Spaghetti Bolognese is usually a winner with kids and our most frequently served dish for playdates! Even the fussiest of eaters seem to like this family favourite and when it’s packed full of veg, it’s a healthy, nourishing dish that’s cheap and easy to prepare. There’s always enough left-over to freeze for a quick meal at a later date, and it’s a base for other great dishes like lasagne, cottage pie and chilli con-carne.

The ingredients that give this Bolognese recipe ‘the edge’ are Worcestershire sauce, teriyaki sauce and the stock cube, not classic additions to Bolognese but they really work, giving a savoury background flavour to the dish. As my lot are quite happy with having veg in this dish, I tend to keep them chunky but when they were younger, everything was chopped really finely and sometimes whizzed up afterwards! The level of precision chopping is up to you!

Ingredients:

• Splash cooking oil, I use rape seed
• 1 small white onion, finely chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped or crushed
• 750g mince beef
• Small tin tomato puree (142g)
• 2 (400g) tins of chopped tomatoes or 1 tin plus a portion of roasted vegetable sauce
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp teriyaki sauce
• 1 beef OXO cube (or other stock cube)
• Glass of red wine (optional)
• 2 tsp mixed herbs
• 2 large carrots, sliced
• 1 pepper- any colour
• 200g white mushrooms, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

• In a large saucepan gently fry the onion in the oil until translucent
• Add the garlic and keep stirring for a couple of minutes to prevent burning
• Add the mince, stir and chop through with a spatula occasionally, until browned

 ⇒ 

• Add the puree, tin tomatoes, roasted veg sauce (if using), Worcestershire sauce, teriyaki sauce, stock cube and mixed herbs
• Use the wine to wash out the tins or a little water if you are not using wine

• Add the carrots and pepper
• Cover and simmer on a low heat for 20 minutes
• Take the pan off the heat and skim off any fat from the top
• Return the pan to the heat and add the mushrooms
• Cover and simmer on a low heat for a further 40-50 minutes depending on the size of veg pieces
• More skimming may be necessary depending on your mince

• Add salt and pepper to taste if needed but I usually find I don’t need them
• Serve on spaghetti, we like whole wheat

Enjoy!!

Previous recipes: Quick Spinach and Watercress Soup, Chicken & Spinach Pasta Bake, Easy Bacon and Monkfish Risotto, Hake in a Cheesy Sauce, Roasted Vegetable Pasta Sauce, Chinese Salmon, Chorizo and veg pasta & Homemade fish (or chicken) fingers.

Click here for more quick, cheap and healthy dinner ideas and follow my blog for regular Kids Tea Tuesdays! xx