Spaghetti bolognese is definitely a firm favourite in our house and the great thing about this dish is that it's super easy to make, tastes great and you can add heaps of vegetables to it. This is a perfect if you have children who are not so keen on veggies, it's a great way to add them into your meal as it's such a tasty dish. You can either grate them thinly or cut them up into small cubes. 

This dish literally involves browning the meat and chucking all the veggies in and slow cook or simmer in a pan on a low heat. 

Prep time: 20 mins

Cooking time: 7 hours slow cooker or 2 hours on hob

Ingredients

Minced beef (lamb or pork is also a good alternative)

1 large onion, cubed

4 cloves garlic, crushed or chopped 

160g mushrooms, thinly sliced

3 celery sticks, small cubes

1 courgette, grated or small cubes

1 carrot, grated or small cubes

2 tsp mixed herbs

dash of worcester sauce

2 tins chopped tomatoes or fresh tomatoes

1 tbsp tomato puree

1/2 glass red wine (optional)

Heat a couple of tbsp of olive oil in a medium heated pan, add the onions, garlic and fry for a couple of mins then add the mince and brown.  You can also add the red wine at this point to reduce.

Once mince has browned, pour into the slow cooker and add the remainder of the ingredients. Give the ingredients a quick mix and put onto slow cooker for 7 hours on a low heat. Add seasoning if you wish.

If you are cooking the bolognese on a hob, once the mince has browned, add the vegetables (except tomatoes) and gently cook for a few minutes.

Add the herbs, worcester sauce, tomato puree and tomatoes. Bring to boil then turn down onto low heat to cook for one hour, then take lid off and simmer on low heat for another 1-1.5 hours until sauce has thickened.

Serve the bolognese with rice, spaghetti, pasta or add some mashed potatoes on top (with cheese and bake) for some cottage pie.