Turkey Bolognese

• servings: 6 servings
• total time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus a knob to add later, when pasta and sauce are mixed

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, very finely chopped

3 smaller carrots or 2 large, peeled and coarsely chopped

3 stalks celery, coarsely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 pounds dark turkey meat

1 cup dry white wine (Italian)

One 6-ounce can tomato paste

1 cup whole milk

2 bay leaves

1 Parmesan rind

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound fusilli

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Heat the butter and oil in a shallow heavy-bottomed skillet, like a Le Creuset. Sauté the onions first, getting them translucent and soft and starting to color, about 2 minutes.

In a mini processor, process the carrots and celery until very finely chopped; this makes a smoother sauce so I can sneak veggies past the kids. Add the carrots and celery to the skillet and mix. Add the garlic. Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the turkey meat and cook, stirring, until starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the cup of white wine and reduce slightly. Add the tomato paste, milk, bay leaves and Parmesan rind and simmer down for a little bit, 3 to 4 minutes. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. It shouldn’t be too liquidy (this is a note from Stanley Tucci haha! He’s a big fan of the classic Italian Bolognese which is a dryer sauce).

Put the lid on and transfer it to the oven. It should cook in the oven for 45 minutes with the lid on; give it a stir if you want at the midway point. I prefer the oven but you can also keep it on the stovetop if you prefer. I just think the oven adds a rich caramel-LY depth and melts everything together so beautifully. When the sauce is done, remove the bay leaves and Parmesan rind.

Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, then drain it, saving 1 cup or so of the pasta water.

Pour the pasta back into the pasta pot, add the reserved water, knob of butter and the grated Parmesan cheese and mix. Add it to the sauce and stir to coat the pasta. Sprinkle with extra Parmesan and serve in shallow bowls.

Nutrition

• Calories: 635
• Total Fat: 14g
• Saturated Fat: 5g
• Cholesterol: 92mg
• Sodium: 913mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 74g
• Dietary Fiber: 6g
• Total Sugars: 11g
• Protein: 45g