My Kids' Favorite Dinner (That Changes Every Time I Make It): Weeknight Bolognese

This is my favorite way to use up whatever's about to expire in my fridge — and somehow, it's my kids' favorite dinner every time.

This is my favorite way to use up all the veggies in my fridge that are about to go bad. It's also my kids' favorite dinner — which is hilarious, because it's never actually the same dish twice. It changes every time based on whatever's in my fridge and pantry that week.

The only thing you really need is a pound of ground meat. Chicken, beef, I've even used elk. After that, anything goes. Half a jar of tomato sauce you don't know what to do with. A third of a bottle of red wine you didn't finish last week. Some carrots that are about to expire. You get it — basically whatever's sitting in your fridge works here. 

Here's the skeleton of what I did but the beauty in this recipe is the ability to swap things for what you have on hand. The only must is the fervent desire to clean out all of those half used ingredients in your fridge!

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground meat (chicken, beef, or elk)
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Olive oil
• ½ jar tomato sauce (or a can of crushed tomatoes)
• Chicken broth (for rinsing out the tomato sauce jar and beefing up the liquid ratio depending how much tomato sauce you are starting with)
• 2 or 3 of tomato paste
• ½ box spinach
• A few carrots, chopped
• A handful of cherry tomatoes
• ⅓ bottle red wine
• A few anchovies
• Pasta — I use Jovial's Gluten-Free Egg Bucatini

Instructions

• Sauté the diced onion and garlic in olive oil.
• Add the ground meat and brown it.
• Stir in the tomato sauce.
• Pour the chicken broth into the empty tomato sauce jar, shake it up, and add that to the pot too — gets all the tomato goodness out of the jar.
• Add a couple squeezes of tomato paste.
• Add the spinach, carrots, cherry tomatoes, and red wine.
• Add the anchovies.
• Simmer for at least 30 minutes — longer if you've got the time.
• Serve over your favorite pasta.