My Christmas tree may or may not still be up in my house… and I may or may not still be watching Christmas movies. What can I say? I love the holidays! I am however, cleaning up my dang plate after all of that holiday indulgence. This recipe is the perfect blend of comfort and hearty and healthy. Go ahead, add it to your clean eating rotation in 2019! 

Sweet potato noodle Bolognese:

For the bolognese sauce:

• ½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon ghee
• 2 shallots or 1 onion, minced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 10 ounces baby bella or crimini mushrooms, chopped small
• 1 pound ground pork, preferably pastured**
• 1 pound ground beef, preferably grass-fed**
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon raspberry wine vinegar (or balsamic)*
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• Pinch of allspice
• One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, plus more for serving

For the sweet potato noodles:

• 1 tablespoon ghee
• 6-8 medium sweet potatoes (or 1 per person), peeled and spiralized
• Sea salt, to taste

Recipe:

1. To make the bolognese sauce, pour room temperature water over the dried porcini mushrooms and set them aside to soak while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Once they’ve soaked for 20-30 minutes, remove them from the liquid with a slotted spoon, rinse them, and chop them finely.
2. Heat the ghee and olive oil in a very large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 7-8 minutes. Add the garlic, carrot, and both kinds of mushrooms. Cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms have released their liquid and most of it has bubbled away, about 8 minutes.
3. Push the vegetables to the sides of the pan. If the pan looks very dry, you can add an additional tablespoon of olive oil or ghee at this point. Add the beef and pork and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up the meat with a spatula, until cooked through and no longer pink. Add all the remaining ingredients except the basil (go ahead and add the whole can of tomatoes along with their liquid). Stir thoroughly.
4. Stir in 1½ cups of water and bring the sauce to a boil. Simmer and cook, uncovered, for about three hours, adding more water if the sauce starts to look too dry.
5. Stir in the basil right before serving.
6. To make the sweet potato noodles, heat the ghee in a very large skillet over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the noodles and toss with tongs to coat them with the ghee. Let the noodles cook for about 2 minutes, then add ¼ cup of water and cover the pan. Let the noodles steam, stirring occasionally, for 5-10 minutes, or until they reach your desired degree of doneness. I like mine almost soft, but with a tiny bit of bite left to them. It seems to be a thin margin between too crunchy, just right, and too mushy, so I recommend watching them closely and tasting them often.
7. Season the noodles with a bit of salt and stir. Serve the noodles hot with the sauce spooned on top, garnished with additional basil if desired.

Happy 2019 and happy cooking!