Slow-Cooked Bolognese Sauce with Sweet Potato Spaghetti

This is Whole30 comfort food at its best. Making Bolognese sauce every Friday is a new tradition of mine, and even though I've only been doing it for a few weeks, it's already made my weekends much heartier and more delicious. I have Fridays off this semester so I can stay home while this fragrant sauce simmers away, but if you have to work you could start the sauce in the morning before you leave and finish it in the slow cooker, or make it your Saturday or Sunday tradition instead.

You want to let this sauce cook for a nice long time because the flavors will continue to meld and develop over the course of several hours. The long cooking time is the reason bolognese sauce is so synergistic. I also think the sauce tastes even better when I reheat it a day or two later, but I can never resist eating at least some of it the day I make it. The aroma is so enticing! 

Because everyone's schedule is different, I'm providing a slow cooker version and a version that cooks completely on the stovetop. Other than the cooking time, which is much longer for the slow cooker version, the only difference is the amount of liquid you add. The stovetop version needs extra liquid since much of the water in the sauce will evaporate, but the slow cooker keeps all that moisture locked in.

The ingredients in the Bolognese are flexible, too. I like to add some vegetables to bulk up the sauce and add more nutrition and flavor. This time I used rutabaga and mushrooms, but I've used summer squash, too. You can also use carrots and celery, which are classic Bolognese ingredients. Whatever vegetables you use, just make sure to chop them finely so the end product will be saucy, without any large pieces in it.

As for the sweet potato noodles, they're my new favorite way to enjoy healthy carbs. I just got a spiralizer a week and a half ago and I've already spiralized sweet potatoes three times. The bright orange, slightly sweet noodles are the perfect foil to this robust and meaty sauce. If sweet potatoes are not your thing, use zucchini instead (more on zoodles here) or get your hands on some Capello's almond flour pasta.

Do you have any food traditions, weekly or otherwise? I'd love to hear about them in the comments!

Slow-Cooked Bolognese Sauce with Sweet Potato Spaghetti
Yield: 6-8 servings
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 4-11 hours

For the bolognese sauce:

1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon ghee
2 shallots or 1 onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium rutabaga, chopped small
10 ounces baby bella or crimini mushrooms, chopped small
1 pound ground pork
1 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar (or white wine vinegar)*
1 tablespoon raspberry wine vinegar (or balsamic)*
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon bittersweet smoked paprika
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of allspice
One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, plus more for serving

For the sweet potato noodles:

1 tablespoon ghee
6-8 medium sweet potatoes (or 1 per person), peeled and spiralized
Sea salt, to taste

*If you're not doing a Whole30, you can use 1 cup red wine instead of the vinegars. Add the wine to the meat, stir, and let most of it bubble away before adding the remaining ingredients.

To make the bolognese sauce, pour room temperature water over the dried porcini mushrooms and set them aside to soak while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Once they've soaked for 20-30 minutes, remove them from the liquid with a slotted spoon, rinse them, and chop them finely. If desired, strain the soaking liquid and reserve it for use later or in another recipe.

Heat the ghee and olive oil in a very large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 7-8 minutes. Raise the heat to medium high and add the garlic, rutabaga, and both kinds of mushrooms. Cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms have released their liquid and most of it has bubbled away, about 8 minutes.

Push the vegetables to the sides of the pan. If the pan looks very dry, you can add an additional tablespoon of olive oil or ghee at this point. Add the beef and pork and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up the meat with a spatula, until cooked through and no longer pink. Add all the remaining ingredients except the basil (go ahead and add the whole can of tomatoes along with their liquid). Stir thoroughly.

At this point, if you'd like to use your slow cooker, transfer the sauce to slow cooker and cook it on low for 6-8 hours, leaving the lid off for the last hour or so to allow any excess liquid to evaporate. If you'd like to continue cooking on the stovetop, stir in 1 1/2 cups of water (you can use the mushroom soaking water if you'd like) and bring the sauce to a boil. Adjust the heat so the mixture simmers and cook, uncovered, for about three hours, adding more water if the sauce starts to look too dry.

Stir in the basil right before serving.

To make the sweet potato noodles, heat the ghee in a very large skillet over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the noodles and toss with tongs to coat them with the ghee. Let the noodles cook for about 2 minutes, then add 1/4 cup of water and cover the pan. Let the noodles steam, stirring occasionally, for 5-10 minutes, or until they reach your desired degree of doneness. I like mine almost soft, but with a tiny bit of bite left to them. It seems to be a thin margin between too crunchy, just right, and too mushy, so I recommend watching them closely and tasting them often.

Season the noodles with a bit of salt and stir. Serve the noodles hot with the sauce spooned on top, garnished with additional basil if desired.

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