Best Ever Gnocchi Mushroom Bolognese

Nailing a delicious traditional Bolognese can be tricky and many of the recipes we see today are not in fact Bolognese. They're often a hybrid of Bolognese and Ragù alla Napoletana. Two key differences between Ragu alla Napoletana and Bolognese is the type of wine used and the addition of mushrooms. Napoletana uses red wine, while Bolognese uses white wine and adds dry mushrooms. (Although, mushrooms were not in the original recipe Pellegrino Artusi created in 1891 in Bologna Italy, but hey–neither were tomatoes!).

The Italian Academy of Cuisine (which documents all of Italy's culinary history) lists the ingredients for bolognese as beef or veal, fresh unsmoked pancetta, onions, carrot, celery, tomato puree, meat broth, dry white wine, milk, salt and pepper. So paying homage to a truly traditional Bolognese with a little flair (herbs + goat cheese) and one slight adjustment (no pancetta) this delicious sauce is paired with pillowy gnocchi for a perfect "Gnocchi Friday" dinner. Have a colorful day and enjoy!

• Time and Serving Size

  Time:

  Prep: 5min

  Cook: 28min

  Serving Size : 6

• Ingredients

  28 ounce can of diced tomatoes

  ⅔ cup chicken broth

  1 cup whole milk

  ⅓ cup dry white wine (Chenin Blanc or Sauvignon Blanc)

  2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

  3 pinches Napa valley seasoning

  cracked black pepper (to taste)

  salt (to taste)

  garlic granules (to taste)

  2 sage leaves (large, for sauce)

  2 pinches fresh parsley (for sauce and topping)

  fresh basil (for topping)

  1 sweet onion (small, diced)

  2 carrots (medium, diced)

  0.25 pound lean ground beef

  12 oz cremini mushrooms

  3 cloves garlic (minced or grated)

  24 ounces potato gnocchi

  6 ounces rosemary goat cheese

• Nutrition

  Nutrition per serving:

  Calories, 304.3

  Total Fat, 12.3 g

  Cholesterol, 42.5 mg

  Sodium, 531.5 mg

  Potassium, 263.1 mg

  Total Carbohydrate, 33.5 g

  Dietary Fiber, 3.8 g

  Sugars, 4.5 g

  Protein, 14.3 g

  Percent Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

  Health Score: 8/10

  *Health Scores are calculated on a 1-10 scale based on nutrient density and USDA recommendations for a healthy diet. A higher Health Score means healthier food. The value based on impact of more than 28 nutrients.

  Nutrients in this dish with a positive impact:

  Protein 14.3 g

  Vitamin A, 51.6 % DV

  Vitamin B-12, 22.1 % DV

  Vitamin B-6, 10.7 % DV

  Selenium, 13.2 % DV

  Zinc, 15.4 % DV

  Iron, 6.4 % DV

  Folate, 3.5 % DV

Step 1

Peel and chop the carrot and onion. Slice the mushrooms into a separate bowl.

Step 2

Drizzle olive oil into a dutch pan and add carrots and onion. Cook until the onion is translucent and the carrots are soft. Add the ground beef and cook for about 5 minutes. Then add the mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are soft and the beef is cooked through.

Step 3

Stir in the wine, tomatoes and milk. Add the chopped sage and parsley and simmer the sauce for about 15 minutes or until the sauce has thickened a bit.

Step 4

Stir in the gnocchi and 2/3 cup chicken broth. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook for another 8 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.

Step 5

Serve the gnocchi bolognese with rosemary goat cheese and fresh chopped basil. Enjoy!