We went, we shopped, we prepared for the worst by stuffing our fridges and cabinets to capacity….and then we all ordered in over the holiday. So what to do with all that food before it goes bad? A local mom friend made and froze bolognese and it’s a brilliant idea. Because Bolognaise sauce is one of the most versatile and easy-to-store options for any and all upcoming lockdown situations or just a busy school night.
Once made it can be used for more than just pasta. Great for stuffed peppers, shepherd’s pie, tacos, sloppy joes, or Shakshuka. The list of kid-approved dishes goes on and on. This one hearty sauce has endless kid-friendly meal possibilities and it freezes like a dream so you don’t need to worry about wasted food. It can also be made with meat substitutes like beyond meat or just by finely chopping up and adding all those mushrooms you bought. Here is a recipe sure to keep tummies happy either now or in the future.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 rashers bacon, finely chopped
- 2 medium onions, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, finely chopped
- 2 celery sticks, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 2-3 sprigs of rosemary
- 500g of ground beef
- 2 cans of tomatoes
- basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- Note you can substitute Italian seasoning to taste for all herbs
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 beef stock cube
- 1 red chili deseeded and finely chopped (optional)
- 125ml red wine
- Salt to taste
- Cherry tomatoes sliced in half
STEP 1: Put a large sauce pan on medium heat and add 1 tbsp olive oil.
STEP 2: Add bacon and fry for 10 mins until golden and crisp.
STEP 3: Reduce the heat and add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic rosemary, stir till soft
STEP 4: increase the heat to medium-high, add 500g beef mince and cook stirring for 3-4 mins until the meat is browned all over.
STEP 5: Add the cans of tomatoes, the herbs, tomato purée, 1 beef stock cube, 1 deseeded and finely chopped red chili (if using), 125ml red wine, and 6 halved cherry tomatoes. Stir with a wooden spoon, breaking up the plum tomatoes.
STEP 6: Bring to the boil, reduce to a gentle simmer and cover with a lid. Cook for 1 hr 15 mins stirring occasionally, until you have a rich, thick sauce.
Let it cool and then transfer to freezer-safe containers or Ziplock bags. Put it in the freezer until needed.
if you want to go one step further you can pre-make things like stuffed peppers by halving and deseeding bell peppers. Filling them with the sauce and then freezing them whole. Just pop the frozen peppers into the oven when you are ready to eat and top with cheese or bread crumbs after they bake.
You can also pre-assemble a lasagna with this sauce and freeze it for another easy meal.
Let us know in the comments how you will get creative with bolognese!
KEEP READING: How To Pickle Your Panic-Bought Veggies
Images: Canva
