This spaghetti bolognese serves six and takes a lighter, vegetable-packed route. It combines minced beef with minced chicken, then loads the sauce with onion, celery, carrot, mushrooms and garlic.
It is a weeknight sauce: one saucepan, pantry tomatoes and dried spaghetti. Here is the full recipe, followed by the method and some tips.
Ingredients
- 500 grams minced beef
- 300 grams minced chicken
- 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 1 cup mixed frozen vegetables (carrots, peas and/or green beans)
- 2 sticks celery, finely sliced
- 200 grams mushrooms, finely sliced
- 6 cloves garlic, crushed
- 600 grams peeled tomatoes, canned or bottled
- 1 chicken stock cube
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree
- 1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs (optional)
- 350 grams dried spaghetti
- Fresh basil leaves, torn, to garnish
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Method
- Heat the olive oil in a saucepan. Fry the onion, carrot, celery and garlic gently for 5 minutes, until softened but not browned.
- Add the minced beef and chicken. Season with salt, pepper and the dried mixed herbs if using, and mix well so the meat breaks up.
- Add the tomatoes and the frozen vegetables. Stir in the chicken stock and the tomato puree. Cover and simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes.
- Keep the sauce on a low heat while the spaghetti cooks according to the instructions on the pack. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Add the mushrooms and stir for 2 to 3 minutes more, so they stay tender and keep some bite.
- Drain the spaghetti, spoon the sauce over the top and finish with torn basil.
Why the two meats work
Beef gives the sauce depth and a savoury, rounded flavour. Minced chicken is milder and leaner, so it lightens the dish and makes the sauce less heavy. Together they suit a table that includes both traditionalists and those who prefer a gentler flavour.
The vegetables do the same job. Onion, celery and carrot form the sweet base of the sauce, while frozen peas or green beans add colour and make the portions go further for a family.
Tips and variations
- Chop finely. Small pieces of onion, celery and mushroom melt into the sauce, which suits children who are wary of visible vegetables.
- Add the mushrooms late. The recipe adds them near the end, so they do not turn soft and watery as they would after a long simmer.
- Break up the mince. Stir as the meat goes in, so it cooks in small crumbs instead of clumps.
- Season at the end. The stock cube already carries salt, so taste before adding more.
- Herbs. Dried mixed herbs are optional. Fresh basil on top gives a brighter finish.
- Simmer longer if you have time. The recipe keeps cooking short, but a longer, gentler simmer with the lid slightly ajar will thicken the sauce further.
Serving
The recipe uses 350 grams of dried spaghetti for six servings. Drain the pasta just before serving, and spoon the sauce over it so the strands stay separate. Leftover sauce keeps well and can be used another day over fresh pasta.