TURKEY BOLOGNESE STUFFED CHEESY BREAD

WHEN TURKEY BOLOGNESE MET PIZZA, awesomeness happened.

This cheesy bread is EPIC! If you want to make fun food that is sure to impress, add this to your list! It has such wow-factor while also feeling a bit familiar because, well, it’s pizza-like. OBSESSED!!

OPTIONAL. YOU CAN ADD BASIL TO THIS DISH. I MADE ONE WITH AND ONE WITH OUT. HERE’S HOW TO ADD IT. In the ingredients section, you’ll see that basil is optional and that you will need 13 leaves to do it right. You’ll want to chop your 5 large leaves and sprinkle them over your turkey bolognese layer. You’ll use the remaining 8 medium-sized leaves as a topping over your cheese before baking. You want to align them on top of your cheese in 2 rows of 4 so that when you cut your cheesy sticks at the end, you will have a basil leaf in the center of each stick.

IF YOU WANT TO MAKE YOUR OWN PIZZA DOUGH. If you’re thinking about making dough, I did make a homemade pizza dough for these. It’s a super easy recipe that I’ll link to a few times below. That said, if you don’t have the time to make your own (or just don’t want to), I highly recommend going by your favorite pizza place and asking if you can buy some dough off of them. I’ve done that in the past and they are always happy to. My thought is if you love that pizza place, the dough is likely a big part of the reason so you know if you use it at home, it will make for a great pizza.

REGARDING TIMING AND ORDER OF OPERATIONS FOR MAKING YOUR OWN PIZZA DOUGH. I recommend starting this recipe with the homemade pizza dough. It takes a a mere few minutes to make but then sits to proof for 1 hour. Which means that once you have your dough proofing, you can move on and make your turkey bolognese. It leaves you enough time to chop and cook with room to spare. Also, to note, your bolognese doesn’t have to be hot when you add it to your cheesy bread, so please don’t worry if you finish making it before your dough is done proofing.

As promised, here’s my Pizza Dough recipe!

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TURKEY BOLOGNESE STUFFED CHEESY BREAD

Yield: 16 1x4 Inch Cheese Sticks

Author: Michelle Williams

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 40 MinInactive time: 10 MinTotal time: 1 H & 10 M

Ingredients

FOR THE BOLOGNESE

• Vidalia Onion (1/2, chopped)
• Garlic (1 large clove, finely chopped)
• Ground Turkey (1 lb, 85% lean)
• Salt (1/2 tsp)
• Pepper (1/2 tsp)
• Fresh Cilantro (2 tbsp, finely chopped)
• Tomato Sauce (2 cups. I used Classico's Fire Roasted Tomato and Garlic and loved the flavor it added)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil (1-2 tablespoons for coating your frying pan)

FOR THE REST

• Flour (roughly 2 tablespoons for dusting your work surface)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil (4 tablespoons, divided)
• Homemade Pizza Dough (or store bought)
• Shredded Mozzarella Cheese (1 1/2 cups)
• OPTIONAL: Fresh Basil (13 leaves, 8 medium sized, 5 large)

KITCHEN ITEMS

• Cutting Board
• Chefs Knife
• 12 Inch Frying Pan (I used non-stick)
• Rubber Spatula
• Splatter Screen (optional but really nice to have)
• Rolling Pin
• 8x8 Baking Dish (2)
• Silicone Brush

Instructions

TO MAKE YOUR BOLOGNESE

1. Over medium high heat, coat your frying pan with a thin layer of olive oil.
2. To test if your oil is hot enough, drop one piece onion on it and if it sizzles, your oil is ready. If it doesn’t, leave that onion in the oil and once it starts to sizzle, your oil is ready.
3. Once your oil is hot, add your onions and garlic. Use your spatula to constantly move them around until they are softened—about 3 minutes.
4. Use your hands to break chunks of your ground turkey off and drop them into your frying pan. Use your spatula to break down the chunks even further. You are looking for an evenly sized small crumble here.
5. Season your turkey with your salt and pepper.
6. Let cook, mixing every few minutes until you see a golden brown appear on a lot of the edges—about 15 minutes (letting it sit untouched is also important so don’t over mix or it will take longer for it to brown).
7. Add the following ingredients in along the way:
8. 5 minutes in: sprinkle on your cilantro.
9. Once your turkey is browned, mix in your tomato sauce and cook for another 5 minutes.

TO MAKE YOUR TURKEY BOLOGNESE CHEESY STICKS

1. Preheat your oven to 475º.
2. Lightly dust your clean work surface with flour and then place your dough on it. Use your fingers to work your dough into an even 1/4 inch thick square.
3. Place the base of your baking dish on top of your dough and use it as a stencil. Use your steak knife to trace the shape of the base of the baking dish. Repeat that process twice so that you have 2 squares. Set the baking dish aside, and then fully cut out your squares of dough. You can absolutely bake all of this in two batches if you only have one baking dish (I did). If you do, I’d recommend cutting your dough ball (before rolling it out) in to two pieces and then rolling out and cutting your squares as you’re ready for them.
4. Coat your baking dishes with olive oil.
5. Insert the cut out dough into the bottom of the baking dishes. It should take up the full bottom.
6. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over your dough and use your silicone brush to evenly spread it.
7. Use your rubber spatula to spread your turkey bolognese evenly over the dough.
8. Sprinkle your mozzarella over your turkey bolognese layer until it’s fully covered.
9. Bake for 15 minutes—we’re looking for golden spots to appear on the mozzarella.
10. Let sit for at least 10 minutes before cutting. You want to allow the layers to fully meld together. I made my batch a day early, stored it in the refrigerator, and then cut it into slices the next day before reheating them.
11. Transfer your cheesy bread to your cutting board by sticking your steak knife under one side of your cheesy bread, lifting it, and then sliding it onto your cutting board.
12. Cut your cheesy bread into sticks by cutting your whole square in half horizontally and then cutting 4 evenly spaced lines vertically.

Notes

This recipe doesn't account for the time to make my Homemade Pizza Dough. I've included more information in my notes on how to time manage making your own dough while making this dish—which I did. You can absolutely use store bought dough as well.

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