Bucatini Bolognese

How we make it.

1 pound bucatini, cooked in salted water per package instructions
4 tablespoons butter, divided
1 pound ground turkey
1/2 pound Italian sausage
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 onion
2 whole carrots
1 celery stalk
4 cloves garlic
1 bunch fresh basil (about 15 leaves)
½ cup dry vermouth
1—14 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
1/4 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
1 teaspoon black pepper

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a large heavy bottomed braiser. Add ground turkey, sausage and salt. Break up meat super finely as it cooks until browned, about 5-7 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the pan and set aside on a plate. 

Chop onion, celery and carrots into large chunks so they'll fit into a food processor. Smash and peel garlic. Add chopped onion, garlic, carrots, celery and basil leaves to a food processor with a steel blade. Pulse until totally pureed. Add 2 more tablespoons of butter to the pan the meat was cooked in. Add pureed vegetable mixture to the braiser. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring often until much of the liquid from the vegetables is cooked out. Pour in vermouth and scrape up any brown bits in the pan with a wooden spoon, cooking for 2 more minutes. 

Add crushed tomatoes, stirring to combine. Add meat back in, stirring to combine. Add milk, fennel seeds and Parmigiano Reggiano. Bring the sauce to a boil and then reduce to simmer. Let simmer over low heat partially covered for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cook a pound of bucatini in salted water per package directions. (I like to use 12 cups of water and anywhere from 2-4 tablespoons of kosher salt). Once pasta is almost finished but still has some bite, add it to the braiser with the sauce and finish cooking for 2-3 more minutes. Serve hot with more basil and Parmesan.

Why we make it.

Everybody loves a meat sauce and I have never known why. Maybe it's all the Hamburger Helper my mom tried to make me eat as a kid. Barf! I think ground beef is squeaky and bland outside of a hamburger. Sorry about it. A few years into some underwhelming taco nights I started using ground turkey instead. It's such a sensible thing to buy. Such a welcome addition to the grocery cart meat rotation. Turns out ground turkey is a fantastic base for anything you may otherwise have thought ground beef was better for *minus burgers*. It makes an incredibly silky and luxurious Bolognese with the help of a little Italian sausage to spice things up. It's comfort food without the gut punch of ground chuck. You will love having a reason to use ground turkey and you'll be surprised how much you love the result. That's why we make it.