To ask what you throw in your spaghetti bolognese

[bluebells100]

Just wondered what you all put in it to give it more flavour and also to bulk it out to make it go round more.

Beans in spaghetti bolognese actually works very well! Don't knock it until you've tried it

Exactly @MyRainbowAndPotOfGold!

beans or lentils and loads and loads of veg. whatever is hanging around.

Henderson's relish
Soy sauce
Rich beef stock pot

I put courgette, peppers and chopped spinach in too. And the frozen chopped carrot/onion/leek. Tinned tomato, usually fresh chopped tomato, tomato paste. Squidge of chopped garlic (out of a tube).

Additional items I add are:

Red wine
Ketchup
Bay leaves

Another who adds baked beans, finely chopped veg, passata, garlic wine.

garlic
Mushrooms
Bacon/pancetta
Onion
Lean mince
White or red wine
Tomato purée
Bay leaf
Mixed herbs
Mushrooms
Grated courgette, celery and carrot
Sometimes cook in the oven rather than on the hob.
Always tastes heaps better the next day.

Mushrooms, carrots, celery, smoked bacon, a tin of lentils.
Henderson's relish and a stock cube.

semi Skimmed milk at the end when it’s off the heat or out of the oven to emulsify
It transforms the ragu.

Finely chopped carrots, onion, tomato, celery, aubergine, courgette, tons of spiniach (used to add bell peppers too but kids moan no matter how small they're diced!), sliced or button mushrooms, onions and garlic (we use garlic puree) add tons of flavour, herbs (we use lamb mince, so usually add oregano, or an Italian herb mix), plus a good splash of red wine. We literally brown off the mince then use a tin of chopped tomatoes, simmered with the onions, garlic, and herbs, add all the other veg and wine, add to the mince and simmer while the pasta/gbread is cooking, sometimes chuck a bay leaf or two on top.

And Mutti tinned tomatoes!

P1nkHeartLovesCake

Most of these are not Spag Bol, they should be re named as mince and stuff....

I'm not sure. I think they're all "Spag Bol", but perhaps not a classic Bolognese sauce that you'd have with tagliatelle.

I think the idea of adding beans sounds gross, as did Jamie Oliver's suggestion of fish pie with baked beans on the side ("As we always do...!", or something like that - what? I always thought it was peas).

But I do put baked beans in my shepherd's pie
To paraphrase Friends:
"I'm LaMars; I'm disgusting"

I don't 'throw' anything in and am horrified by many of these suggestions. Baked beans. Dear god.

I use Hugh Fernley Whittingstall's recipe and it tastes amazing because of the browning of the meat and the long slow cook time. I highly recommend it.

ayearinfoodandwine.wordpress.com/food-recipes/italian/spaghetti-bolognese/

I just read through first to see if anyone else does this and as I suspected, they dont. I chuck in some sweetcorn. I know it sounds really odd, I remember going to my mums and she did it and I thought 'WHAT?' but it actually really worked. My husband and kids moan if I don't put it in now! Anyway it works. We're quite skint at the moment and it does bulk it out.

I've never tried baked beans in spag bol but I do always put them in chilli.

Bacon if we have some, and I am cooking for my carnivorous children.

Grated carrot
Onion
Celery
Mushrooms
To bulk it out!

Italian mixed herbs
Basil
Garlic powder
Oregano
Bay leaves
Paprika
Worcester sauce
Red wine
Flour
Beef oxo cubes
Turmeric
Chili flakes
Salt
Pepper
Tomato puree
Sun dried tomato pesto
Parmesan cheese
For flavour

I always use Pasatta as well. Not a fan on tinned tomatoes.

When things were really tight for us a couple of years ago, I read loads of tips on "stretching" meals.

The main tip for minced-meat meals - spag bol, shepherds pie, chilli, etc - was to add a handful of oats.

I was sceptical but it worked really well. Thickened the sauce too. You can't taste it.

I don't 'throw' anything in

I've been left with the impression that it is "not in the spirit of MN" to add ingredients to a recipe.
They must be thrown in to show what a casually brilliant cook the Mumsnetter is.

And, despite the damage from aspiration to their lungs, the family will inhale the food.

I still suggest diced chicken livers. And more red wine than one might initially guess.
And long, slow cooking.

To make it go further I add courgettes and grated or diced carrots, cherry tomatoes and sometimes spinach along with the usual onions, tinned tomatoes and passata, mince, beef stock, paprika, mixed herbs and lots of garlic and worcestershire sauce! I am pretty sure I add in a bunch of other things too, to be honest it's never the same but always tastes good to us!

Pancetta, chicken livers, white wine & fresh herbs are the only thing allowed in my spag Bol.

Baked beans

@LaurieMarlow I always brown my mince and my spag bol usually cooks for around 4-6 hours.

It's not HFW recipe though, just my made up recipe.
I cannot eat bolognais my DD or BF have cooked.
They cook in about 20 minutes!
NOT OK!

Mushrooms and a pinch of sugar... That's what I forgot

I've got one simmering away right now. Onion, mushrooms, lean mince beef, garlic, rich beef stockpot, red wine, Worcestershire sauce, mixed herbs, grated carrot, carton of passata and generous squeeze of tomato puree.

Garlic
Onions
Celery
Mince
Black pepper
Rich beef stock pot
Tomato purée
Italian seasoning
Peppers
Mushrooms
Courgette
Red lentils
Kidney beans/borlotti beans/chickpeas
Tinned tomatoes
worcestershire sauce

Diced onion and carrot (sometimes celery if I have it). Garlic and oregano. Minced beef, Chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, dash of balsamic or red wine. Pinch of sugar, pinch of salt and a parmesan rind if one's hanging about. Simmer for 3/4 hours