Comfort food comes in different flavor profiles, cuisine inspirations, and nutrition. Homemade bolognese wine-infused sauce is one of my go-to comfort foods that I often crave, as its packed with nutrients. As much as I love pairing it with pasta, you can also top it on spiralized veggies.
Ingredients for homemade bolognese
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 1/4 eggplant, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped (roast before for extra flavor)
- 1 yellow, orange, or red bell pepper
- 1 package free range ground turkey
- 2/3 cup red wine
- 1 jar pasta sauce of your choice (alternatively, use 2-3 cans of diced tomatoes)
- 2 tsp pink himalayan salt
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp red chili flakes (or diced jalapeno, hot sauce if you want heat)
Optional:
- sauteed tomatoes or canned diced tomatoes
- sauteed zucchini slices
- sundried tomatoes
- olives
- spinach
- heirloom tomato
I often change up my veggie assortment, but any medley you desire should work. 
Step 1: Dice, sauté, soften, caramelize
Drizzle olive oil into the pan, and start by sautéeing the onions and celery. Add 2 TBSP water to allow them to caramelize and soften a bit.
Then add the eggplant and bell pepper. Let them really turn translucent, soften, and caramelize. Add sliced heirloom tomatoes or canned tomatoes (if choosing to use less marinara/pasta sauce) so they can really soften and cook thoroughly.
Step 2: Secret sauce – red, red wine
At this point, add about 1/3 cup of red wine so the veggies would soak in the flavor. Also, feel free to add other veggies, like carrots or zucchini.
Once the veggies are semi-translucent and about 3/4 cooked, add your pasta sauce, unless you’ve chosen the canned tomato route, and mix everything up. Let simmer for about 5-7 minutes on med-low. We want the flavor to soak in and enrich the taste.
Step 3: Add protein of choice
Add seasoning, and more red wine. After about 10 minutes of simmer, add your ground turkey, and ensure heat is on low. Add the remainder of the wine, about 2/3. Leave on low simmer for 5-7 minutes.
Step 4: Simmer
Add some more seasoning if you desire (except salt), and let it simmer on minimal heat for 15-20 minutes so everything becomes really mixed and savory.
In the meantime, heat a pot of water with a pinch of salt, and boil your pasta of choice al dente – usually 8 minutes, but check instructions on the back. My favorite choices for a bolognese are bucatini (long strands with a hole in the middle), mafaldine (ribbon pasta), or tagliatelle. I also like getting fresh pastas that are locally made, such as Santa Cruz Pasta Factory, which is relatively close.
Step 5: Serve with base of choice and cheese
Then, serve with cheese desired: ricotta, burrata, or parmesan are my usual choices.
The rest you can improvise, but basically flavored salt, lots of rich italian seasonings, veggies and red wine are the key!
Enjoy your homemade bolognese, and let me know what veggies, proteins, or bases you used in the comments below.
Want more recipes? Check out my favorite green smoothie for brekkie here!
