Making Mushroom Pepper Beef Bolognese

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 large bell pepper, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 3 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 24 ounces pasta sauce
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup Parmesan shavings, plus extra for serving
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 package spaghetti

Steps:

1. Sautee the pepper and onions in a bit of oil in large skillet over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and garlic and cook an additional 3 minutes.

 
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2. Add ground beef to the pan and cook until mostly browned. Lower heat and continue to cook until fully browned. Cooking on low heat allows the flavours to meld together nicely.

 
3. Add tomato paste to the pan and stir well, allowing to cook a few minutes.

 
4. Add oregano and chili flakes and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly.

 
5. Add pasta sauce and mix well. Raise heat and bring until it's bubbling. Every bolognese batch is different, so if it's a bit dry, you can add a touch of water or wine at this point. We didn't need to.

 
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6. Begin cooking the spaghetti to package directions. Tear the basil leaves by hand and drop into the sauce. Cook another 8 minutes or so.

 
7. Stir in the Parmesan shavings. Serve on top of a bed of spaghetti, sprinkling the top with more cheese.

 

mockchoc

June 29, 20190 found this helpful

I hide a lot of veggies in my bolognese too. Anything like celery or zucchini works and if grated you hardly notice them. Brown lentils are another great trick for making it healthier and cheaper.