Recipe: Made-from-scratch Italian sausage bolognese

Tonight I made this:

Into this:

 

Would you like to know how? Look no further: Here is my very own made-from-scratch recipe for Italian sausage bolognese.

Before I begin, something to note: This is not exactly a quick-fix recipe, but it's also not complicated or difficult; it's just a little time-consuming to prep all the ingredients if you're doing it by hand and not using a food processor. If you want quick-fix, open a jar of Prego. If you want something that's fresh, delicious and a little fancy — something you could serve at a dinner party to make yourself look awesome — this is the recipe for you.

One other thing to note: Since this is literally something I made up in my head, I don't have exact amounts for the ingredients — it's a by-taste thing. But this is so easy to make I'm confident that you can do it this way, and then you can say, "Oh, I just threw in a little of this and a little of that" — again, making yourself look awesome.

Mormon Mommy's Italian Sausage Bolognese

Ingredients:

• 1/2 onion
• 1 stalk celery
• 2 carrots
• 1/2 cup mushrooms
• 2 Roma tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 1/2 to 1 lb. Italian sausage
• 1 pint jar tomatoes (or canned tomatoes Italian style)
• Italian spices (oregano, basil, parsley, etc.)
• Dash of sugar
• Salt & pepper

(To make tonight's entire dish, I used penne and a blend of mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses)

1. Chop all the vegetables except for the Roma tomatoes. I used a Cuisinart mini chopper, but you can also do it by hand. I like my veggies a little larger than the size of cooked rice, like this:

2. Chop the Roma tomatoes into chunks, about the size of grapes. Add them to the rest of the vegetables and set aside.

3. Heat the oil in a large skillet (I use a wok) over medium heat. Mince the garlic and add it to the oil, sauteing for about one minute. Do not let it burn.

4. Add the rest of the vegetables and saute, stirring, until they begin to soften and the onion turns yellow.

5. Turn the heat to high and add the sausage. Cook until brown, and drain the grease if necessary. 

6. Add the jar of tomatoes, breaking them into small pieces with the spoon or spatula. Alternatively, you can chop them ahead of time (I also use the mini Cuisinart). Add the spices to taste. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, about 15-20 minutes.

And that's it. The traditional Italian way is to serve it chunky as is, but if you're feeling American and you'd like a smoother sauce, you can put everything back into your food processor for a bit to get the desired consistency, like this:

For tonight's meal, I cooked up some penne and tossed it with the sauce. Then I topped it with cheese and stuck it in the oven to melt (which I left in a bit too long, but it actually was yummy having that little bit of a crunch to it):

The final result: deliciousness:

If you try this, let me know what you think. What's your favorite way to make bolognese?