A slow-cooker friendly and freezer-friendly meal.
Ingredients
Serves 4
Prep 20 mins
Cook 1½ hours
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 celery sticks, finely chopped
- 100g chestnut button mushrooms, sliced
- 400g lean minced beef
- 800g passata (or 2 x 400g jars of pasta sauce)
- a good pinch of caster sugar 225g penne pasta
- 100g ball of mozzarella, cut into cubes
- 50g mature Cheddar cheese, finely grated
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
- Dressed green salad
Method
This all-in-one pasta Bolognese is packed with flavour and can be made well in advance, ready to pop in the oven. I like to serve it with a lovely big soft leaf salad. It's something we often make at home and everyone happily tucks in.
- Heat the oil in a sauté pan over a high heat. Add the onion, celery and mushrooms and fry for about 3 minutes, until softened. Add the mince and quickly brown, breaking up the lumps with a wooden spoon. Stir in the passata or pasta sauce and sugar, then season to taste. cover and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring once or twice, until tender.
- Preheat the oven to 160°c (325°F/gas mark 3).
- Cook the pasta in boiling salted water for 8–10 minutes, until tender but still with a little bite. drain well, then stir into the mince.
- Spoon the Bolognese mixture into an ovenproof dish and sprinkle over both cheeses. this can be stored in the fridge or frozen at this point. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until golden and bubbling around the edges.
- Serve straight to the table with a big bowl of salad on the side.
