Everyone loves a proper bolognese, but let’s face it, not everyone has the time to spend hours making it.
This recipe is all about creating big flavour FAST, perfect for when you’re in the mood for something that is super rich, flavoursome, comforting and surprisingly nutritious. I made this recipe with depth in mind. We are skipping the long simmer and substituting it with a couple of clever tricks and ingredients that help to mimic the level of complexity you get from hours of long simmering. Cooking flavoursome food isn’t difficult and hopefully you pick up a thing or two from this one.
I served the bolognese on toasted sourdough because I was craving a healthier ‘mince on toast, but with this meat sauce, you can serve it up with your favourite pasta, rice or vegetables. It goes great with lots of things and is super versatile.
A few things to know before you start
Soffritto: Go as fine as possible so the vegetables cook and soften quickly. Grating them is the fastest method.
Beef: 5% fat beef mince keeps things lighter, but 10-20% will give you more colour, flavour and richness.
Liquid: Don’t drown the meat in lots of stock and tomato. You want to control the quantities for faster reduction.
Passata: Use smooth passata, not chopped tomatoes, for a better texture and cleaner flavour.
The toast: Use a crusty sourdough and toast it well so things don’t go soggy.
