Butterfly Bolognese

You're just gonna have to trust me on this one. I didn't take down any measurements, because I usually just fly by the seat of my pants and we were entertaining. Wine was being poured, candles needed to be lit, music needed to be turned on, etc etc etc... but in the midst of all that, maybe the best bolognese I've ever made came to life in the skillet! Some of these photos are the finished product with the butterfly noodles and some without, but don't be fooled. It's the same recipe! ;) I'm just a little disorganized.

• Start by warming a little olive oil in your skillet, and mince two or three fresh cloves of garlic into the pan. Once it starts to sizzle a little, add in half an onion, finely chopped, turn the heat to medium and cook until translucent, about five minutes.
• Once onions are translucent, mince in half of a fresh jalapeno and let sizzle.
• Add in ground beef and stir just until browned.
• Once browned, turn the heat back to a lower medium and toss in a generous helping of sun-dried tomatoes in their juice. Mix well.
• Pour in your marinara sauce, homemade or a basic store bought one.
• If you're serving red wine with dinner, which I highly recommend doing because life's too short NOT to, pour a little in the pan and let simmer with all the other delicious things.
• Shortly after, toss in a small amount of grated or thinly sliced cheese... whatever you have that's readily available. We used cheddar. Stir until the cheese has started to melt.
• At this point, turn the heat down to an even lower medium low and let simmer while you begin cooking your noodles.
• Cook your noodles only to al dente! Seven minutes is PLENTY. We used these GORGEOUS butterfly noodles that my sister gave me and it couldn't have been ANY prettier... I highly recommend splurging on some pretty pasta every once in awhile. ;) Thanks, Jordy! We also tossed in half box of penne and spaghetti, all whole wheat. (by the way, my mother and father in-law had never tried whole wheat pasta before and they absolutely loved it... they said we'd converted them, now knowing the taste wasn't noticeably different and it was healthier) RECITHERAPY WIN! :)

Light some candles and there's dinner!

Happy Monday, friends!
xox