The Essential Student Cooking Guide (Bolognese Sauce)

Posted by David | Filed under The Essential Student Cooking Guide

Home > Student Cookbook > Recipes > Main Meals > Bolognese Sauce

Now that we have covered the general basics of cooking for ourselves in Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the Essential Student Cooking Guide we can start cooking some basic student recipes! First off today is cooking bolognese sauce for use in Spaghetti Bolognese, Lasagna and Cottage Pie!

As this sauce can be used for at least three separate meals, you can create it in bulk, and put half of it in the freezer. This is a great way to save time later in the week when you may be busy. Reheating the sauce can be done in a microwave, it usually takes around 7-10 minutes depending on whether you put it in the fridge or freezer. Only freeze the sauce! Do not attempt to save time by freezing pasta or mash potato!

Bolognese Sauce

Required Ingredients (cooks for 2 meals)

  • 250g of mince beef. (Buy some quality mince even if the rest of your meal costs under a pound!)
  • 1 400g tin of chopped tomatoes. (Tesco Value cans taste just as good here!)
  • 1/2 a red onion (you can use a standard onion too)
  • A large clove of garlic.
  • Table spoon of tomato puree
  • 1 grated carrot.
  • 1 sprinkle of basil.

Optional Ingredients

  • 1 glass of red wine.
  • 2 bay leaves.
  • A pinch Italian Herbs mix.
  • 3-4 Mushrooms.
  • 1/2 a sliced Red or Yellow pepper.
  • Teaspoon of Worcester Sauce.

Recipe

  • Put a small amount of Cooking Oil in a frying pan and add to this your onion chopped up into small pieces. Fry the onion until it has gone soft, then add the mince.
  • Fry the mince while stirring it until it has gone completely brown and is no longer pink.
  • Now add a small amount of your wine if you have some and leave for a minute or two with a lid on the pan.
  • Now add your tin of tomoatoes, tomoato puree, carrot, mushrooms, peppers, Worcester sauce, bay leaves, garlic (don’t forget to crush it!), basil and other herbs and remaining wine. Bring to the boil then simmer gently on a very low heat for between 10 minutes and 1 hour.

Now you need to decide what you are cooking! Lasagna, Spaghetti or Cottage Pie!

For Spaghetti, once your sauce is ready boil some salted water and place in the spaghetti for the required time on the back of the packet (around 10 minutes). Then drain it and add a small amount of butter or oil to stop it sticking together. Place it on a plate and put your sauce on top. Sprinkle with some cheddar cheese or parmesan.

For Lasagna, once your sauce is ready, create a cheese sauce. To do this place 1 slither of butter around 1/2 a cm in thickness into a sauce pan along with a flat table spoon of flour. Turn the heat on high and stir until a paste. Then add about 1/4 – 1/3 a pint of milk and start stirring until it thickens up. Once it starts to thicken you can add some grated cheese, mustard and a sprinkle of black pepper to give it some taste. 

Then place half your mince sauce (for this meal) in a casserole or lasagna dish, and cover it with lasagna pasta sheets. To this put on a layer or your cheese sauce. Then add the remaining mince, cover it with pasta sheets and add the remaining cheese sauce. Sprinkle on top some grated cheese and place in the oven at 180 degrees for around 30 minutes or until browned on top.

For Cottage Pie, once your sauce is ready, create some mash potato, place the sauce in a casserole dish and layer the mash on top. Then sprinkle with some grated cheese and place in the oven at 180 degrees for around 30 minutes. You can also do Shepherd’s Pie following this recipe only use Lamb mince instead of Beef Mince.

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Permalink | Comments (2) | Tuesday, 2nd Sep 2008

2 Responses to “The Essential Student Cooking Guide (Bolognese Sauce)”

  1. Veronica Says:
    September 3rd, 2008 at 7:24 am

    Wow awesome blog. I struggled to make mine and gave up in 5 mins :o

    It’s heaps hard to learn to cook but my advice would be to buy one extra little thing everytime you shop… e.g. I started getting rosemary or sage, now I’ll get like almond meal or tamarind, and it’s getting to a point now where I have everything for basic ingredients in the cupboard.

    I think saying ‘clove of garlic’ is scary! I would recommend minced garlic I don’t even think Nigella could tell the difference.

    I just got this book to join the gaps in my cooking knowledge, it’s awesome and cheap
    http://www.genevievescuisine.com/books.htm and I found that a basic version of this course was really useful
    http://www.redballoondays.com.au/experience/FFF751

    With the herbs and courses, it’s just about learning. I just started reading the best aussie cooking magazine and before I knew it I was like hey they have fish sauce in heaps of things, I’ll put that on my list.

    Anyway top blog :)

  2. David Says:
    September 3rd, 2008 at 9:46 am

    Thanks for the kind words Veronica!

    I think you may well be right about the garlic! I did notice I hadn’t mentioned having to crush it as well – that could lead to some interesting dishes!

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