Ingredients and Preparation
This is my recipe for lean spaghetti bolognese, a fabulous recipe you can throw together for an easy weekday meal. You can even put it together, cook it, and keep it for the next day. It is a fantastic dish to make as we are coming into the autumn. It is rich and savory, full of autumn colors and flavors.
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The recipe I am going to give you serves four people and takes approximately 30 minutes to cook, although you can cook it longer to develop the rich and savory flavors.
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So the ingredients, first of all you have got your pasta. I said spaghetti bolognese, but it does not have to be spaghetti. You can use any pasta you like, tagliatelle, orzo even, which makes it a bit more soupy, pasta shells, fusilli, whatever you fancy. Also, olive oil, or you can use a spray to make it that wee bit healthier.
And then your protein: you can use minced beef or pork or corn or even chicken mince. I have gone for less than 5 percent to keep it nice and lean.
I also use some garlic. I use three cloves. If you are not a garlic fan, you can maybe use one or two. If you love garlic, stick in an extra couple. Garlic is great for you, really good for you. And about two medium-sized brown onions.
A tin of tomatoes plus one tin of water. Empty the tomatoes and fill the tin up with the water to wash it out. Beef stock cubes or Oxo cubes. I love Oxo cubes; they give it a really fantastic, rich, and savory flavor. If you cannot get Oxo cubes, use an ordinary beef stock cube, but you probably want to crumble two in.
And then your herbs: oregano to give it that Italian Mediterranean flavor. And I use some mixed herbs as well. If you have any lying around in the cupboard, you can use a bay leaf.
I also like to put in chopped up mushrooms to add some depth and an umami flavor to it. And also some peppers, red pepper, green pepper, whatever I have got around, to get some extra fiber and goodness in there. You can also add some other things, carrots, celery, courgettes, or another vegetable of your choice.
Making the Sauce
So, how do we make it? First of all, we are going to make the sauce to give it time to simmer away gently and for the flavors to develop.
Start by chopping your onions, your mushrooms, your peppers, and get them ready. And then we are going to brown our mince, beef, pork, or chicken, whatever you decide to use.
Get a skillet pan or a pot, whatever you have got, and heat your olive oil or spray oil up till it is nice and hot. Then you are going to throw in your protein. You want to mix that around so it gets a nice, rich color, nicely browned all over. We do not want green mince; we want a nice kind of caramelized brown because that is where your flavor is.
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You have to keep breaking it up and moving it around. Once that is all brown, we are going to throw in our onions, so it is more of a medium heat.
The tip and the secret to this is to cook your onions for quite a long time. You do not want them burnt or brown, but you want them to go a translucent color, and this is where all the nice sweetness comes from. So we are going to cook the onions for about 10 to 15 minutes in your minced beef. Once you have got them a nice soft translucent color, you are then going to throw in your other ingredients.
So you are going to throw in your mushrooms, peppers, and your garlic. Do not put the garlic in with your onion because it will burn and give it an acidic taste. So, your mushrooms and peppers, carrots or celery if you are using them, then you are going to add in your tinned tomatoes, plus wash the tin out with water and put that in.
Crumble in your oxo cubes, add a tablespoonful of oregano, a tablespoonful of mixed herbs. If you have got fresh herbs, you can use them as well. Stick in a bay leaf. And then basically, stick a lid on and you want to simmer it for about another 15 to 20 minutes.
Cooking the Pasta
Okay, and once that is simmering away, you can sit back, relax, and have a wee glass of wine. You could even put a splash of wine in the sauce.
When you are ready, you can cook your pasta. It’s going to take about 15 minutes to cook to al dente. When you are cooking your pasta, make sure you have a large pot of water. The bigger the pot, the better. Add about a tablespoonful of salt to your pasta water. I know that sounds a lot, but you need it.
Once your water is boiling (lots of bubbles, so it is looking a bit like a bubble bath or a jacuzzi), add your pasta. Let that boil for about 12 minutes, 12 to 15 minutes, depending on how you like it. Once your pasta is ready and soft or al dente, depending on your taste, you can drain it. But keep a few tablespoons of your pasta water, because you are going to throw this into your sauce. Thickens it and adds to the savory flavor.
Serving and Leftovers
So your pasta is ready. You have added the pasta water to your pasta sauce. So give that a stir around, and you are ready to serve. So get a nice bowl, pasta bowl, put your pasta in and then top it with your bolognese sauce. To garnish, I like to add some nice freshly grated parmesan cheese and some fresh basil.
You can also add, if you want to be really fancy, a parmesan tuile at this point. Maybe if you have got friends coming over and want to try and impress them. And that is it. You are ready to serve. Easy, simple, delicious.
You could also leave it cooking or leave it in the fridge overnight to mature and develop those flavors. It is actually fantastic to freeze as well if you have got any leftovers. Just stick it in the freezer, and when you fancy a quick weeknight meal, pull out one of your packets of the bolognese mince. You could add something to it to change it up. You can add kidney beans and some chili to make it like a chili. Or you could just serve it on some toast, like a sloppy joe.
So my top tip for this is: remember to cook your onions for a long time because that really adds to the sweetness of the dish. And also, do not forget to add your pasta water and enjoy. Thank you very much.
Lean Spaghetti Bolognese
Ingredients
Method
- Chop onions, mushrooms, and peppers.
- Heat olive oil or spray oil in a hot skillet or pot. Add protein; break up and stir until browned all over.
- Add onions; reduce heat to medium. Cook in the meat about 10 to 15 minutes until soft and translucent.
- Add mushrooms, peppers, and garlic. Don’t add garlic with onions; it will burn.
- Add tinned tomatoes. Rinse the tin with water and add it. Crumble in oxo cubes; add a tablespoonful each oregano and mixed herbs, and a bay leaf.
- Cover and simmer gently about another 15 to 20 minutes.
- Boil pasta in a large pot of water with about a tablespoonful of salt for about 12 to 15 minutes until soft or al dente.
- Drain pasta, reserving a few tablespoons pasta water. Stir reserved water into sauce to thicken.
- Serve pasta in bowls topped with bolognese, freshly grated Parmesan, and fresh basil.
