Lazy Bolognese

Yes it rhymes... isn't that clever!  It's called Lazy Bolognese for a very good reason... I use a *shock* bought pasta sauce when I make bolognese.  But not any old jar, it has to be Loyd Grossman's pasta sauce because it's as close to making it from scratch as I can find.  Usually I use Primavera, but I couldn't see it when I was shopping, so I used a jar of Bolognese which has pieces of carrot & celery in it.

I always try to use lean minced beef when I make bolognese and the one thing I am insistent upon is that you cook the mince in a dry pan and drain the mince when it's cooked.  The amount of fat left behind would scare the bejeesus out of you - have a look at the photos below if you don't believe me - and I used 90% lean beef.
Once I bought some "economy" mince & nearly died when I drained over 400ml of fat from a 900g pack... that's just vile.

Lazy Bolognese (feeds 7-8)


900g Lean Minced Beef
3 Onions, chopped
1 tbsp Rapeseed Oil
1 425g jar Loyd Grossman Bolognaise Sauce
200ml Red Wine
2tbsp Sun Dried Tomato Puree
Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Heat the oil in a large frying pan & add the onions, sauteeing until soft.  Transfer to a large pot & wipe the frying pan with some kitchen paper.

Return the frying pan to the heat & add half of the minced beef, season with pepper and fry until browned.  Drain & add to the onions.  Wipe the frying pan & repeat with the rest of the mince.

And that's why you should cook mince in a dry pan...

Now add the sauce to the mince & onions.  Pour the red wine into the sauce jar, seal & shake to release the last of the sauce - add it to the mince.  Stir in the sundried tomato puree & bring the pot to the boil.

Reduce the heat & simmer for 25 minutes.   Taste for seasoning & adjust if necessary.

This freezes beautifully, so it's great to make a large batch & freeze it for lazy dinners... let it cool completely before you refrigerate or freeze it though