There's nothing nicer than a comforting plate of spaghetti bolognese - it's one of our family favourites and not only is this a really healthy meal, it's a great one to batch cook and you can make it a nice budget friendly dish too.
Ingredients - this makes 8 portions
- 350g of lean mince (you can use Quorn mince for a vegetarian option)
- 1 bag of Tesco vegetable base mix (frozen) – this has finely chopped onions, carrots and celery in it. You could obviously buy fresh and chop yourself but I always keep a bag of this in the freezer for when time is tight.
- Any other veg you have to use up in your fridge (I added some mushrooms and courgette that were looking a bit sad)
- 3 tins of chopped tomatoes
- 1 beef stock cube
- 1 tbsp of garlic (I use frozen but you can use powder)
- 1 tbsp of chilli powder (optional)
- 1 tbsp of mixed herbs (you can swap this to any dried herbs you have in such as oregano)
- A splash of Worcestershire sauce
Add the mince, the garlic, chilli (if using) and dried herbs to a large saucepan with a lid and place on a medium heat to start browning the mince.
Add a generous splash of Worcestershire sauce (about 1-2 tbsp) and give it a good stir to break up the mince.
Whilst the mince is browning add the bag of frozen vegetable base mix. It will defrost really quickly so bash it a few times with your wooden spoon.
Give it a good stir and turn the heat down to low to continue to cook.
Meanwhile, chop any additional vegetables you are using (this is optional but I add as much veg as possible as this bulks out the sauce to make more portions and saves money on meat.
Stir regularly to combine.
I grate the courgette using a cheese grater as this helps it cook more quickly.
Give it another good stir.
Add a crumbled beef stock cube to the pan and stir through.
Add the chopped tomatoes and mix thoroughly.
Place the lid on the pan and leave to simmer. The longer it simmers, the more the sauce will thicken up so ideally at least 30 minutes. Give it a stir every now and again to prevent it from sticking.
Voila, a pan full of bolognese sauce (I cooked this for about 45 mins on low).
I served it with linguine, topped with a bit of salad and a tsp of parmesan for dinner.
Portion off your sauce into containers for the freezer. Allow to cool completely before putting in the freezer and don’t forget to label them (I’ve had many a random ‘red sauce dinner’ from my freezer so I speak from experience that labelling is a very useful exercise.
Pasta guidelines – I often get asked about the amount of pasta that is ‘allowed’ when you are eating healthy or losing weight and I know lots of people avoid pasta as they see it as unhealthy. I love pasta and certainly wouldn’t want to live a life without it and I do measure out how much I have – namely because I always cook far too much of it and I hate any food going to waste. I’d advise using the recommended portion size on your pasta packet to gauge the correct amount as dried pasta in a pan never looks enough! The key to this meal is getting a good balance – I pack my sauce full of vegetables as well as serving with some additional salad so I can tuck into a big plate of spag bol knowing I’ve got a well balance plate of protein, carbs and veg.
I love helping people discover the best ways to work on their mindsets and habits to help them reach their weight loss goals and if you would like to find out more about my 1-2-1 coaching programme or how I can help you, please do get in touch.
Email me or phone/message: 07834 442607
Join my free Facebook support group for weekly live sessions, more tips and strategies and motivation: