High proteinHigh carb

Bolognese

Slow is the whole trick. Twenty minutes makes mince in tomato; an hour makes bolognese.

60 min Serves 2 Stove, Frying pan, Saucepan

Per serving

533

kcal

41.8 g

protein

54.2 g

carbs

17.2 g

fat

7.8 g protein per 100 kcal · 5.6 g fibre. Calculated from the exact weights below using standard food composition data, so they are close estimates rather than lab values.

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Ingredients

For 2 servings.

  • Beef mince 5% fat250 g
  • Tinned chopped tomatoes200 g
  • Pasta, dry weight100 g
  • Onion100 g
  • Carrot80 g
  • Garlic8 g
  • Olive oil12 g

Method

  1. 1Soften the finely diced onion, carrot and garlic in the oil, slowly, for ten minutes.
  2. 2Raise the heat and brown the mince properly before any liquid goes in.
  3. 3Add the tomatoes, half a mug of water, and simmer as low as the hob goes for at least forty minutes.
  4. 4Cook the pasta at the end and finish it in the sauce.

New to cooking? Read this first

The techniques and safety points this recipe uses, explained from scratch.

Mince, burgers and sausages: no pink in the middleShow

Whole steaks can be served pink because bacteria live on the outside, which gets seared. Mincing mixes the outside into the middle, so minced meat must be cooked right through.

  1. Break mince apart in the pan with a wooden spoon so every bit touches the heat.
  2. Keep cooking until there is no pink or red left anywhere and it looks evenly brown.
  3. For burgers and sausages, cut the thickest one open to check the centre.

Ready when: Brown all the way through, no pink, juices clear and steaming hot.

How to chop (dice) an onionShow

The trick is to leave the root end on while you cut — it holds the layers together so the onion does not fall apart.

  1. Cut off the pointed top (not the hairy root end). Halve the onion from top to root.
  2. Peel off the papery skin and the first tough layer.
  3. Lay one half flat side down. Make a few cuts from top towards the root, stopping about 1 cm before it.
  4. Turn the knife flat and make one or two cuts parallel to the board, again stopping short of the root.
  5. Now slice across the first cuts with the claw grip. Small squares fall off. Bin the root end.

Ready when: Pieces about the size of a pea (finely chopped) or a fingernail (chopped).

Crushing or chopping garlicShow

Garlic is added in small pieces so it spreads through the dish. It burns in seconds, which turns it bitter, so it usually goes in after the onion, not before.

  1. Pull one clove off the bulb. Trim off the hard little root end.
  2. Lay the flat of your knife on the clove and press down firmly with the heel of your hand. The skin splits and slips off.
  3. Slice it thinly, then rock the knife back and forth over the slices until the pieces are tiny. Or push the peeled clove through a garlic crusher.
  4. In the pan it needs about 30 seconds to a minute, stirring, until it smells strong — then add the next ingredient.

Ready when: In the pan: fragrant and pale gold. Brown means it has gone too far.

Opening tinsShow

Ring-pull lids have razor-sharp edges once open.

  1. Pull the ring slowly and steadily towards you, keeping fingers away from the lid's edge.
  2. Don't press food down with your fingers inside an open tin — use a spoon.
Browning minceShow

Browned mince tastes deeper than grey, boiled-looking mince.

  1. Turn the heat up to medium-high before the mince goes in.
  2. Add it and leave it for a minute or two to colour underneath, then break it into small pieces with a wooden spoon.
  3. Keep stirring and breaking it up until there is no pink left and bits are browning. If lots of liquid appears, keep going until it cooks off.

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A standard home version of a well-known dish, written for Solviro. Nutrition is estimated from ingredient weights and will vary with brands and portions.