Yinarr Meal Pantry
Sweet Potato Gnocchi with High Protein Italian Pasta Sauce
INGREDIENTS - Pasta Sauce
250 grams Turkey Mince
250 grams Beef Mince
3 large brown onions
4 large garlic cloves
4 carrots
4 stalks of celery
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon thyme
2 large tomatoes
3 cans peeled and diced tomato's (ensure they are sugar free, sulphate and thickener free)
1 can tomato paste (ensure they are sugar free, sulphate and thickener free)
1/2 cup olive oil
400 grams sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon honey
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 cups of homemade chicken stock (caution - the majority of store stocks contain sugar)
1 small bunch of basil
2 cups English spinach
** See separate recipe - for Shallow Fried Sweet Potato Gnocchi
METHOD
In a large saucepan place olive oil and heat. Peel and quarter onions and garlic cloves. Place in food processor and blend into super fine mixture. Add onion and garlic to olive oil.
Top and tail carrots, chop into 4 and blend in food processor until super fine diced. Add to saucepan and stir through.
Chop celery into 4 pieces and blend in food processor until super finely diced. Add celery to the mixture in saucepan and combine well. Salt and pepper (approximately 2 teaspoons salt and pepper to taste).
Finely chop oregano and add to saucepan. Take thyme stalks and pull small leaves from stalk. Place thyme in saucepan with oregano and combine well through the pasta sauce base mixture.
Slice mushrooms and add to the base mixture. Dice tomato's and add to the base mixture.
As base mixture is cooking down, add beef mince and stir through ensuring beef mince is broken up well and browning. At this point add turkey mince and repeat previous process for adding meat. Add homemade chicken stock and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add basil to the pasta sauce mix and stir through. Add tomato paste and stir through pasta sauce base mixture. Add cans of diced tomato and stir well. Cook for a further 10 minutes then stir through honey to balance acidity of the tomato.
Cook the pasta sauce for 1 1/2 to 3 hours stirring regularly. Add English spinach just before serving. Spoon pasta sauce over Sweet Potato Gnocchi and serve.
HINTS
1. Chicken stock can be made by boiling left over chicken bones, onion, sage and thyme
in 3 litre of water (salt and pepper to taste). Chicken stock can be frozen in portion sized freezer safe containers.
2. Degustation recommendation - Kirrihill Shiraz from the Clare Valley compliments this meal well.
3. Excess olive oil will rise to the top of the pasta sauce. Skim excess olive oil from pasta sauce and store in fridge for use as a flavoured oil in salads during the week.
4. Excess pasta sauce can be frozen for a quick meal.