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Bolognese Pasta Bake Recipe: A delicious easy dinner

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bolognese pasta bake recipe - 1

This bolognese pasta bake recipe makes for a delicious hearty dinner.

Making use of plenty of veg and cupboard staples, this recipe not just easy to make but cheap too.

You can also make lots of simple tweaks to the recipe below to suit your tastes or what you have at home. Veg you could add include courgette, celery and aubergine. You can also add in chopped cooked bacon.

As for the sauce, you could add a in a glass of wine, a splash of Worcestershire sauce, grated dark chocolate (or a teaspoon of cocoa powder) or even add in a teaspoon of Marmite, which some say tastes great.

The recipe below will make for four good servings and take an hour at most to complete.

Ingredients

To make 1 serving

  • 500g minced beef
  • 1 clove of crushed garlic or a teaspoon of easy/lazy garlic
  • 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
  • 1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
  • 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  • A handful of carrots, peeled and chopped
  • A handful of mushrooms, sliced
  • 200ml beef stock
  • 400g pasta
  • Grated cheese
  • Salt, pepper and dried mixed herbs

How to make Bolognese pasta bake:

  1. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and brown the beef for around 3-5 minutes, seasoned with a little salt and pepper. You may have to do this in batches as you don’t want to crowd the pan.
  2. Set the meat aside and return the pan to the heat.
  3. Fry the garlic, onions, mushrooms and carrots in a little oil for a 5-10 minutes until the veggies begin to soften.
  4. Add in the tinned chopped tomatoes and stock. Season to taste with salt, pepper and mixed herbs (around a teaspoon will do), plus anything else you want to add (e.g. Worcestershire sauce).
  5. Stir everything together and reduce the heat. Cover and leave to simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  6. Meanwhile, cook the pasta to per pack instructions in lightly salted boiling water.
  7. Drain the cooked pasta and mix with the bolognese.
  8. Transfer to a baking dish and top with grated cheese.
  9. Bake for around 20-25 minutes at 200 degrees / 180 degrees until cheese is melted and golden.

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