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Best Bolognese Ever

We've tried many combinations of ingredients making bolognese sauce, this version oseems to hit it just right and still gets vegetables into the mix. This makes a big batch, so it's good for bolognese one night, adding chilli and kidney beans the next, and freezing some in portions or using it in a delicious lasagne.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 12

Equipment

  • Big pan

Ingredients
  

  • 12 spray Spray oil
  • 4 medium Onion Diced
  • 6 cloves Garlic Chopped (or 20g straight from freezer)
  • 750 g Lean beef mince (5% fat) Swap for quorn mince for vegetarian tweak
  • 500 g Lean pork mince (5% fat) Swap for quorn mince for vegetarian tweak
  • 3 tbsp Tomato puree
  • 2 medium Courgette Grated
  • 2 medium Carrot Grated
  • 2 tsp Thai fish sauce (I know, smells bad, tastes delicious) Omit for vegetarian tweak
  • 3 tsp Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce Omit for vegetarian tweak
  • 2 tsp Soy sauce
  • 4 tins Chopped tomatoes
  • 2 tsp Italian seasoning Can swap for mixed herbs if preferred
  • 1 whole Ham stock cube Swap for mushroom stock cube for vegetarian tweak

Instructions
 

  • Mist a really large pan with spray oil, add the onion and fry for about 5 minutes until softened. If you've got time, keep going until they're translucent and starting to caramelise (another 15 minutes, adding a touch of water if it starts to stick) as the whole dish is sweeter.
  • Add the garlic and stir in, then push it all to one side of the pan and add the mince. Brown the mince, breaking it up and gradually adding in the onion until the mince has just changed colour, then add the courgette and carrot and fry for another 5 minutes until it's all soft.
  • Add in all of the rest of the ingredients, crumbling in the stock cube rather than adding any extra water - use the best quality chopped tomatoes you can so that it's not too thin a mix. Simmer gently for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Serve with wholemeal pasta and optional cheese grated on top, or side salad.

Notes

Half a portion is also good as a topper for a baked potato, especially with cheese melted on top.
It's best to put this into portions for the freezer to allow it to cool more quickly, and then freeze more quickly. It does last in the pan until the next day (well in Scotland it does) and it tastes even better the second day after the flavours have mixed in, especially if you turn it into this quick chilli.
Keyword 5-a-day, family friendly, hidden veg, reduced fat, tweak-for-vegetarian-version