2000s Extra Vegetable Spaghetti Bolognese
Preparation Time: 20 Minutes
Cooking Time: 40 Minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 175g minced beef
- 75g green lentils
- 1 bay leaf
- 225g tin of chopped tomatoes
- 1 red pepper deseeded and chopped
- 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and chopped
- 1 courgette, chopped small
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp dried mixed Italian herbs
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- A pinch of white sugar
- A pinch of salt
- Freshly milled black pepper
- 450g spaghetti
Method:
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Make the sauce first. Place the lentils in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 10 minutes. Drain.
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Place the olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan. Over medium heat, fry the onions gently until softened. Add the meat and with the heat turned up brown it ---- keep it moving so it doesn’t stick and burn. Reduce the heat. Add the garlic, vegetables (including the tin of tomatoes, tomato puree, and the lentils), and flavourings/seasoning. Stir to mix them.
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Simmer gently for about 30 minutes, adding a little water (We prefer it to ready-made stock as you can control the amount of sugar and salt in your finished dish) if the mixture gets to dry to prevent it from burning.
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To cook the spaghetti (or any shape of pasta) you will need a very large saucepan full of water. Add about a tsp of salt and bring to a rolling boil. Add the spaghetti and cook it according to the packet instructions. Drain in a colander. Tip the spaghetti back into its now-empty pan. Add the sauce (with the bay leaf removed). Toss the pasta and sauce together. Serve immediately.
NOTE: Traditional Italian Spaghetti Bolognese has a beef and tomato sauce, which in Italy was eaten with flat tagliatelle. This is not an Italian version of Bolognese. It is a flexible recipe and can be eaten with any shape of pasta, can be used to make lasagne or a pasta bake, or thinned down with water and turned into a tasty soup. For a vegetarian or vegan version just omit the minced beef and replace it with extra green lentils. A whole variety of pasta is now available, including those suitable for vegans (ie egg-free), and gluten-free. You can experiment with different mixtures of vegetables, meats, and flavourings. Try adding chopped leeks, carrots, spinach or chopped fresh chilli/chilli flakes. It freezes well.