Ever since I was a little girl, there is no dish that has brought me more comfort than bolognese. I love it because it’s the perfect combination of richness, acidity, saltiness and sweetness. It’s satisfying on its own, but when it’s on top of pasta, it is magical.
When I discovered my wheat allergy, I wasn’t too upset to give up simple carbs like pasta because I was so desperate to feel better. After a few weeks without it, however, meals began to feel a little dull. I initially tried pastas that contain corn and potato, which are the typical ingredients in “gluten free” pastas and other packaged products, but they made me feel as sick as I did after having wheat (I will dive into this topic in another post soon). I thought my relationship with pasta was over, so I relied on spaghetti squash to fill that gap, which didn’t go so well. I like spaghetti squash, but its hint of sweetness got old quickly for me.
A few weeks ago, I went to the store to buy brown rice pasta (even though many told me not to bother) and I was very surprised by how delicious it is. I figured that I must have picked out an amazing brand by chance, because I heard negative reviews about several others. This pasta made me feel like I was a normal person (imagine that), and it seriously changed my life. I highly recommend Tinkyáda!
So anyway…back to bolognese!
For this recipe, you’ll need:
1 can of tomato puree (28 oz)
Half of a white onion
About 5 mushrooms, 1 carrot, or other vegetables of your choice
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp garlic salt (or garlic powder)
1 tsp pepper
1 tbsp sugar
1 lb ground turkey (93% lean) – you’ll need about 1 tsp of garlic salt or powder for the meat! (You can leave out the meat if you just want to make a red sauce!)
Let’s Begin!
Start by slicing the vegetables of your choice.
Sauté the onion and carrot in a saucepan with a teaspoon of olive oil for 5 to 7 minutes until the onion is slightly browned. Then you add in the mushrooms and cook them for about 3 minutes. Once they have softened, add in the can of tomato puree and the spices. Let it cook on low for about 15 minutes to let the spices ruminate before tasting it and adding additional salt and/or pepper to taste.
In a separate pan, on medium-high, heat the pound of ground turkey and sprinkle a teaspoon of garlic salt or garlic powder over it evenly. Stir it every few minutes until it is browned.
Lastly, mix it all together and you’ll have a delicious, simple bolognese!
For the spaghetti squash:
Poke holes into a squash with a fork and microwave it for about 5 minutes. Once it’s cooked, carefully remove it (with gloves or a thick towel) and slice it down the center. Remove the seeds then use a fork to remove the “spaghetti”.
For the brown rice pasta:
Bring water to a boil in a large sauce pan (just like regular pasta) then cook the brown rice pasta for 14 minutes. The water will look very cloudy because the rice is starchy, so don’t be alarmed!
Rinse it with cold water after straining the pasta to keep it from sticking too much (it really loves to stick, so doing this saves about 3/4 of it).
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