Slow-Cooked Bolognese Sauce with Sweet Potato Spaghetti

I have to make more sweet potato noodle recipes since I recently purchased a spiralizer that can handle sweet potatoes. Plus, this one caught my eye because it looked amazing. Don't be discouraged by the long list of ingredients, you should be familiar with all of them (except the rutabaga, I had no idea what that was). If you do not have a spiralizer I suggest baking the sweet potatoes and filling them with the bolognese sauce. Another option is to make spaghetti squash to serve the sauce over, but I did REALLY like the sweet potato combo with this sauce. Also, mine turned out less like a sauce because I strained it, but that's just my personal preference because I hate extra liquid in my meal prep containers haha. Of note, this recipe is Whole 30 approved and also provides the option to not use the slow cooker. Let me know your thoughts if you make this one!

Slow-Cooked Bolognese Sauce with Sweet Potato Spaghetti
Ingredients:
For the bolognese sauce:

• ½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon ghee (I used coconut oil)
• 2 shallots or 1 onion, minced (I used an onion)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium rutabaga, chopped small
• 10 ounces baby bella or crimini mushrooms, chopped small
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)
• 1 tablespoon raspberry wine vinegar (I used balsamic vinegar )
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
• ¼ teaspoon bittersweet smoked paprika
• 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 (I used coconut oil)
• 6-8 medium sweet potatoes (or 1 per meal), peeled and spiralized
• Sea salt, to taste

Directions:

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. If desired, strain the soaking liquid and reserve it for use later or in another recipe.
2. Heat the ghee (or coconut oil) 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. Raise the heat to medium high and add the garlic, rutabaga, 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 (or coconut oil) 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. At this point, if you'd like to use your slow cooker, transfer the sauce to slow cooker and cook it on low for 6-8 hours, leaving the lid off for the last hour or so to allow any excess liquid to evaporate. If you'd like to continue cooking on the stovetop, stir in 1½ cups of water (you can use the mushroom soaking water if you'd like) and bring the sauce to a boil. Adjust the heat so the mixture simmers 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.

Original recipe found here