Lighter bolognese sauce
- Published: 31 Oct 18
- Updated: 18 Mar 24
A pot of bolognese simmering away on the stove is a joy for the senses. Serve half straight from the pot, then freeze the rest and use it later.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 celery stick, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, finely chopped (see tips)
- 250g mushrooms, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 750g pork mince
- 250g beef mince (see tips)
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 thyme sprigs
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 350ml beef stock, hot
- 400ml tomato passata
Method
- Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-based saucepan with a lid over a medium heat. Fry the onion, celery, carrot and mushrooms for 15 minutes until the veg are softened and the onion is translucent. Stir in the crushed garlic and oregano and fry for 2 minutes more.
- Add the pork and beef mince and fry for 5 minutes until it starts to brown, breaking up the mince and stirring with a wooden spoon as it fries. Add the tomato purée, bay leaves and thyme and stir well.
- Pour in the chopped tomatoes, rinse out the tin with the hot stock and add it to the pan, then stir in the passata. Bring the sauce to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover with the lid. Simmer for 1 hour, then remove the lid and bubble gently to reduce the liquid for around 15 minutes.
- Taste and season the sauce with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve half the bolognese sauce with freshly cooked pasta and grated parmesan or on jacket potatoes with some soured cream.
- Recipe from September 2018 Issue
Nutrition
- Calories
- 281kcals
- Fat
- 15.9g (5.9g saturated)
- Protein
- 27g
- Carbohydrates
- 6.5g (5.5g sugars)
- Fibre
- 2.1g
- Salt
- 0.7g
delicious. tips
Save time with the veg prep by using a box grater to grate the carrot and mushrooms.
Substitute the beef mince for British rose veal mince if you prefer a sauce with a lighter texture.
This will keep, covered, in the fridge for 3 days. Or freeze for up to 3 months.
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