Being a working Mom I am always looking for relatively quick recipes that are also yummy and include some healthy ingredients. I think most children go through a picky eating phase (and I know it can be very frustrating having to deal with that). This secret veggie bolognaise sauce recipe is quite versatile in that you can use it as a sauce for spaghetti, make delicious lasagna, and pop it in a casserole dish with some mash on top for a lovely cottage pie.
This recipe is enough to feed 4 very hungry people for at least 3 meals (I usually freeze half).
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- 2 onions
- 3 carrots
- 4 pieces of celery
- About 200g of Mushrooms
- Also about 200g of courgette
- As much garlic as you like
- 1kg of mince
- Some tomato paste
- Worcestershire sauce, if you want a more meaty taste
- Italian spices (I absolutely love the Checkers Simple Truth Italian Rub)
- 2x 800g tinned tomatoes
- Pasta of your choice
Method
The reason why this recipe feels relatively easy is because I use the food processor attachment of my Kenwood to chop up all the vegetables, and you only need one pot. This way the sauce is packed with hidden vegetables without the children really noticing.
Chop the onions, carrots and celery in your food processor, and fry in olive oil in a big pot until the onions are soft. Chop the mushrooms, courgette and garlic in the food processor and add to the pot. When everything is nicely combined and most of the mushroom moisture has cooked away, add the mince, and fry until brown. Now you can add the tomato paste and Italian spices. If you’re using whole tomatoes, blend those down as well, and add to the pot.
Turn the temperature down so the sauce is lightly simmering away and cook for as long as possible (Anything from 1 to 3 hours depending on how much time you have before dinner. I promise you the longer you cook it, the better the sauce gets!). Stir once in a while and add a bit of water if the sauce gets too thick.
