Healthy Bolognaise

I finally got organised during the week and did a massive shop at the supermarket and decided to buy ingedients to make a nice big batch of bolognaise to have and keep in the freezer to always have something on hand. I've made this bolognaise a lot of times and always tend to vary the recipe a bit but no matter what it always has plenty of vegetables and is always really delicious but above all else healthy. I don't always use both pork and beef mince but the pork adds a nice extra depth of flavour plus it is lower in calories than beef mince.


Healthy Bolognaise
Servings: 11, Serving size: 2 soup ladels, Calories: 235 Calories per serve

Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
2 onions, diced
Crushed garlic
500g Lean pork mince
550g Lean beef mince
1 Capsicum, dice
4 Carrots, grated
4 Celery sticks, diced
250g Mushrooms, diced
6 x 400 g Cans of diced tomatoes
140g Tomato paste
2 x Bay leaves
Dried oregano
Worcestershire Sauce

Directions:
Start by adding the oil to a large deep pot or pan, I use a large 3.5 litre pan which has plenty of room. Once the oil is heated add the onions and garlic. I love garlic so I tend to add a lot. Let the onions cook on a moderate heat for about 5 minutes, stirring them as you go. Add the pork and beef mince and let it brown, breaking up the mince with a wooden spoon as you go in the pan. It can take a while to brown that much mince so I usually start to brown it and break down then leave it to keep prepping some of the vegetables. Once browned add the mushrooms and capsicums and some dried oregano as well as some salt and pepper. Let cook for around 5 minutes before adding the celery and carrots. Leave for another 5 minutes making sure to stir it as you go to ensure it doesn't stick to the pan. Then add the cans of tomato, tomato paste, worcestershire sauce ( a large dash) and stir through. Then add the bay leaves and simmer on low for at least 45 minutes stirring occasionally. Add extra worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper to taste as you go. I usually like to let the bolognaise simmer for as long as possible so I will add about a cup of water to ensure it doesn't stick to the bottom and leave it for another hour but you can have it after just 45 minutes depending on how much time you have.

To serve we usually have 2 ladels with broccoli or some other vegies on the side instead of having it with pasta and it is a healthy delicious meal that you can keep portions of in the freezer. We also sometimes have it with brown rice as it is low GI and digests slower than straight pasta but even with just vegies it is a satisfying meal.

Another alternative is to add some kidney beans and have it as a chilli con carne.