Enjoy a classic Italian dish at home any night of the week with this Healthier Weeknight Bolognese.
It’s December 22nd–the first day of winter, just 3 days away from Christmas, and it’s Recipe Redux day! In the spirit of tradition, the theme for this month is the same as last December, “Grab A Book & Cook,” and since the Recipe Redux challenge has been around for 54 months, we grabbed our cookbooks and turned to page 54 or 154 to find recipe inspiration. Last year, I made this Lamb Shepherd’s Pie from The Gathering of Friends, Volume Two.
This year, Ina Garten was calling my name. She said, “Karman, let’s cook something fabulous together.” Okay, I’m in! I secretly hope that one day I’ll be just as fabulous as I.G. at hosting parties in my house in the Hamptons. #dreaming
On page 154 of her “How Easy is That?” cookbook, I found Weeknight Bolognese. How perfect is that? A comforting dish like bolognese is absolutely something I want to enjoy on dreary, winter days. Count me in, Ina.
Well except for a couple of things. We all know that I.G. is a fan of heavy cream, but I don’t think it’s absolutely necessary for this recipe to taste delicious, so buh-bye extra fat and calories (I’ll save you for a sweet treat later on). I cut the fat a bit more by reducing the amount of olive oil from 2 tablespoons to 1 tablespoon for cooking the ground sirloin and reduced the salt from 1 tablespoon (!) to just 1/2 teaspoon. The final swap made was trading out white pasta for a whole-wheat variety for an extra fiber boost.
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The only chopping involved in this recipe is mincing the garlic, so there’s minimal prep time involved. Ina nailed it [as usual] by including this Weeknight Bolognese in her “How Easy is That?” cookbook because I thought the exact thing to myself several times while making the recipe.
Serve with a leafy green salad and you will be completely satisfied thanks to the protein from the ground sirloin & extra fiber. Now isn’t that just fabulous?
Healthier Weeknight Bolognese
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound 90% lean ground sirloin
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic about 3 cloves
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 8 fluid ounces + 2 fluid ounces dry red wine I used a Cabernet Sauvignon
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes San Marzano if available
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 13.25 ounces dry whole wheat penne pasta
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil or stir-in basil paste I used Gourmet Garden basil paste
- 3 cups packed fresh baby spinach leaves, stems removed
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- 1. Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the ground sirloin and cook until the meat is no longer brown, breaking apart the meat as it cooks. Add the garlic, oregano and crushed red pepper flakes and allow to cook for an additional minute. Pour in 8 ounces of the red wine, the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, black pepper, and salt, stirring carefully until combined. Bring to a slight boil then lower the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes.
- 2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the dry pasta and cook until pasta is al dente. Turn off the heat, drain pasta in a colander and then return it to the pot but do not place back on the burner.
- 3. While the pasta is cooking, finish the sauce by adding the basil and the remaining 2 ounces of red wine. Simmer for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in spinach and allow it to cook until slightly wilted. Pour the sauce over the pasta and then transfer to a serving dish and top with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.
On a bit of a side note, I’ve decided to make better use of my cookbooks next year. Rather than relying on a Google search or Pinterest for recipe inspiration all the time, I’m going to make a point to take a look in my cookbooks from time to time. Do you have go-to cookbooks on your shelf at home? Or do you prefer finding recipes online?
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