Bolognese with Butternut Squash; trivia

This recipe is based on one I found on the Food and Wine site.

I have absolutely no idea how I got there…. I started using Evernote a few years ago to keep track of stuff.

I’m not very good at using it – sporadic updates, saves, etc., but I do open it occasionally when I need recipe inspiration to see what looked good to me in the past.

This did.

It had butternut squash in it and I happen to have a few butternut squash to eat.

How Food and Wine managed to call this ‘Bolognese’ without getting chastised by the food police I have no idea – but if they can do it, I can do it.

So there!

I used ground veal, as they suggested in the original recipe, because for the first, last and only time, there was ground veal in the supermarket.

It will be perfectly delicious with ground beef.

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Bolognese with Butternut Squash

Print Recipe

This is not a true ‘Bolognese’ but it was a quick, easy, tasty skillet dinner, with lots of veggies.

• Author: Katie Zeller
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 2 servings 1x
• Category: Pasta

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 1/4 cup pasta, penne, radiatori…
• 12oz (360gr) ground veal (or beef)
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
• 1 rib celery, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1/3 cup (3oz, 90ml) red wine
• 1/3 cup (3oz, 90ml) beef stock
• 2 cups (15oz, 450gr) whole tomatoes, peeled, chopped, with juices
• 10oz (300gr) butternut squash, cubed
• 1 tbs sage, crushed
• 1 tbs parsley
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/3 cup (4oz, 120gr) Greek yogurt

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Instructions

• Cook pasta according to package directions. When done, drain.
• Heat 1 tbs oil in large skillet. Add the onion, carrot, celery and sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes. 
• Add the garlic, veal, and brown, breaking it up as it cooks
• Add the wine, beef stock and simmer 5 minutes, uncovered.
• Add tomatoes, juices, butternut squash, herbs, and bring to a boil.
• Simmer, uncovered, until sauce starts to thicken a bit, about 10 minutes.
• Cover and continue cooking until squash is tender, 5 – 15 minutes longer, depending on size of squash cubes.
• When ready to serve, stir the yogurt into the sauce.
• Put the pasta in bowls or on plates, top  with sauce and serve.

Notes

Substitute sour cream for the yogurt.

Keywords: bolognese, butternut squash, pasta

For those of you interested in useless information, ‘SpagBol’ (which this is not) is the British equivalent of the American ‘Mac&Cheese’.

SpagBol (Spaghetti Bolognese) is ‘nursery food’ and, normally, consists of spaghetti and some sort of insipid tomato sauce that may or may not have meat.

Mac&Cheese (Macaroni with Cheese Sauce) is ‘comfort food’ and consists, normally, of a package of macaroni and cheese (that may or may not be real) to which one adds liquid of some sort.

Both can, in their most basic, cheapest, easiest, and quickest forms, be barely edible by an adult with the ability to taste and appreciate good food.

Both can, when prepared properly and with care, be sublime and food of the gods.

Just thought you’d like to know – maybe for the next trivia contest (or, for the Brit’s, quiz night)

My Bolognese with Butternut Squash was not quite sublime, but for an easy, mid-week meal is was d*mn good!

My recipe for a proper Ragù Bolognese is here.