Alesia’s Pasta Bolognese

Initially I was supposed to post the recipe yesterday but I realized I have a few picture folders for this recipe so I spent the day editing the pictures. I have tons of photos of this pasta recipe that I just have to dedicate one post only for the pictures. A first yummy pictorial blog post here at Alesia The Home Cook! Just so you know a true Bolognese sauce actually has very little tomato but since my husband loves tomato and he likes his pasta to be drenched with a lot of tomato sauce, I made a slight tweak to the good ole Bolognese recipe.  I like my Bolognese to have lots of carrots, celery and onions as they bring a nice hint of sweetness to the sauce plus Ashley loves pasta so I want her to have her vegetables without realizing it. The post of me being sneaky with her pasta sauce based on this recipe would be up soon.
Because I’m such a lazy cook I usually make a huge batch and freeze the sauce in individual portions for days I don’t feel like cooking but want a hearty meal. And this is one of the best make-ahead-freeze meals because you don’t have to spend so much time cooking over the stove, just sauté the ingredients and leave the sauce to simmer for hours. And you’ll have a delicious sauce which is great for any kind of pasta and if you like, over a plate of hot steaming white rice.

(Serves 6)  

You Need

Olive oil

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, minced*

8 tomatoes, chopped

1 small carrot, diced

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 celery ribs, chopped

1 can (227grams) tomato puree

3 bay leaves

salt and pepper to season

3 cups of water or chicken stock

250g of spaghetti

3 litres of water

Freshly grated cheese or cheese powder  

How To

1. Cook the pasta in a pot, according to the packet instructions. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and sauté the onion with garlic until they turn translucent and soft.
3. Now add in the meat and crumble into the onions and fry until it turns white (no more red bits)
4. Add in the carrot and celery, give it a quick stir before adding in the chopped tomatoes and the tomato puree (Half way cooking I realized I ran out of tomato puree in my pantry so I substitute using a bottled pasta sauce which is why I didn’t use dried herbs – basil and oregano – because it’s already added into the bottled pasta sauce. But if you are using tomato puree , remember to add in 1 tsp of dried basil and oregano)
5. Pour in the water/chicken stock. Throw in the bay leaves. Mix well and let it to simmer for at least an hour without the lid on. Once the liquid has reduced to about 1/3 put a lid on and continue to let it simmer for a further 1 hour. Remove the bay leaves.
6. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Serve over pasta with freshly grated cheese and enjoy!  

Cooking Tutorials
 Ingredients
How To

Note:

 

* You can use minced beef, pork or have a mixture of both (pork + chicken)