My husband loves Puttanesca Sauce and I am a huge fan of Bolognese Sauce. So like any good marriage, a compromise can end up getting both people what they want. Thus this wonderful sauce was born! Every time I make this sauce I make as much as I can possibly fit into my pot. Some of the sauce is served for dinner that night. The rest is frozen for other fantastic meals when time is running a little short but the mood is clearly Italian!
The marriage of these two sauces brings out the briny flavors of the Kalamata olives, capers and anchovies in the Puttanesca combined with the chunky bits of vegetables and meat in the Bolognese. These sauces live very happily together!
Sometimes I make half the sauce with ground meat and half without; just the straight sauce. This leaves me open to all kinds of possibilities in the future. Next week when we go RV Camping with our friends, I am in charge of spaghetti and meatball night. I’ll take the frozen sauce without meat, pull some frozen Turkey Spinach Meatballs out of the freezer and like magic, dinner is done! Pour the wine, it’s time to eat. Mangia!
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and sauté until softened, about 4-5 minutes.
Add the carrots and celery and cook another 4-5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook an additional 1-2 minutes. The smell in the kitchen is fantastic! I am starting to drool.
Transfer mirepoix….the vegetable mixture, but I just love the sound of mirepoix almost as much as I love the smell….to a large pot and set aside while browning the ground turkey/sausage.
In the same skillet, drizzle a little olive oil (if using only turkey) and brown the ground turkey/sausage, stirring frequently, breaking up any large clumps of meat. Cook until meat is no longer pink, about 8-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper (turkey only) and drain any excess grease before adding to the pot.
Add the browned turkey/sausage to the large pot and combine with the vegetables. The veggies are still a bit crunchy and the meat is moist. I could take a spoonful of this heavenly combo right now! Ahh, pause, I think I will. After all, every cook knows it’s important to taste as you go!
Pour in the pasta sauce. Use any kind you like but my preference is a sauce that’s not too sweet. You are going for a rich, salty flavor instead of a sweet underlying flavor. This sauce is rich with a little kick to it. It’s not a sissy sauce!
Chop up the flavors of Puttanesca and add to sauce. That little squiggle of grey is not a worm. It is the anchovy paste. You will not know these little fishies are lurking in the sauce but you will know something interesting has happened to the sauce. Don’t leave it out! You will miss the great flavor it adds!
Stir to combine, add the remaining ingredients and simmer. Add the red wine and simmer for another 10 minutes. As Julia Child was fond of saying, “I love cooking with wine—sometimes I even put it in the food.” Take her cue and test the wine with a sip or two!
Make your favorite pasta, I prefer Penne to catch all the yummy bits in the sauce, and sprinkle with Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano. Dinner is nearly ready.
Pasta Sauce can be frozen for up to 6 months. When ready to use, remove from the freezer in the morning and defrost in the refrigerator. Heat up until sauce bubbles and serve with your favorite pasta.
Always save a little water from cooking your pasta in case you need to thin the pasta sauce. The great flavors of the starchy pasta water will add and not take away from the flavor of your sauce while thinning it out.
Toss in a few Turkey Spinach Meatballs and you have quite a feast!
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2-3 stalks celery, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound ground turkey or Italian sausage or a combination of both
- 3-4 jars of pasta sauce, your favorite
- 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup tightly packed, pitted, Kalamata olives, chopped
- 2 tablespoons drained capers, rough chop
- 2 tablespoons anchovy fillets, minced (about 8 fillets) or anchovy paste in a tube
- 8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
- 1/4 cup flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped
- 1 cup red wine
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and sauté until softened, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add the carrots and celery and cook another 4-5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook an additional 1-2 minutes.
- Transfer vegetabes to a large pot and set aside while browning the ground turkey/sausage.
- In the same skillet, drizzle a little olive oil (if using only turkey) and brown the ground turkey/sausage, stirring frequently, breaking up any large clumps of meat. Cook until meat is no longer pink, about 8-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper (turkey only) and drain any excess grease before adding to the pot.
- Add the browned turkey/sausage to the large pot and pour in the pasta sauce.
- Add the red pepper flakes, kalamata olives, anchovy paste and capers to the sauce. Simmer until the sauce is thickened and slightly reduced, about 30 minutes.
- Add the basil, Italian parsley and red wine and simmer for another 10 minutes. Adjust seasoning, to taste.
- Make your favorite pasta, I prefer Penne to catch all the yummy bits in the sauce, and sprinkle with Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano. Dinner is nearly ready.
- Pasta Sauce can be frozen for up to 6 months. When ready to use, remove from the freezer in the morning and defrost in the refrigerator. Heat up until sauce bubbles and serve with your favorite pasta.
- Always save a little water from cooking your pasta in case you need to thin the pasta sauce. The great flavors of the starchy pasta water will add and not take away from the flavor of your sauce while thinning it out.
- Toss in a few Turkey Spinach Meatballs and you have quite a feast!
Michele,
After reading this recipe and looking at the pictures (with my glasses on) now I am drooling, too! I have a couple of questions…. have you tried this with other meats like pork or beef? We eat so much chicken and turkey, sometimes I crave red meat and this recipe looks like it will accommodate that craving. And, what flavor of sausage do you use? Regular Italian? Breakfast? Sage? Hot?
Thanks, Michele, I can’t wait to try it out!
-D
Donna – That is the beauty of this recipe, you can use any kind of meat you would like with it or meatless for a vegetarian twist. I have used turkey, beef, sausage of all kinds except sage. hmm…will have to try that next time!
The BEST sauce I’ve ever had!
Thanks Stacey! Whip some up and put it in your freezer for those “I’m too tired to cook” nights. It’s like a little gift to yourself!