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Serving dish of Basic Bolognese Sauce on a green worktop
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Basic Bolognese Sauce

A large batch of a version of Bolognese Sauce with lots of vegetables. Serve with pasta or use as the basis of many other dishes, such as Chilli or Lasagne.
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time2 hours 30 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: British
Servings: 12 servings
Author: Susie@Everyday Cooks

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil, or whatever you prefer to use
  • 300 g mushrooms
  • 300 g onions
  • 4 cloves garlic, adjust to taste
  • 1200 g fresh vegetables, prepared weight. See note
  • 2 tablespoons mixed herbs, 30ml
  • 800 g minced beef
  • 2 tablespoons flour, rounded tablespoon (60ml)
  • 300 g tomato puree
  • 4 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes, 1600g total
  • 3 tablespoons Worcester Sauce (45ml)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

Food processor
Very large saucepan or stockpot

Instructions

Preparation:

  • Prepare all the vegetables - peel, trim, wash and cCut roughly, e.g. onions, carrots etc. in half, to fit in your processor
  • Put a very large saucepan on a medium-high heat with the oil
    2 tablespoons coconut oil,

For the Basic Bolognese Sauce:

  • Process the mushrooms. It's best to use the pulse function as you want them chopped up but not pureed. Add to the pan and stir
    300 g mushrooms
  • Process the onions and garlic. Add to the mushrooms, stir well, and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally
    Don't let them burn, but you want to drive off the liquid that these vegetables hold
    300 g onions, 4 cloves garlic,
  • Add the herbs and stir well. Turn the heat down a little
    2 tablespoons mixed herbs,
  • Process the rest of the vegetables in batches. Add each batch to the pan and stir thoroughly before processing the next batch. You will usually have about 4 or 5 batches
    You want the vegetable pieces to be quite small, so that they aren't recognisable, but are not liquidised. It's like a very fine chop. Mix up the different vegetables so they process better
    1200 g fresh vegetables,
  • Add the minced beef. You will need to mix this in very thoroughly, breaking it up with the back of your spoon or spatula to avoid clumps of meat
    800 g minced beef
  • Add the flour and mix in thoroughly. This will absorb some of the liquid so that the sauce isn't too watery
    2 tablespoons flour,
  • Add the tomato puree and mix in.
    300 g tomato puree
  • If the liquid in your tomatoes is very thin, pour some of it off. Add the tomatoes and Worcester Sauce
    4 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes,, 3 tablespoons Worcester Sauce
  • Give it a jolly good stir and bring to the boil. Put the lid on, lower the heat so that it just simmers and cook for at least 90 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
    The longer it cooks, the better it is
    Salt and pepper to taste
  • Leave to cool in the pan or dish up immediately and serve with pasta and grated cheese.
    Or freeze in protions to make lots of other dishes - see note.

Notes

Vegetables

  • You can use whatever you like, or whatever you have. I use a mixture of carrots, celery, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, leeks, root vegetables
  • The weight is after they have been prepared, i.e. washed, trimmed, peeled

Everyday Cooks tip:

  • This quantity will serve 8-10 people, so freeze what is left in meal-size portions
  • This is basic recipe forms the basis of dishes such as Lasagne, Everyday Chilli , Cowboy Dinner, and Mince and Potato Gratin
    You will need a slightly smaller quantity of Basic Bolognese Sauce to make these dishes than you will if you eat it as it is.
Remember to chill and freeze food quickly after cooking

Nutrition

Serving: 8-10 servings