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Italian

Dutch Oven Bolognese Sauce

January 29, 2017 by Vanessa Leave a Comment

This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for information. 

Bolognese, or ragu, is a meaty tomato based pasta sauce that can be served on your preferred pasta. Often created with beef and some kind of sausage, it typically includes a tomato paste, chopped vegetables, and a liquid such as broth and/or wine.

When I began to make Cooking Light’s 2014 recipe for Beefy Bolognese over Penne Pasta, I quickly realized that I was out of red wine. The horror! So, I substituted more chicken stock in its place. Instead of using ground beef, I used ground turkey. The addition of chopped center cut bacon completed the meaty trilogy. Incorporating finely chopped onion, carrot, celery, tomatoes, and garlic elevated the flavors and was a sneaky way to include more vegetables into our dinner entree.

I think you’ll enjoy my Dutch Oven Bolognese Sauce, a healthier, alcohol-free version of the Cooking Light recipe. Thick in consistency, it can be layered on top of freshly cooked pasta or nestled between lasagne noodles. The longer it simmers on the stove, the better it tastes at dinner time.

Top with shredded parmesan (optional) and more flat leaf parsley.

I like to organize my ingredients before starting the cooking process so I diced all vegetables and opened cans and jars before turning on the stovetop. This kind of preparation makes cooking much easier and enjoyable. You don’t feel rushed in a panic when preparing multi-step recipes like this one.

I chopped the raw bacon into small pieces before adding them to a medium-high dutch oven pot.

After cooking the bacon for about five minutes or until it reaches the crispness you prefer, add the ground turkey and Italian sausage. Cook six minutes or until brown. You will have to continually stir it to get it to crumble and cook evenly.

The Italian sausage leaves just enough grease in the pan once browned to cook the vegetables in the following steps but not enough grease to ruin the recipe.

After the meat has cooked thoroughly, remove it from the pan and set aside. Immediately add in the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic to saute for about five minutes.

Chopped your vegetables so that they are all the same size to guarantee that they cook evenly.

Add tomato paste and sauté while mixing one minute. Add stock and bring to a boil. Cook one minute, scraping the pot to loosen any browned bits.

Make sure to stir frequently.

Return the beef mixture to the pot and stir in the chopped tomatoes, pepper and salt. Cover and reduce heat to low and cook one hour. Make sure to stir the sauce several times to prevent it from sticking to the pot. Then, cook pasta according to package directions. Once the hour has expired, spoon the bolognese on top of your pasta of choice. Garnish with shredded parmesan and flat leaf parsley.

onedelightfullife.com

4 cups

Dutch Oven Bolognese Sauce

An even lighter version of Cooking Light's meat bolognese sauce. The perfect slow simmer Sunday dinner!

30 minPrep Time

1 hr, 30 Cook Time

2 hrTotal Time

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Ingredients

  • 3 chopped center-cut bacon slices
  • 8 oz lean ground turkey
  • 4 oz ground Italian sausage
  • 1 1/2 c finely chopped onion
  • 1/2 c finely chopped carrot
  • 1 T. minced garlic
  • 1/4 c unsalted tomato paste
  • 1/2 c unsalted chicken stock
  • 1/3 c. dry red wine (I used more chicken stock)
  • 1 (14.5oz) can unsalted diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 8 oz. pasta
  • chopped fresh flat leaf parsley (optional)
  • 1 T. shredded parmasen (optional)

Instructions

  1. Place bacon in a Dutch oven or deep pot with a lid over medium-high heat.
  2. Saute 5 minutes until crisp.
  3. Add ground turkey and ground sausage to pan and cook 6 minutes or until browned.
  4. Stir until it crumbles.
  5. Remove meat mixture from pan.
  6. Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic; saute 1 minute.
  7. Add stock and bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.
  8. Return meat mixture to pot; stir in tomatoes, pepper, and salt.
  9. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook 1 hour, stirring several times.
  10. Cook pasta according to box directions. Serve bolognese on top of pasta and top with optional parmesan and chopped parsley.
7.8.1.2
66
https://onedelightfullife.com/dutch-oven-bolognese-sauce/
onedelightfullife.com

Nutrition

Calories

1957 cal

Fat

61 g

Carbs

121 g

Protein

94 g
Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info
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Filed Under: Dinner, Taste Tagged With: bacon, bolognese, Cooking Light, dutch oven, ground turkey, Italian, pasta, penne, sauce, sausage, spaghetti sauce, tomato, wine

Sausage Caprese Stuffed Portobellos

July 19, 2016 by Vanessa Leave a Comment

It’s no secret that I love cream cheese. I add it to everything from pasta to desserts. And if you’ve ever attended one of my parties, I probably served you a cream cheese based dip hot and bubbly from the crockpot. While that sounds creamy and dreamy (like, who doesn’t love chips dripping with warm cheesy artichoke dip?), I have to make healthier food choices.

When a recipe called for cream cheese stuffed mushrooms, I knew I was going to have to flip the script, people.

My recipe for Sausage Caprese Stuffed Portobellos received rave reviews from my guy. I know one of my recipes is a keeper when “Babe, you need to remember this one” is heard between bites from the kitchen. Score one for me and healthy eating!

I may just try this healthier food thing again tomorrow.

Intended to be a side dish, these mushrooms are filling enough that they could be one's lunch meal.
Intended to be a side dish, these mushrooms are filling enough that they could be one’s lunch meal.

I eliminated the cream cheese and used low-fat mozzarella. There was no need to use olive oil either. Clean the mushrooms using a paper towel rather than under the faucet, a tip I learned from Rachel Ray. I do not remove the outer skin. Remove the stem and the inside texture using the edge of a spoon.

Sausage-Caprese-Stuff-Portobellos Sausage-Caprese-Stuff-Portobellos4

After cooking off the country sausage and mixing the remaining ingredients, stuff each mushroom firmly and top with more cheese before baking.

Sausage-Caprese-Stuff-Portobellos2

Bake in an 8″x8″ glass baking dish, uncovered at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes until tender.

Intended to be a side dish, these mushrooms are filling enough that they could be one's lunch meal.
Hubby and heart-health approved.


onedelightfullife.com

Serves 2 portobellos

Sausage Caprese Stuffed Portobellos

Stuffed mushrooms don't have to include cream cheese to be hubby-approved. Try this much healthier version!

10 minPrep Time

12 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

  • 2 cleaned portobello mushrooms
  • 1 pkg cooked and drained country sausage
  • 1 c. diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 c. low-fat mozzarella
  • 2 T shredded parmesan
  • 1 T Italian seasoning
  • 6 springs fresh chopped basil
  • 1 chopped green onion
  • pinch black pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Cook country sausage according to package directions in a skillet under done and crumbly.
  3. Transfer sausage to a paper towel lined plate to drain any grease. You may want to use another paper towel on top of the sausage to rid it of any more grease.
  4. Transfer dry sausage to a medium sized bowl.
  5. Add tomatoes, half of the mozzarella, parmesan, Italian seasoning, basil, green onion and stir until well mixed.
  6. Clean portobellos with a dry paper towel. Remove the stems and hollow out the center fibers using a spoon. Place mushrooms top-side down in an 8"x8" glass baking dish.
  7. Stuff sausage mixture into each portobello firmly. Top with black pepper.
  8. Add remaining mozzarella on top of mushrooms before baking.
  9. Bake 10-12 minutes until mushrooms are tender.
  10. Serve hot.

Notes

The parmesan and sausage already give a salty flavor, which is why a pinch of salt is not included in this recipe.

7.8.1.2
33

https://onedelightfullife.com/sausage-caprese-stuffed-portobellos/

onedelightfullife.com

Nutrition

Calories

71 cal

Fat

3 g

Carbs

8 g

Protein

2 g

Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info


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Share your favorite mushroom recipe in the comments section below. You will find more recipes like these posted several times at week on One Delightful Life’s Pinterest page!

Filed Under: Dinner, Sides, Taste Tagged With: basil, caprese, cheese, country sausage, Italian, mozzarella, mushrooms, portobellos, sausage, stuff mushrooms, tomatoes

Movie Night Popcorn Seasonings

June 16, 2016 by Vanessa Leave a Comment

Fire up Netflix and turn down the lights….it’s Movie Night. But wait! Where’s the popcorn? Everyone knows those store bought popcorn seasonings contain all kinds of unpronounceable ingredients. Take ten minutes, before pushing play on your chosen flick, and make one of these high flavor Movie Night Popcorn Seasonings to add to a bag of unsalted microwave popcorn. Scroll down for a listing of fun, flavor combinations and try the featured recipe card for Pizza Popcorn Seasoning. And…ACTION!

Pizza + Popcorn = An Empty Popcorn Box
Homemade Seasonings + Popcorn = An Empty Popcorn Box

Fiesta Mexicana

  • 1/4 c. melted unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp cayenne
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp dry cilantro

Zesty Italian

  • 1/4 c. melted unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp oregano leaves
  • 1/2 tsp onion power
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1 tsp sage
  • 1 tsp rosemary
  • 1 tsp basil

Dill Pickle

  • 1/4 c. melted unsalted butter
  • 1 T. dill
  • 1 tsp onion power
  • 1 tsp kosher salt

Garlic Parmesan

  • 1/4 c. melted unsalted butter
  • 1 T grated parmesan
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp parsley


onedelightfullife.com

3/4 cup

Serves Seasoning for 1 bag of popcorn

Pizza Popcorn Seasoning

5 minPrep Time

5 minCook Time

10 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

  • 1 bag plain microwave popcorn (no butter)
  • 1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
  • 4 T oregano
  • 2 T dry basil
  • 1 T garlic powder
  • 1 T thyme
  • 1 T grated Parmasen cheese
  • Pinch of black pepper

Instructions

  1. Melt unsalted butter in a small saucepan.
  2. While it's melting, mix together all dry ingredients.
  3. Add dry seasoning mix to melted butter. Remove from heat.
  4. Follow microwave instructions for unflavored popcorn.
  5. Drizzle melted butter mixture on top of popcorn.

Notes

Try our other popcorn seasonings too!

7.8.1.2
7

https://onedelightfullife.com/movie-night-popcorn-seasonings/

onedelightfullife.com

Nutrition

Calories

95 cal

Fat

6 g

Carbs

4 g

Protein

7 g

Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info


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onedelightfullife.com Increase the flavor of microwave popcorn for movie night at home with these easy seasoning combinations.
onedelightfullife.com Increase the flavor of microwave popcorn for movie night at home with these easy seasoning combinations.

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Filed Under: Snacks, Taste Tagged With: dill pickle, garlic, Italian, mexican, movie night, parmesan, pizza, popcorn, popcorn seasoning, snack

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Hello! I'm Vanessa. Welcome to One Delightful Life, a blog created to add more delight to your life with delicious recipes, travel destinations, and lifestyle improvement ideas. Thanks for exploring my blog!

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