Less Meat Bolognese
If you're looking for some interesting ways to bring more vegetables into your dinners, then look no further than our Less Meat Bolognese. It uses only a small amount of beef mince and the rest of the sauce is made up with grated mushrooms and brown lentils. It's rich and earthy and gives you all the satisfaction of a big bowl of bolognese with extra flavour and texture from plant-based ingredients. It's on high rotation in the Clove Kitchen, we often make a big batch and freeze it to have on pasta, on polenta, in toasties or as the base of a Shepherd's Pie.
Ingredients 12
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 sprigs thyme, fresh
2 tbsp tomato paste
1⁄2 tsp salt
1⁄2 tsp pepper, cracked
250 g beef mince
300 g field mushrooms, grated
1 can brown lentils, drained and rinsed
2 cups chicken stock
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
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Method 6
Start by preparing your ingredients. Finely dice the and , then grate , including the stems, on the coarse side of a box grater.
In a medium casserole pot or saucepan, heat over medium heat. Add diced with a pinch of and sautée for about 5 minutes or until translucent,
Add minced , , , and and cook for 2-3 minutes, until fragrant and the tomato paste starts to thicken.
Turn heat up to medium high. Add half of the mince meat to the pot and saute until nicely browned, around 3-4 minutes, then repeat with the remaining mince.
Add half of the and cook, stirring often until mushrooms have softened and any liquid has evaporated, around 4-5 minutes. Add the remaining mushrooms and repeat. The mixture should look glossy and rich.
Drain and rinse the can of . Add to the pot, along with the and . Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes or until the sauce has slightly reduced. Taste, adding more and if needed.
Clove Kitchen's tips
Adding the mushrooms in batches might seem like an unnecessary process, but it is important to take your time here to get the most flavour in your sauce. By not overcrowding the pan, the mushrooms will release their liquid, cook down, and become velvety, not rubbery and soupy.
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Notes
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