It's no secret that Meghan Markle likes to cook dinner and enjoy cozy nights in with Prince Harry. In fact, they were roasting a chicken together when he popped the question.
But it's actually her recently resurfaced recipe for 'zucchini bolognese' that has been making headlines as of late, and her vegetarian version of the beloved meat sauce couldn't be simpler to make.
Meghan's brilliant hack involves slow-cooking zucchini for four hours, until it breaks down into what she calls 'filthy, sexy, mush.' Although my boyfriend, Chris, isn't a royal per se, I couldn't resist having him test out a pasta dish that was most likely enjoyed by a prince.
Royal challenge: I put Meghan Markle's'zucchini bolognese' recipe to test, and it couldn't have been easier to make
End result:The 37-year-old royal's brilliant hack involves slow-cooking zucchini for four hours, until it breaks down into a chunky sauce
It didn't hurt that the duch*ess of Sussex pretty much gushed about the sauce while sharing the recipe with Delishbefore she became a royal.
Yum: The duch*ess of Sussex calls it 'filthy, sexy, mush'
'The sauce gets so creamy, you'd swear there's tons of butter and oil in it, but it's just zucchini, water and a little bouillon,' Meghan said of the seemingly decadent concoction.
Because Meghan's instructions were a bit vague, I ended up following an abridged version of Delish's take on the recipe.
The prep for the dish was relatively easy; I finely diced one onion and chopped five medium zucchini before I was ready to get started.
I then heated one tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot andsautéed the onion for six minutes until fragrant.
Obviously, I picture Meghan making this dish in a cashmere sweater in an English cottage with a roaring fire in the background, but my boyfriend didn't get the same visual in reality.
My messy bun and casual T-shirt and shorts were far from royal attire, so it was safe to say that I didn't exactly have that 'Markle sparkle' while cooking in my kitchen — but I figured Chris should just be happy that I was feeding him.
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No princess here: My messy bun and T-shirt were far from royal attire, but I figured my boyfriend, Chris, should just be happy that I was feeding him
Prep: I started the recipe by finely dicing a large onion, which wasn't terribly complicated aside from the tears I shed while chopping
One more thing: I also had to chop five medium zucchini for the base of the sauce
The recipe calls for one bouillon cube, but Whole Foods didn't have any, so I settled for aBetter Than Bouillon beef base.
After the onions were translucent,I added the zucchini into the pot and stirred in a teaspoon of beef base and a half a cup of water. I topped off the mixture with salt and pepper to taste and turned the heat down to low.
And then that was it.
For the next four hours, all I had to do was keep it covered and stir it occasionally. The only issue I had with the recipe at that point was that it kept me chained to my apartment for most of the day.
Chris' eyes glazed over a bit when I told him I couldn't go to the beach because I had to slow-cook zucchini for dinner.
Next up:I then heated one tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot and sautéed the onion for six minutes until fragrant
Ready to go: I added the zucchini into the pot and stirred in a teaspoon of beef base (Meghan uses one bouillon cube) and a half a cup of water as well as salt and pepper to taste
Looking good: After covering the pot and turning the heat down to low, I slow cooked the mixture for four hours, until it broke down into a mushy sauce
I would also be lying if I didn't admit that I was pretty worried about how it was going to turn out. Every time I opened the lid, it looked more soupy than mushy.
After voicing my concerns, Chris and I agreed we would get tacos if it was bad, but luckily that wasn't the case.
The sauce was still a little liquidy after the four hours were up, so I cranked up the heat and let it boil down a bit, which was an easy fix.
I then added three quarters of a box of cooked rigatoni and about a cup of Parmesan cheese, mixing it together until the pasta was coated with sauce.
At this point, my boyfriend and I were starving, and he wasn't exactly thrilled with the mini photo shoot I made him take part in before feeding him.
Final result:I then added three quarters of a box of cooked rigatoni and about a cup of Parmesan cheese to the sauce before plating it and sprinkling it with more Parmesan
My Prince Charming:'That Meghan Markle is really on to something,' Chris told me after trying out the seemingly decadent pasta dish
Inspiration: Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry, love to cook together and enjoy cozy nights in— just like my boyfriend and I do
Chris was already digging in when I remembered that I forgot to add more salt and pepper, but he refused to let me take it off him.
MEGHAN MARKLE'S 'Zucchini Bolognese'
- Chop one onion and five medium-sized zucchini
- Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot and sautée the onion for six minutes
- Add zucchini, a half a cup of water, and a bouillon cube, plus salt and pepper to taste
- Cover pot and reduce heat to low
- Cook for four hours, stirring often until the zucchini breaks down into mush
- When the sauce is almost ready, bring water to a boil and cook three quarters of a box of rigatoni, according to the package's instructions
- Mix in the pasta and add a cup of Parmesan cheese as well as more salt and pepper to taste
Recipe adapted from Delish
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'It's good,' he said.
My Prince Charming didn't seem to be that enthusiastic about the dish at first, but after he grabbed a second helping, he added: 'That Meghan Markle is really on to something.'
I was also impressed with the sauce, which was flavorful mush, just like she promised. However, like most pasta dishes, I think it was really the Parmesan cheese that made it great.
The next day, I texted Chris while I was at work and asked him to share his thoughts on the sauce.
'Just like the royal wedding, this pasta came with a big buildup and did not disappoint,' he wrote back.
If his over-the-top response is any indication, he will probably want me to make it for him again.
Now, whether he plans on proposing to me with a three-carat cushion-cut diamond from Botswana, only time will tell.
