Harissa and Lamb Bolognese with Fettuccine Pasta

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 25 minutes
• total time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 pound fresh fettuccine pasta

5 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and quartered

1 celery stalk, cut into 2-inch pieces

1 pound ground lamb

Kosher salt, to taste

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 bay leaf

1 thyme stem

½ cup red wine

One 14-ounce can Hunt’s tomatoes

1 cup roasted red pepper

5 tablespoons harissa

1 cup whole milk

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus cheese curls for garnish

Chopped mint, for garnish

Freshly grated lemon zest, for garnish

Directions

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the fresh fettuccine pasta until desired tenderness, 4 to 6 minutes. Strain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Shock the pasta with cold water, strain and toss in a medium bowl with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator until needed.

In a food processor, combine the carrots, onion and celery, and pulse the mixture until fully minced.

In a large heavy-bottomed pot, heat the remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil over high heat. Add the ground lamb and season lightly with salt. Brown the meat until fully cooked, 5 minutes. Remove the lamb from the pot and reserve in a small bowl for later.

Turn down the heat to medium and add the processed vegetable mixture to the same pan. Sweat the vegetables until the onions are translucent, 5 minutes. Add the garlic cloves, bay leaf and thyme, and cook just until the garlic becomes fragrant, 1 minute. Add the red wine and cook until the liquid has completely evaporated, 5 minutes. Add the Hunt's canned tomatoes, roasted red peppers, harissa and lamb; cover with a lid; and simmer on low for 30 minutes.

Raise the heat to medium and add the milk and cheese. Let the mixture simmer until the cheese has fully melted and the sauce has thickened, 5 minutes. Add the cooked pasta and the reserved cooking liquid, and simmer until the cooking liquid has absorbed back into the pasta and the sauce has thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt. Garnish with the mint, Parmesan and freshly grated lemon zest, then serve immediately.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 385 g
• Calories: 722
• Total Fat: 35 g
• Saturated Fat: 12 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Cholesterol: 68 mg
• Sodium: 891 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 68 g
• Dietary Fiber: 5 g
• Total Sugars: 9 g
• Protein: 29 g