Best Bolognese Sauce ever!

I was lucky enough to have Christmas Eve off, so I planned one of our favorite meals for the evening. I made Giada's Bolognese sauce over pasta, with garlic bread on the side. This is one of my favorite recipes, and it actually gets better if you make it a day or two before and keep it in the fridge.

Simple Bolognese Recipe (visit Giada's website)

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil*
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
• 1 carrot, coarsely chopped
• 1 pound ground beef**
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 cup flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped
• 8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano

*I only put a tablespoon or two of oil in the pan, as you really don't need 1/4cup for the onions.
**I substitute ground turkey to make this meal a little healthier.

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, then add the onions and garlic (about 8 minutes). Add the carrots and celery and cook for 5 minutes, then add the ground meat and cook until no longer pink. Add the tomatoes, parsley and basil and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper (note: if your canned tomatoes already have salt I recommend omitting the extra salt). Add the cheese and serve!