Pasta Bolognese
Overview
Ingredients
- 300g minced meat (beef)
- 2-3 carrots, finely chopped
- 1/3 - 12/ Zucchini depending on the size, finely chopped
- 1 can (~400g) minced tomatoes
- ~500g passata
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- optional: 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- herbs and spices to taste: basil, oregano, paprika powder, cinnamon, pepper, salt
- the pasta of your choice
- parmesan cheese
Notes
Recipe for 2 adults, 1 child for two days
Prep time 15-20 min / Cook time the longer, the better
Pasta Bolognese has always been one of our favourite dishes because – no matter how critical my son is of new dishes – it was accepted practically from the start. Probably because the step from ketchup to bolognese sauce was just about acceptable đ. In my opinion, the nice thing about pasta Bolognese is that it is easy enough to cook, yet versatile, popular, great for freezing leftovers and the best thing about this dish: it always tastes a little better the second day!
Bolognese can be prepared with or without meat, can be combined with rice, pasta or lentils and, apart from just “pasta with tomato sauce”, it is ideal in a lasagne or pasta bake, but also with stuffed peppers and many other dishes. We have also used small amounts of leftovers as a substitute for regular tomato sauce on pizza – that really adds an extra dose of flavour!
Preparation
- Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add minced garlic and chopped onion. Sauté until the onion becomes translucent.
- Add minced beef to the pan. Cook until browned, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks.
- Add diced carrots and zucchini. Cook for a few minutes until they start to soften.
- Pour in the minced tomatoes, passata, and tomato paste. Stir well to combine.
- Season with mixed herbs, salt, and pepper according to your taste. Simmer on low heat for at least 20-30 minutes (more = always better) to allow the flavors to meld. Whenever we have the time, we let the sauce simmer for at least 60 minutes, which has a really positive effect on the flavour.
- While the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta according to package instructions.
- Once the sauce has thickened and the vegetables are tender, serve it over the cooked pasta.
- Garnish with fresh herbs or grated Parmesan if desired.
Enjoy your homemade Pasta Bolognese!
Extra Tips
- It really makes a difference if you leave the sauce on the stove a little longer. The taste will be much better
- Prepare the Bolognese in advance if possible. We all know that kids can go from ânot hungry at allâ to âclose to starvationâ and then all you have to do is prepare the pasta
- It can be a lot of fun to prepare homemade pasta for this dish, although it does involve a little more effort. However, you and the kids are sure to have a lot of fun, especially if you color the dough with a little food coloring. You can also experiment with different pasta shapes. You don’t necessarily need a pasta machine for this. Simply roll out the dough thinly with a rolling pin, using plenty of flour, and then shape it into the desired form. The result is impressive and definitely quite unique!
- Pasta Bolognese in the form of spooky pasta is also very popular at Halloween. Simply prepare a few extra meatballs and decorate them with candy eyes, olives or similar to turn an everyday dish into a really spooky eye-catcher
Homemade Lasagne
With the same ingredients, a béchamel sauce and a few lasagne sheets, you can turn this Bolognese sauce into a wonderful lasagne.
Prepare the sauce according to the recipe. While it is still simmering, preheat the oven to 220° top/bottom heat. For the béchamel sauce, you will need 600 ml milk or milk substitute, 50 g flour and 50 g butter or margarine for a large lasagna. For the roux, heat the butter in a pan over a medium heat and when it has melted, gradually whisk in the flour. Continue whisking constantly as the roux cooks.
Now add the liquid of your choice and simmer, stirring, until it has reached the desired consistency. I personally find the sauce best when it is no longer too liquid, but can still be poured easily. Finally, season the béchamel sauce with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Layer the lasagne in an ovenproof dish, starting with the Bolognese sauce and finishing the top layer with Parmesan cheese, if desired. I always layer the béchamel sauce once in the middle and once right at the top. After 30 minutes in the oven on the middle shelf, the lasagne should be ready. I usually leave it in the switched-off oven for another 5 minutes to make sure that the lasagne sheets are really cooked.
And so you can conjure up two really tasty dishes from one sauce, which many children love and which you can often even eat for two days.
More recipes
Take a look at our favourite recipe for homemade pizza (including pizza dough) and get inspired.
A simple recipe for incredibly tasty pizza that is easy to make, even for inexperienced pizza bakers. No special kitchen equipment required. You’ll never want to eat ready-made pizza again. I’ll also give you a few ideas of what else you can make from the pizza dough.