Family Fave Spaghetti Bolognese with Smuggled Vegetables, Parmesan & Basil
  • Prep time: 30 minutes
  • Calories: 620
We don't know about you but spaghetti bolognese is a firm favourite in our house, even when it is packed full of sneaky vegetables! The trick with this recipe is to use a food processor to blitz your vegetables as small as possible, to smuggle them past those fussy eaters. Top with delicious parmesan and basil and hopefully they'll be none the wiser!
Ingredients
  • 1 75g Pack of Baby Spinach
  • 180 g of Spaghetti #5
  • 1 of Carrot
  • 1 of Brown Onion
  • 2 of Garlic Clove
  • 1 350g Pack of Lampomodoro (Passata)
  • 1 Small Bunch of Basil
  • 100 g of Baby Zucchini
  • 200 g of Beef Mince
  • 1⁄4 Cup of Red Wine
  • 20 g of Parmesan (Shaved)
  • 3 Tbsp of Tomato Paste
Recipe

Prepare Ingredients:

If using a food processor, peel and roughly chop onion, garlic and carrot. Trim zucchini and cut in half lengthwise, removing seeds, and roughly chop. Pick basil leaves, discarding stems. Put a large pot of salted water on to boil for cooking spaghetti in step 5.

Process Vegetables:

Add 3⁄4 of the chopped onion (you will have some leftover), garlic, carrot, a large handful of spinach, zucchini and 1⁄2 the basil to food processor and blitz until finely chopped.

Start Bolognese:

Heat olive oil (enough to cover base) in a deep sided pan over medium heat. Add processed vegetables and a pinch of salt, and sweat off for 2-3 minutes, until they start to soften. Add tomato paste and cook for a further 2 minutes, until paste darkens in colour.

Finish Bolognese:

Add mince, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, and cook until browned. Add red wine and stir well. Cook until almost dry, about 2 minutes. Add passata and bring back to a simmer. Simmer bolognese for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until mince is cooked and sauce has thickened slightly. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cook Spaghetti:

While bolognese simmers, add spaghetti to the pot of boiling water and cook 7-9 minutes or until al dente. Reserve a little of the pasta cooking water and drain well.

You Plate It:

Add drained spaghetti to the pan of bolognese sauce, coating the pasta in the sauce. Divide between bowls and garnish with parmesan and any remaining basil leaves. Enjoy!