Pasta/bolognese sauce recipe help!

LucyNewMum

Silver Member
Hi guys made spag bowl the other night and I've always used jarred sauces (only joined a week ago). Anyway it just didn't taste right

I used passata, onion, garlic, herbs. It was quorn mince too which I think made it taste a bit odd (first time using it as had a pack in freezer)

Anyway if anyone has a simple (tasty) recipe for a tomato based sauce please share :) thanks in advance


Joined Slimming world 8-04-14
Start weight 14st3.5
Goal weight 11st 3
 
I still use jars - Tesco EV pasta sauce is only 6 syns for the whole jar and even ones that are around the 12 syn mark, I get at least 4 portions out so if I'm making something like spag bol and it works out at 3 syns a head then that's all groovy with me.

The Tesco frozen meat-free mince is nicer than Quorn to be honest and is now also free on SW. Failing that if you eat meat then a LF mince?
 
I'm also not such a fan of quorn mince - I use a dried TVP product from H&B. It's less than £2 a bag but makes anything from 14 - 20 servings.

Sauce wise, I use 1/2 passata + tin of toms. I add SF items like Pippa1987 and various herbs/spices.
 
Adding superfree veg will give your sauce a bit of depth, particularly celery. I blitz onion, green peppper, celery, carrot and garlic in the food processor, then add that to chopped tinned tomatoes and passata. Simmer till it's nice and thick and then whizz with the hand blender. If you like a spicy sauce, add chilli as well. I make a huge vat of this every few weeks then store in the freezer in portion sizes. It can then be the base for loads of different meals. Works out much cheaper than jars and no syns!

I also agree that the tesco meat free mince is nicer than Quorn.
 
For spag bol sauce or most of my tomato based sauces now hav
2 tins chopped tomatoes, onion, celery, leek and grated carrot - all cut up into small bits.
i then add garlic granuals, tomato pure, oxo cube and dried herbs

all free and lots superfree!

i can only suggest u play round with the tomato content u use and if u use superfree which ones u use, find what works for u. I find passata tends to hav a slightly more sharp taste to tinned tomatoes, i also like that carrot gives a slightly sweeter taste to the sauce. Experiment :)
 
I usually use 2 tins of chopped tomatoes, some tomato puree, an onion, 1 clove of garlic, mixed herbs, paprika, cayenne pepper and a few splashes of worcestershire sauce.
 
Thanks all :) going to have a play around with it.
Passata did have a sharp tang so think I'll use tinned chopped tomatoes next time, will add some more super free etc. (also nice to know theres not too many syns in some jars if I do screw it up lol) Thanks again x


Joined Slimming world 8-04-14
Start weight 14st3.5
Goal weight 11st 3
 
I make my bolognese with 2 tins of chopped tomatoes with herbs, a tablespoon of tomato puree, an onion, 3 cloves of garlic, extra lean mince, a good glug of worcestershire sauce, a beef stock cube, a tsp of dried mixed herbs, a courgette, a red pepper, and a teaspoon of sugar to take the the sharpness away from the tomatoes. Sometimes I will sprinkle a tablespoon of grated parmesan over the top for 1.5 syns too. My whole family love it, even my fussy 2 year old x
 
I forgot to say as well, if you are doing a "meaty" sauce, a spoonful of marmite gives it a bit of extra "oomph"!
 
Pete’s Spaghetti Bolognese (Revisited)

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 Knorr “herb” stockpot
1tsp sweetener
2tbsp tomato puree (s) (sff)
2 large onions, finely chopped (s) (sff)
3 garlic cloves 1tbsp dried oregano (sff)
245g lean beef mince (ff)
250g passata (s) (sff)
410g tin of chopped tomatoes (s) (sff)
Seasoning
Fresh basil
Packet of spaghetti (ff)

Method

In a large pan sprayed with Fry Light, cook the onion & garlic until soft. Add the mince and cook for 20 mins until the mince has browned.
Add the tomatoes, passata, sweetener and the basil, ripped into small pieces.
Cook for 10 mins, Place the stockpot on top of the mixture and allow to infuse.
Simmer for 20 mins or until it thickens, then season.
Cook your spaghetti as per packet instructions, when cooked add to the sauce & mix together, plate up & grate parmesan cheese over the food, add a sprig of fresh basil.

Regi (Small).JPG
 
Just echoing most of the above really- a pinch of sugar or even sweetener makes a difference with most of my tomato based sauces, also make sure there's plenty of salt and pepper! The "proper" Bolognese starts with onion, carrot and celery as its base, or so im told, which does make a difference when I can be bothered!
With quorn products it can be difficult to get that flavour in there, if you can taste as you go along you can tweak seasoning and add a bit of Worcestershire sauce/marmite/oxo till its yummy!
Rosie x
 
I found a Jamie Oliver version of spagbol that had been made syn free on t'interwebs. There was basically just the ingredients, so I just flew by the seat of my pants and made it.... I did it in my slow cooker, and although the flavour was gorg, the mince had a different texture than I'm used to and I wsn't mad keen, so next time I will make the sauce in the SC and add the mince nearer the end. These are the ingredients...

• 3 rashers of lean back bacon with all visible fat removed.
• 1 Onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 carrots
• 2 sticks of celery
• Fry Lite
• 2 heaped teaspoons dried oregano
• 500g good-quality 5% Fat minced beef
• 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
• 2 Tablespoons of Tomato Puree
• Sea salt and freshly ground black peppe
• A couple of splashes of Worchester Sauce
• 2 OXO cubes (one fryed with the mince, one after.
• a small bunch of fresh basil
• 100g Parmesan cheese
• 400-500g dried spaghetti or penne

Like I say, I just went with it, lol.
 
Back
Top