Preparation time
5-10 mins
Cooking time
40-50 mins
Serves
2 adults and 2 young children
Spaghetti bolognese is classic comfort food and this is a version that the whole family can enjoy, from toddlers to teens.
By Miguel Barclay
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
400g beef mince
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, about 190g, grated
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
400g can chopped tomatoes
250ml low-salt beef stock
2 tsp tomato ketchup
280g dried spaghetti
black pepper
To serve:
Parmesan cheese, finely grated (optional)
Cooked broccoli florets
It's gonna get messy, but it is a lot of fun to give your baby their own spoon. Encourage them when they manage to find their mouth! Also, 'spaghetti' is a really fun word for your child to hear and learn - repeat it over and over.
Method
- Heat the oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add the mince, breaking it up with a fork, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, until browned all over.
- Turn the heat down slightly, add the onion and carrot and cook for 7 minutes, stirring often, until softened.
- Next, add the garlic and oregano and cook for another 1 minute.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and pour in the stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, part-covered with a lid, for 25 minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened and the mince is tender.
- While the sauce is cooking, prepare the pasta. Heat a large pan of water until boiling. Add the spaghetti, stir, and cook following the packet instructions. Drain the pasta, saving a cupful of the cooking water.
- Finely chop about a third of the pasta into short pieces (about 3 cms - you could snip this up with kitchen scissors) and set aside in serving bowls for the children. Top each child's serving with a large serving spoon of sauce and stir until combined, adding some of the saved cooking water if needed.
- Return the rest of the pasta to the pan with a little of the cooking water and add in the rest of the sauce. Stir to combine.
- Serve with broccoli, either as florets or finely chopped and stirred into the children’s portions, and top with the cheese (if you like).
Tip - you could use vegetarian mince alternatives or turkey mince for this recipe if you prefer and you could also use vegetable stock. You could up the veg content by grating some cauliflower in when frying your mince mixture. If you were only making this for children, you could snap up the spaghetti into the shorter pieces before boiling to make it easier for yourself.
