Serving Size: 8 to 10
Time To Prep: 10 minutes
Time To Cook: 20 minutes
It was a cold Tuesday night so naturally, I wanted bolognese. To be honest, I crave bolognese during the sweltering height of summer, so the temperature had nothing to do with my craving and everything to do with my undying love for meat sauce. But, I didn't want to wait hours for a traditional bolognese to simmer because I am extremely impatient, especially when it comes to food. So this is my riff on the classic bolognese, made a bit more "healthy" by the addition of grated zucchini. Leave out the zucchini if you want, but it dissolves into the meat so you literally don't even know its there.
Ingredients
Olive oil
1 pound lean ground white meat turkey
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 medium red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 medium zucchini, grated and squeezed dry to remove excess moisture (should be about 2 cups)
1/4 cup white wine
1 tablespoon Calabrian chili paste (use 2 teaspoons if you prefer less heat, can also swap in 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes)
One 32 ounce jar marinara sauce
Basil, 3 to 4 leaves (optional)
Grated parmesan and ricotta for topping (optional, but highly encouraged)
Preheat a large straight sided saute pan set over medium high heat and add about 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add in ground turkey. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until turkey has browned and cooked thru, about 6 to 8 minutes.
Add red onion, garlic, and italian seasoning. Saute until slightly softened and aromatic, 3 to 5 minutes. If skillet appears dry, add another tablespoon of olive oil.
Add zucchini. Saute with aromatics for about 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt.
Deglaze skillet with wine. Scrape the bottom of the skillet to release any browned bits.
Add Calabrian chili paste, marinara sauce, and basil. Allow sauce to simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Serve with your favorite pasta and top with grated parm and ricotta.