EASY VEGETABLE BOLOGNESE WITH SPAGHETTI SQUASH

Easy Vegetable Bolognese with Spaghetti Squash image

Provided by Valerie Bertinelli

Time 1h

Yield 4 to 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 15

Ingredients

One 3- to 4-pound spaghetti squash
Extra-virgin olive oil, for the pot and drizzling
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 large carrot, cut into chunks
1 celery stalk, cut into chunks
1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 pound cremini mushrooms, quartered
1 large zucchini, trimmed and cut into chunks
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup red wine, such as pinot noir
One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn, plus more for serving
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
One 2- to 3-ounce piece Parmesan rind plus freshly grated Parmesan, for serving

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut the spaghetti squash in half from top to bottom. Scoop out and discard the seeds. Place the squash on the prepared baking sheet cut-side up. Drizzle each half with about 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil and season with a generous pinch of salt and black pepper. Turn the squash cut-side down and bake until a fork easily pulls the "spaghetti" strands away from the squash, about 40 minutes.
In the meantime, start the sauce. Heat a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat and add enough olive oil to coat the base of the pot, about 2 tablespoons. Add the garlic, carrot, celery and onion to a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse the vegetables until finely chopped. Add the vegetables to the heated pot and season with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Sauté the vegetables, stirring occasionally, until they soften, about 5 minutes. Re-attach the food processor bowl and add the mushrooms and zucchini. Pulse the vegetables until finely chopped but still with some texture. Add them to the pot with the other vegetables. Season with another 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and their natural liquid has mostly evaporated, 7 to 10 minutes.
Add the milk and cook, stirring occasionally, until the milk is mostly evaporated, about 5 minutes. Next, add the red wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until the wine is mostly evaporated, about 7 minutes.
Add the crushed tomatoes, basil, red pepper flakes, cheese rind and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring the sauce up to a low boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the lid and let the sauce simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Remove the cheese rind and discard. Season the sauce to taste.
To serve, add spaghetti squash to individual bowls and top with a big ladle of sauce, freshly grated Parmesan and torn basil.