- List Of Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups (115g) frozen chopped onions
- 1 tsp frozen chopped garlic
- 250g lean minced beef
- 1 cup (70g) grated carrot
- 2 cups (140g) frozen sliced mushrooms
- 1 cup (200g) dried red lentils
- 1 x 500g carton passata
- 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Cooked spaghetti, to serve
- (optional)
- PREP: 5 MINS
- COOK: 30 MINS
- SERVES: 4
Method
1. Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat, then add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring continuously, for 2–3 minutes, until softened.
2. Add the minced beef, carrots and mushrooms to the pan and cook, breaking up the mince with a wooden spoon or spatula as you do, until the minced is browned.
3. Add the lentils, passata, chopped tomatoes, tomato puree and dried oregano to the pan and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and leave to cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender and the Bolognese is nice and thick. Season with salt and pepper, then remove the pan from the heat.
IF YOU’RE SERVING Now… Ladle the Bolognese into pasta bowls over a serving of cooked spaghetti. Serve hot.
Zhuzh it up…
Stir some fresh basil through the sauce before servingand top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
IF YOU’RE MAKING AHEAD TO Freeze… Set the pan aside until the Bolognese has cooled to room temperature, then ladle into a large, labelled freezer bag and freeze flat for up to 3 months.
Then… This can be cooked from frozen or defrosted first. If defrosting, remove the bag from the freezer and leave to defrost in the fridge, ideally overnight. Once defrosted, transfer the Bolognese to a large saucepan and reheat over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5–10 minutes, until piping hot. If cooking from frozen, simply tip the frozen Bolognese into a large saucepan over a low heat with a splash of water and cook, breaking up the Bolognese with a wooden spoon as it thaws, until completely defrosted and piping hot all of the way through. Serve with cooked spaghetti alongside.
Extracted from The Batch Lady: Cooking on a Budget by Suzanne Mulholland (HQ, HarperCollins). Image credit Haarala Hamilton.
