Description
This Turkey Bolognese (aka Sunday Sauce) is hearty, robust, and full of depth and flavor! Make it on the stovetop, in a slow cooker, or in an Instant Pot.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 pounds ground meat- turkey, beef, lamb, pork or a mix
- 1 large onion -diced
- 6-8 cloves garlic- rough chopped
- 8 ounces mushrooms- sliced
- 2 carrots- diced
- 2 Celery stalks - diced
- 1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt, more to taste!
- 1 teaspoon cracked pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 3 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 1/4 cup red wine ( or chicken or beef broth)
- 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, preferably San Marsano (or use crushed or diced)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1Bay leaf
- Parmesan Rind (optional)
Garnish: Fresh basil ribbons or chopped parsley and grated parmesan or pecorino cheese
Instructions
- Saute. In a large Dutch oven, saute the ground turkey and onion in the olive oil for 7-9 minutes until lightly browned. If there is a lot of liquid, drain it, then set it aside. Add the onions, saute until softened. Add garlic, carrots, celery, and mushrooms. Continue sauteing and stirring, cooking the veggies until tender, about 7 minutes. Add all the spices and salt.
- Tomato Paste. Make a well in the pan and add the tomato paste; sauté for 1-2 minutes to give the sauce depth. Add the browned turkey and mix it all together, then add the wine, scraping up all the brown bits.
- Reduce. Let simmer on medium heat until the wine is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the can of tomatoes and their juice, breaking them up with the metal spatula. Stir in the soy sauce. Toss in the parmesan rind (optional) to add even more depth and a bay leaf.
- Simmer. Simmer in the Dutch oven on the stove, covered, for 1-2 hours at a gentle simmer (medium-low heat), stirring every 20 minutes and adding chicken stock if needed to prevent drying out. See notes for Instant Pot and Slow Cooker.
- Season. Uncover, taste, adjust seasonings, adding salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaf and parmesan rind, and cook off any extra liquid if you want it thicker.
- Serve over cooked pasta, creamy polenta, quinoa or roasted spaghetti squash with grated parmesan, sprinkled with fresh basil or Italian parsley.
Notes
Instant Pot: Follow steps 1-5 using the saute function. Then use the meat/stew setting for 35 minutes (or manual LOW pressure for 35 minutes) followed by a natural release for 15 minutes. Cook off the extra liquid, uncovered, on the saute function, stirring often. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Slow Cooker: Follow steps 1-5, then place it in a slow cooker, set to its lowest setting for 6 hours (or medium heat for 3 hours). Taste, adjust seasonings; add more salt to taste. Discard the Parmesan rind and bay leaf.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 174
- Sugar: 5.9 g
- Sodium: 259.6 mg
- Fat: 7.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 11.9 g
- Fiber: 4.1 g
- Protein: 16.7 g
- Cholesterol: 48.9 mg
