Substitute the chicken for any ground meat—turkey, beef, pork, or a mix. You can use any pasta you have on hand!
Ingredients
2lbground chicken
2tspfennel seeds, crushed
1tspfresh ground pepper
2 ¼tspkosher salt
2Tbspfresh rosemary, finely minced, divided
2heaping Tbsp dried oregano
10-12Dellalo Tagliatelle Nest Pasta
¼colive oil
3medium/ large carrots, about 2 c
2large stalks celery, about 2 c
1large yellow onion, diced
8clovesgarlic, minced
2Tbsptomato paste
1cwhite wine
2clow sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 28 ozcan tomato puree
1 14 ozcan diced tomatoes
2-3fresh bay leaves, or 4 dried
2’’ Parmesan rind, optional
Parmesan to serve
Fresh basil to serve
Instructions
In a small bowl, mix together the crushed fennel seeds, pepper, salt, rosemary, and oregano. Set aside.
In a large stock pot or Dutch oven, add the olive oil and heat over medium-high. When shimmery, add the onion, carrot, and celery, and season with salt. Sauté for 10-12 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook for 4-6 more minutes—the tomato paste should lightly brown, caramelize, and become fragrant.
Add half of your chicken in a single layer and sprinkle with half of the herbed seasoning mixture, then add the remaining chicken and seasoning—this is done in layers to ensure the meat is evenly seasoned. Use a spatula to break up the meat and cook for 10 more minutes. Add the white wine and scrape the bottom of the pot. Finally, add the chicken broth, tomato puree, diced tomatoes, bay leaves, Parmesan rind, and a generous pinch of salt. Stir to combine, then reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring every 10-15 minutes or so, until reduced by about half—about 45 minutes.
Make your pasta during the last 15 minutes or so of the sauce reducing. Tagliatelle pasta is a wonderful choice, but any pasta will do. Cook your pasta el dente according to package directions (I recommend setting your time 2-3 minutes earlier than instructed, to ensure you don’t overcook the noodles). A few minutes before the pasta is done cooking, add about 1/2 cup of the starchy water to the sauce; stir in.
If you’re serving the whole batch of sauce, use a handheld strainer to transfer the pasta directly into it. If you’re reserving some sauce to freeze, transfer into storage containers before adding the pasta to the pot.
Toss the noodles in the sauce for about 5 minutes before plating and serving hot with shaven Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.