Super Bolognese

For tea today, I will be making one of my favourite meals - Bolognese. I always make a large amount and have one portion for tea, and freeze the rest. At the risk of teaching Grandma to suck eggs, here is my recipe:-

Ingredients

• 800g Minced Beef ('M'Savers at Morrisons £2.40)
• Vegetable Oil (spray)
• Jar of Pasta Sauce ('M'Savers 39p)
• Tin of Chopped Tomatoes
• 1 Large Onion
• 1 Red Pepper
• 1 Stick Celery
• 1 Large Carrot
• 1 Clove Garlic
• 1 Beef Stock Cube
• Dried Herbs and Spices (See note below)
• Salt and Pepper

Total cost is around £4 when served with pasta - This recipe will make about six adult portions (obviously child portions will be smaller)


Method

1. Chop the onion, pepper, celery and garlic, and grate the carrot.
2. Heat a large non-stick pan and spray with oil.
3. Gently fry the vegetables on a low heat until softened.
4. Pour in the jar of sauce and tin of tomatoes. Rinse the jar and tin with a little water and add to the mix.
5. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly, stir in the stock cube, herbs and spices then remove from the heat and set to one side.
6. In a frying pan brown off the mince in small batches. Drain the fat from each batch then stir into the sauce.
7. Once all the mince has been added, put the sauce back on the heat and bring back to the boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
8. Add salt and pepper to taste.
9. Serve with pasta, rice, oven chips, or crusty bread.

 Herbs and Spices - I always have a range of dried herbs and spices in the cupboard. For this recipe I will usually add about 1/2 teaspoon each of parsley, oregano, basil, mustard powder, garam masala and cinnamon. You should experiment until you find a taste YOU enjoy.


Leftovers - If you have leftovers, these should be portioned up and can be refrigerated or frozen to use another time. To reheat from refrigerated microwave on full power for about 4 minutes, stirring halfway (750W); If frozen, refrigerate until defrosted.


Variations - By adding chopped chillies, chilli powder and replacing the tomatoes with drained kidney beans, you have a great chunky chilli. This bolognese also works well in wraps with shredded lettuce and grated cheese. For a vegetarian meal, use Quorn.