A classic dish and favourite in many households, this version of Spaghetti Bolognese is made even easier by using my pre-made tomato sauce.

If you do not have any tomato sauce ready in the freezer, do not worry. The tomato sauce is easy to make, and once all ingredients are added, it does not need to be watch and can be left on its own.

Substitutes

I add passata into my Bolognese, as I like it to be really saucy. But if you prefer a more chunky sauce, omit the passata or add until you get the consistency you like.

Do you have tomatoes left over from your garden? Use them instead of the crushed tomatoes from a can.

Freezable

Once the Bolognese has cooled down, you can freeze it in an airtight container for up to three months. My additional tip when you plan to freeze your Bolognese, is to use more spices as it looses some of its flavour when frozen.

Another tip is if you are making the tomato sauce at the same time as your Bolognese, make some extra of the sauce to freeze. Perfect for the next time you make this dish or any other dish that uses the same base.

The pre-made tomato sauce can be used straight from frozen if you are in a pinch. Reheat the tomato sauce on low heat before adding in your fried mince meat and additional passata. If you remember, take out the tomato sauce in the morning and leave to defrost in the fridge during the day, ready to go in the evening.

Variations

For other dishes, using my tomato sauce base try to add even more vegetables into your diet with my vegetable tomato sauce.

There are other mince recipes to make such as taco mince or Asian inspired mince for your ramen. Or batch make a sheet pan of meatballs using my mum’s favourite Swedish meat ball recipe.

Print Recipe

Spaghetti Bolognese

A classic and favourite in many households, this version of Bolognese is made even easier by using my batch made tomato sauce.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Tomato sauce30 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: mince meat, tomatoes

Servings: 8 portions

Ingredients

• 8 portions spaghetti
• 400 g mince meat Beef or turkey
• 400 g tomato sauce base see below
• 500 g tomato passata optional

Tomato sauce ingredients:

• 1 large onion chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 cans of 400g crushed tomatoes
• 100 ml red lentils
• 200 ml water
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp oregano
• 1 tsp sugar
• A pinch of white pepper

Instructions

• Fry the mince meat in some oil.
• Add tomato sauce base, about one third of a batch. Freeze the rest if you do not plan to use it in the next couple of days.
• Add the passata and stir to combine all.
• Let the sauce cook together for at least 30 min.
• Cook the spaghetti according to the package.
• Serve with spaghetti and grated parmesan cheese with a green salad on the side.

Tomato sauce how to:

• Chop one large onion and mince the garlic.
• Fry the onion and garlic in vegetable oil in a deep pot for about five minutes, until the onion is soft.
• Add the canned tomatoes, lentils and water, give a good stir.
• Add salt, oregano and sugar.
• Bring the sauce to boil, then let simmer under lid 15-20 minutes.
• Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed.

Notes

If your tomato sauce base in frozen, you might want to add some more spices. I often find that freezing food will loose its flavour and I like to chuck in some extra spices. Salt, pepper, oregano. Taste as it cooks together.