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September 2011

More Meals

Make Ahead Meal

Orecchiette with Ground Chicken Bolognese Sauce

Serves 4–6
Recipe by Eshun Mott, Co-author of Whining and Dining: Mealtime Survival for Picky Eaters and the Families Who Love Them

You'll Need

3 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
½ cup finely chopped carrot
½ cup finely chopped celery
2 tsp chopped garlic
1 lb ground chicken
¼ cup cream
½ cup red wine
1 796 ml can Italian plum tomatoes, pureed
1 cup chicken stock (homemade or low sodium)
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 lb orecchiette or other short shaped pasta
grated parmesan cheese

Prep and Cook

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven or other heavy wide-based pot. Add onion, carrot and celery and cook for 12 minutes or until soft and beginning to brown.
Add garlic and sauté 1 minute or until fragrant.
Turn heat to high, add chicken, and sauté, stirring for 3 minutes or until it is no longer pink.
Add cream, bring to a boil, and boil, stirring, for 3 minutes or until it has almost disappeared.
Add wine, bring to a boil, and boil for 3 minutes or until it has almost disappeared. Add tomatoes and stock, bring to a boil, turn down to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 40–45 minutes or until sauce is thick and very flavourful (you should have about 4 cups).
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Boil pasta according to package directions.
Toss with sauce and serve with parmesan cheese.

Good to know: Using lean ground chicken makes a lighter tasting sauce and also saves dramatically on cooking time. Make the sauce several days ahead of using if you like, or even freeze it for another day. Orecchiette does an excellent job of holding sauce, but you can use whichever pasta shape you prefer.