Spaghetti Bolognese

[DelphiniumBlue]

I'm just making spag bol and was pondering what ingredients people use to make theirs?
I've recently started adding celery, and today I added in a carrot. Also mince, 2x tinned toms, 2x onions, 4x garlic cloves, oregano, thyme, a tiny bit of chilli and ginger, and some tomato paste. A splosh of red wine because I had some.
Someone I know mentioned that it used to take her Nonna 8 hours to make, mine takes about an hour or so. And that got me thinking about variations.
How do you do it?

Balsamic at the same time as Worcestershire sauce etc. Can also use balsamic glaze instead. Whoever puts chicken livers in a bolognese needs to be shot.

Over here:
Soffrito
Mushrooms
5% beef mince - although I do like the idea of using 59/50 pork/beef so I may give that a go next time

Tinned toms
Tomato purée
Pinch of sugar
Balsamic
Worcestershire sauce
The best beef stock you can find
Red wine
S&P

Oh whoops, how could I forget bay leaves!!!!

Mince
dolmio (lol)

I batch cook so big volumes! Celery (all of it) onion (4/5), carrot(1kg bag), fried off then add half a garlic head and fry a bit more. Red split lentils add to veg, and meanwhile fry off 5% minced beef (750g) in another pan, once fried add a dash of milk and reduce/cook off until it disappears, then add a beef oxo. Add to veg. Then start building up sauce - sun dried tomato paste, tinned chopped toms, Normal tomato purée, passatta, rinse all tins with a dash of water (aiming for maybe a tin worth water in total). Add a veg stock cube, balsamic vinegar (like 4tbs so quite a lot) splash of Worcestershire, w&b pepper, Italian herbs (fresh basil /oregano if we have otherwise dried). Bring to heat and taste for salt, maybe more oxo if it tastes lacking, then cook for ages in a low oven.

Onion carrot celery
Garlic
Bay leaf
Thyme
Salt and pepper
Sugar
Red wine
Milk
Mince
Tomatoes
Beef stock cube
Tomato purée

Can eat it after 30 mins but best after 2-4 hours

Fundamental is using high fat mince.

i use 20% fat, it’s creamy and smooth and fills you up very quickly

Onion, celery and carrot finely chopped (cooked for a good 15 mins before anything else goes in)
Garlic
Mince (750g)
White wine (small bottle/good sized glass)
Tinned tomatoes (two tins)
Passata (small bottle, or a 3rd tin of tomatoes instead)
Tomato puree
Basil
Oregano
Seasoning

Cook for about 3 hours!

Grate the carrots or so what PP said and put half through the blender for a smoother sauce.

Slightly off-track but I serve mine with Parmesan and chopped boiled egg to sprinkle on top - sounds a bit weird but surprisingly good.

I use mince, chopped bacon, onion, garlic, celery, carrot, tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, beef stock, red wine, chilli, oregano and basil. Don't use specific quantities, just put some in and if it's not enough, add more!

Onion carrot celery garlic
Streaky bacon
Mix of pork and beef mince
Tinned Toms
Tom paste
Beef oxo plus water
Worcestershire sauce
Glass red wine
Oregano
Bouquet garni
Bay leaves

Fry veg and meat separately, add together with all other ingredients simmer for 3 plus hours

No chilli, ginger or egg(wtf)

Onion
Grated carrot
Oxo
A good half bottle of red wine
Beef mince
Thyme
Basil
Oregano
Black pepper
Passata
Tomato purée

Then simmer for a couple of hours

I love bolognese but have started adding more veg to bulk out as it now costs €14 in the butchers 😭

onion
mince
2 cartons passata
one veg stock melt
one red pepper
two yellow peppers
half courgette
2 carrots
handful spinach
pinch of curry powder
pinch turmeric
black pepper
salt
spoon sugar

I blend a batch for the kids or they won’t eat it with the peppers 🙄

I try to leave it for around 60/90 mins on very low as it tastes so much nicer but obviously depends on time !

serve with spaghetti and lots of cheese !

Mostly same as others, garlic/onion/celerly/carrot/tomato/red pepper/mushroom.
And I add Worcestershire sauce/soy sauce/sugar/miso and rosemary/thyme/oregano/basil/chilli.

FMIL makes incredible bolognese - she adds chicken livers and leaves it simmering for hours.

I do mine with celery, grated carrot, beef stock cube, tinned tomatoes, onion, carrot, beef AND pork mince, red wine and LOTS of basil…and chicken livers to keep DF happy 🤣

Ahem...coming from the city that invented it some of these recipes border on criminal! You just need celery, onion and carrot for the soffritto, the pork and beef mince, then a bit of tomato (a squirt of puree or a small tin of tomatoes, you don't want it to be overwhelmingly tomato-flavoured). Season and cook for hours. A bit of milk is acceptable. Spaghetti is never acceptable!

I also add balsamic vinegar, glug of red wine and pinch of sugar. Instead of a stock cube, I add a a teaspoon or 2 of beef, bisto best gravy powder. Sounds odd, but it adds colour, flavour and thickens it slightly.

When I had a glut of courgettes, I have grated 1 in before. Sometimes add mushrooms if they need using up.

MIL adds peppers- which taints and ruins the entire thing for me.

I think FMIL also puts pancetta in hers!

I either go traditional with the 'holy trinity of onion, carrot and celery, or modern with things like peppers, courgettes and mushrooms. Sometimes I do both if got lots of veg to use up. I find if it's very finely chopped it doesn't matter so much which veg, but hate chunky veg in a Bolognese nothing should be larger than the mince

Mine is semi veggie so unorthodox, but always onion and garlic, plus a stick of finely chopped celery* for flavour.
Good quality tinned tomatoes.
A really good handful of red lentils to say 250 of minced beef
Some finely chopped carrot and mushrooms
For this lot, one beef and one chicken stock cube (Knorr) The chicken one because I saw it recommended by some TV chef
Black pepper
Dried oregano
A good splash of red wine if I happen to have any open.
Simmer very low for at least 1 1/2 hours.

*an Italian once told me that celery was a must for tomato sauce, so I’ve taken that a bit further.

In this house in winter months the bolongaise is made on Sunday afternoon on the stovetop and goes into the oven with the Sunday roast for a couple of hours and is then eaten on Monday or Tuesday night.

Sofrito, garlic, mince, Can of tomatoes or passata oregano, glass of wine if I have it. Salt and pepper.

It's best left overnight.

I like a bit of bacon in it.

Amen to this