Spag Bol (Spaghetti Bolognese)
This recipe is for a no-fuss midweek meal. Everything is done quickly with a sauce already made from a jar. You can buy a lot of pretty good tasting bolognese sauce in any supermarket; there are even big supermarket own brand names.
Anyway as can be seen on the photos above,
I find that the best way to cook is to do the preparations beforehand. This is especially if you are cooking stir-frys. The chopping, the mincing and julienning should be done before even turning on the stove or cooker.
You will need garlic, onion, green (or red and even yellow) bell pepper and a stick of carrot and of course, minced meat. Usually, the standard for bolognese is ground beef but as I have only minced pork in the fridge, that is what I used.
Using a large pan, I sauteed the garlic, which of course I had to mince first, making sure it turned golden and not burnt as it would have left a bitter taste to the recipe.
After the garlic, I added the chopped onion and stirred it until it turned soft and translucent. I then added the minced pork and fried it until brown. I added the chopped carrots and cook for a minute and then mixed in the chopped peppers.
Add the jar of Bolognese sauce; I find that a jar is not enough so I would fill the empty jar with equal amount of cold water and give the jar a good shake so that the leftover sauce inside would mix in with the water. I would then pour this into the pan and I find this perfect to make the original sauce mix in properly with the cooking Bolognese.
Adjust the taste by adding seasoning with salt and pepper. I always add a teaspoon of dried basil as well as a teaspoon of oregano into the bubbling mix. A good shake of Worcestershire sauce is also a great addition.
While the sauce is simmining gently.
Cook the spaghetti pasta in another pan, using a lot of salted water. Add a splash of oil, which would ensure that the pasta do not stick together.Refer to the packet for how long to cook the pasta.
Instead of serving the pasta on a plate and topping it with the sauce, I find that it taste better to put the pasta on the pan itself and let the bubbling Bolognese sauce mix and cover every strand of the the spaghetti. 🙂
This simple recipe is so good and easy to make, perfect for any busy cook for any given weekday or a lazy weekend.