Perfected by me over 15 years.The perfect balance between of ease of cooking with pantry/fridge-common ingredients and rich tomatoey goodness.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 punnet ground beef (the Woolworths organic minced beef tastes best)
- 1 big white or brown onion (sliced)
- 2 big cooking carrots (grated)
- 2 zucchinis (grated)
- 500g pre-sliced mushrooms
- 1 heaped teaspoon prechopped garlic from a jar
- half teaspoon prechopped chilli from a jar
- 1 beef stock cube (dissolved in hot water)
- generous shake of salt
- 1 jar tomato passata
- 1 800g tin of tomatos
- big shake of dried oregano (e.g. two heaped dessert spoons)
- big shake of dried parsley (e.g. two heaped dessert spoons)
- big shake of dried basil (e.g. two heaped dessert spoons)
METHOD
- grate carrots and zucchinis, put to the side
- Fry up onions till soft
- Fry up meat till well browned (with onions)
- Put everything else in!
- Simmer till the ingredients of the sauce seem 'saucy' and well integrated. Usually takes 1 to 2 hrs. Make sure you stir often so it doesn't stick.
Serve with al-dente pasta (thin spaghetti or regular spaghetti), grated parmesan cheese and optionally, good quality crusty bread and butter.Good luck!!! It's a pretty fail-safe recipe.
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#1 by Eve on February 27, 2008 - 7:42 am
Looks yummy and I'm going to try it, but I'd review your instructions re the dried herbs… A big shake of dried oregano does not equal two heaped dessert sp0ons. I'd stick with the big shake :)
#2 by danwarne on February 27, 2008 - 7:55 am
Thanks Eve! :)
I must point out that a generous shake takes on a different meaning depending on whether the jar has the little holey plastic lid thingy still on it or not. I shake straight from the jar, with no restrainer ;-)
#3 by Joe on March 5, 2010 - 3:01 am
Good recipe but to much food from jars and cans, it's best to reduce the amount of ingredients used so as to get a more balanced and concentrated flavour but make sure that you use the best quality and freshest ingredients that you can. And make sure that you drain the fat from the pan after browning the meat otherwise the bolognese sauce is too greasy.
#4 by Linden on July 13, 2010 - 2:46 pm
al dente means just cooked or not soft btw and this is not a bolognese recipie in any sense, its just a random mixture of italian style ingredients.
the celery!!! and all that dried processed herbs and stock lol, chilli etc
#5 by Libby on August 4, 2010 - 9:56 pm
I don't notice any celery Linden in the recipe – you know, I had my suspicions that it would be gross with all the dried herbs too, but this is actually a very rich, yummy sauce, sweetened a little by the veges without the need for sugar. Real stock is a good addition, as are of course real chopped garlic and herbs, but for a busy day when the cupboard and fridge are almost bare, this one is always a winner – and a great budget meal too. I think Dan means serve with thin spaghetti, cooked to al-dente. It's definitely cooked al-dente when he serves it up for me, and I tell you what, it certainly IS the worlds best bol in my mind!!