk together balsamic, Dijon, maple syrup, and cooking oil. Salt and pepper vinaigrette to taste.
- When sauce is done simmering, taste and then season with more spices, salt, and or / pepper.
- Divide pasta into bowls or plates and let everyone spoon as much sauce as they want over pasta. Serve with as much parmesan as you want. Toss vinaigrette with spinach and enjoy on the side.
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
58 reviews
This was great, the veggie puree was a fun touch and the meat turned out well. I forgot the italian seasoning and I wish I hadn't. Really enjoyable and easy, would have been better with more seasoning added. Also next time I would cook the pasta mostly in the water and finish it in the sauce.
0 HelpfulI felt a little wary going in - pureed celery, carrot, and onion sounds so weird - but the texture was no worse for it. My possibly favorite meal ever is spaghetti with meatballs/meat sauce, and this was pretty darn near perfection.
0 Helpful