I cannot find a spag Bol I like!

[mintmagnummm]

I've tried various recipes and also jars but nothing has wowed me!
Do any of you have a tasty but easy recipe for me to try? I don't want carrots or celery or other types of veg (obv onion garlic and pepper is ok) I don't like it to end up watery either, am I asking too much??

What don't you like about the Ines you have tried?

It isn't lumps of carrot and celery badcat it's like a purée almost which is fried with the onion and garlic and tomato purée to give a lovely base flavour for the meat. I do that and use a pork/steak mince mixture (or shredded leftover meats for a rage) with some stock and cooked down for a long time.

It sounds weird but I add a teaspoon of cinnamon and a teaspoon of smoked paprika to mine, with a splash of lemon juice.

Mince, onion, garlic, tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, oxo cube, herbs.
Simmer away gently for at least an hour.
Mine never tastes right without a little sugar and salt added to the mix.

I know carrots and celery are in official recipes but I think it's because my mum never used them and so I don't. I have tried them but it doesn't taste right to me.

Unfortunately the only lasagne I can eat is one I make, all others have me singing to the loo gods a few hours later. Seriously annoying as I love lasagne and takes me forever to prepare mine.

I love mine , but I'm biased lol
The key to amazing bolognaise is to get the max flavour out of every single ingredient.
Use mince with some fat in it, so not lean. Fry this off on a moderate heat until the fat in the meat starts to crisp and render. This gives a super flavour. Drain the fat off at this point to dispose of . Set aside the meat.

Chop onion and fry in what juices are left in the pan with a dash of olive oil. You are aiming for just brown, at this stage add minced garlic and turn down the heat. Cook out the garlic gently. It is bitter if it burns.

Add a good quality passata (sieved tomatoes), salt, pepper, decent amount of oregano and return the meat to the pan. At this stage I add a small tablespoon of sugar.

Nothing else needed, I don't use stock cubes the flavour is beautiful without.

There is never anything left on plates. It's a crowd pleaser dish.

I ignore celery as I hate it but I do think it adds flavour. And I grate the carrots in for sweetness- can't see them.

Right ok I have decided what I'm going to try the next time I make it (one day this week) it's a Mary berry recipe but I'm going to add milk like one of the recipes suggested on here (bbc one I think)

Add anchovy paste. Makes a big difference.

This is mine.

Fry off and drain 500g mince set aside
Soften a medium onion
Add three crushed garlic cloves
Give a,stir
Add large glass red
Add two bay leaves and 1 dsp dried oregano
Add lge tbs puree
Can of good quality chopped toms
Salt and pepper
Simmer for about an hour.

Not authentic but we like it. Serve with good quality pasta like di cecco (makes a,huge difference).

fail safe recipe.
brown onions and garlic.(also add carrot here though)
brown mince.
sitr through a dolmio pasta sauce. you can get em with added garlic onion mushroom chili and all sorts now too.
if it needs it add tin of tomatos but dolmio usually is fine.
bubble down.wala!
if it ever look to watery mix a bit of cornflower with some milk into a liquidy form and then stir through work a charm.

Half minced beef/half pork mince...brown
Fry off some good quality pancetta
Sweat onion and garlic
Drain off excess fat
Whiz carrot/celery so is mush (really does add to taste but if mush you can't single out the flavours)
Add all to pan with
Half pint of milk(keeps meat soft)
White wine (not red)
2 tins of toms
Tbsp butter (takes the acidity of toms out)
1 jar passata
Herbs to taste (oregano etc)
Season with salt and pepper

Cook for a Several hours!

Sun dried tomato purée right at the end

Just lush! My MIL no longer will cook ragu as she says it never tastes as good!

Forgot oxo cube, Worcester sauce and balsamic vinegar!

I've started making mine without the tin of tomato (paste only) and it's improved considerably.

A pancetta base is lovely.

@pixiemiss I add lentils about half way through if I want to bulk it up

Ok so my bolognese is simmering away now and will just reheat later for dins

How was it?

It was lovely thanks everyone. Oh and dragon I used ur tip of adding white wine instead of red, why do u do this? I froze half the sauce for my mum so will see what she thinks too!

White wine is supposed to allow the taste of the meat through more I think. Though I do add red if I haven't any white in, but that does make it more robust. The big thing is the number of hours cooking, letting the flavours develop.

Glad you enjoyed! I am cooking it tomorrow!x

Oh ok thank you. The recipe I used adds a tbsp redcurrant jelly to sweeten and reduce acidity if you fancy trying something diff?

Am I too late?

We had a thread like this a while back and off the back of the great tips in it, we built this page on how to make the best bolognese EVER.

Soften finely chopped celery and carrot (I prepare in advance and freeze, so I always have some to hand) and onion for about 10-15 mins in low heat with lid on. I add a finely chopped red pepper and then sweat for a further 5 mins lid on and maybe some frozen garlic. Then I move all veg to side of pan and add mince and brown it. Then add red wine if I have any going spare, cook most of it off. Add tin toms, beef stock pot (no water), few splashes of Worcester sauce, black pepper, big pinch of dried oregano and smaller pinches of dried rosemary and thyme. The thing that I've discovered makes it extra delish is about a third of a can of cream of tomato soup. I guess it's the sugar and dash of cream that does it, but it makes it much richer. Simmer low for 1-2h with lid on and then last 20 mins with lid off to reduce. Even better the next day!

Brown the mince then stick all ingredients in slow cooker and leave it all day. Best Bol ever!

A knob of bitter takes the acidity out of the tomatoes

Butter not bitter! And a teaspoon of sugar! And a bay leaf!

Keep remembering all my ingredients!