Basic bolognese sauce

This bolognese recipe is simple and hearty, serve it over pasta, or as a lasagna filling, or on toast …

This bolognese sauce is a recipe that changes every time I make it, based on what is available in our fridge and pantry.  You can serve the bolognese sauce over pasta (gluten-free if necessary), or as a lasagna filling, or toast, or whatever.  Just recently I made this as a lasagna using rice paper and cheesy mashed potatoes instead of the lasagna sheets and bechamel sauce.  It was awesome!

Subsitutions:

The spices included in the recipe are just a guide – experiment and get to know which combinations taste good (and which ones don’t!).  I have used different combinations of basil, oregano, parsley, thyme, rosemary, fennel, to name a few. 

Other types of ground meat can also be substituted in here – I usually use ground turkey, but have used beef, chicken and other meats as available.  Other vegetables can also be included, including fresh tomatoes.

Also used with great success are the pre-made pasta sauces instead of the passata – a lot of the seasoning work has already been done in these!  In the US, it’s also really easy to find tins of tomato sauce rather than passata.

And don’t forget to sprinkle with lots of parmesan cheese – because what’s a bolognese sauce without parmesan?

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Basic bolognese sauce

(Paleo, Whole30, gluten-free, dairy-free)

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 8

Ingredients

• 500 g good quality ground turkey
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 medium celery stick finely chopped
• 1 cup grated zucchini
• 1 cup grated carrot
• 1 tin tomatoes
• 700 g tomato pasata or US tomato sauce
• 1 tbs basil
• 1 tbs oregano
• 1 tbs parsley
• 1 cup chopped spinach

Instructions

1. Brown the onion, garlic and celery together until soft and the onion is slightly translucent.
2. Stir in the the mince and brown.
3. Add the grated zucchini, carrot, tomatoes, pasata and spices. Add salt and pepper to taste and more of less of these and any other spices.
4. Allow to simmer for approximately 20 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened to desired consistency.
5. Add in the spinach and simmer for another 2-3 minutes, until the spinach has softened.
6. Serve immediately with gluten-free pasta (or regular pasta if needed).