Recipe for bolognese sauce?

[MsVestibule]

I usually make bolognese by browning mince then stirring in a couple of Loyd Grosman jars but I want to start cooking it from scratch. However, I want to to be able to make the sauce in advance and put in a jar before I cook it with the mince.

I would have thought I could do this by frying some onion, garlic, red peppers, then mixing in some tinned tomatoes and herbs. Has anybody else tried this? How did it work out?

I fry the onions, brown off the mince, add in the veg (peppers etc)- add salt and pepper, two tablespoons of tomato purée and a carton of passata. Dissolve a beef stock pot in half a pint of hot water and add that in. I leave it to simmer so the liquid reduces until it has enough sauce for your liking. I sometimes dice up fresh tomatoes too to thrown in.

Sounds weird but I put a sprinkle of cinnamon in mine and a splash of lemon juice. Really lifts the flavour.

Real "bolognese" (which doesn't actually even exist but that's another story), isn't made with "sauce" as such. It's just tomatoes and herbs added to the browned meat and pancetta.

If you're departing from that, any tomato-based sauce is the same as any other, really.

My way you can't make the sauce separately (but I make it up to five days in advance and leave it in the fridge - quick dinner for midweek).

Brown mince on properly high temp using non-olive oil. Once the liquid is gone add a glass of dry white and boil it off. Add salt, pepper and a carton of passata. Bring to boil then turn down to lowest simmer and leave for two hours.

Fry off onions celery and carrot chopped really fine. If you have any basil chop the stems and add them too.

If you want to be fancy add some Fineky chopped streaky bacon or pancetta.

Add mince, pork and beef mix is nice but beef is fine, two tins of Tomatoes, I like to add two beef stock pots, a tomato can of water and possibly a glass of red wine.

Let it bubble down low and slow and add a good whack of chopped garlic about an hour from the end of cooking time. I like to add it then instead of the beginning admit tastes stronger.

Good chopped Tomatoes make a massive difference, it's worth paying extra for cirio or similar. You may need a lunch if sugar to balance the acidity.

Oh sorry saw you want to make the sauce separately. Can't you just make the meat sauce and freeze / refrigerate until needed.

You can just make the tomato sauce without the mince. Just finely fice onions, celery and carrot (equal quantities of each) a good pinch salt, and soften in oil for a good ten mins. They all need to be soft. Then added some crushed garlic and tom purée gently cook for a min. Add two tins chopped toms (I blend mine with a stick blender sometimes) plus a tin full of milk, 2 tsps sugar, some dried herbs de provence, a couple of bayleaves, salt and pepper and cook on a low heat with the lid on for a couple of hours.

*dice not fice :/

When I make bolognese, I fry onions, garlic and mince, add finely chopped peppers, mushroom, grate carrot and sometimes grate a courgette in, add tin chopped tomatoes, tin of passata, a couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce, black pepper and some oregano. Let it cook on low for a while and tastes lovely 👌🏻

Oh and I use tomato purée when browning the mince too

Bolognese doesn’t need while or chopped tomatoes, just a good squeeze of tomato purée from a tube or tin.

Soften onion in olive oil and some butter, add mince and brown, add chopped tomatoes, two tablespoons of tomato purée, some garlic paste, red wine, baby plum tomatoes (halved)

Bring to the boil then chuck in the slow cooker for 6 hours in low

@longtompot. Thanks, that sounds delicious, I'll definitely try that.

The reason I need to make the sauce separately is that I have a son with texture issues with food (or he's just bloody fussy; 10 years later, I still don't know) so I need to make the tomato sauce, blend it well and then stir it in to the browned mince. I only make bolognese sauce to put in lasagne, so the lack of texture/lumpy veg isn't an issue. This way, I don't have to sit with a face while he picks out every onion and piece of tomato, which doesn't exactly enhance a family dinner.

Thanks again, lots of good ideas here to liven up the sauce.

Would it help to use passata as it is smooth?

Good idea re the passata, but I like to put carrots, onions and peppers in it, so he at least gets some veg - he won't eat any other veg apart from baked beans and frozen peas. Although bizarrely, he really enjoys my homemade butternut squash and red pepper soup!!

I grate carrots and courgettes in my tomato sauce and you can't tell at all, no lumps! You could always make a tomato sauce in the slow cooker and then blend and add to mince. I make this regularly:

tinned tomatoes/passata
garlic
onions
little sugar
tomato paste
mixed herbs
balsamic vinegar (optional)
wine (optional)
grated carrot
grated courgette

Cook for a few hours til reduced. You could blend and store separately?