Ultimate Quorn spaghetti bolognese
I guess you could call spaghetti bolognese a family recipe for me. I have many memories of eating it as a child, both at my grandmother’s house where she’d use a sachet of Colman’s Spaghetti Bolognese Recipe Mix and stir in some baked beans for good measure, and at my mother’s, where the recipe would be slightly more authentic but still very much a “British” take on the Italian classic.
I’d argue that the majority of households in this country have this anglicised version of spaghetti bolognese as one of their dishes in regular rotation, and why shouldn’t they? It’s relatively quick and affordable to make, it’s child friendly and it’s one of those dishes that you never really get tired of. A traditional Italian ragù, rich with different meats, milk and, most crucially, time, I’m sure is a delicious thing to eat. I’m a firm believer, however, that there is still a place in the culinary hall of fame for this stalwart of the British teatime, despite its deviations from the original.
I’ve been making my own version of spaghetti bolognese for many years now, having adapted a recipe by the Hairy Bikers for my own vegetarian purposes back when I was living in my family home. My version uses Quorn mince (made of a mycoprotein with a meaty texture) instead of beef, and a vegetarian stock cube, although you of course could use another type of plant-based mince or even lentils to make this dish vegan. The simmering time of thirty minutes strikes the balance between flavour and getting dinner on the table before bedtime, but you could always simmer for longer if you want the flavours to develop even further (in that case I’d recommend adding a little more water to ensure that the sauce doesn’t dry out).
In my house we quite often finish the dish off with a good grating of mature Cheddar cheese on the top, another delicious nod to the dish’s adopted heritage - we’re not too precious about authenticity here! The bolognese sauce freezes well, and can also be used stirred into other pasta shapes, or even bulked out with a tin of baked bean which adds a sweeter note to the final flavour.
Ultimate Quorn spaghetti bolognese
Serves: 4 | Total time: 1hr | Source: vicki cooks veggie/BBC Food
Ingredients
300g (10oz) Quorn mince, or another meat-free mince
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 white onion, chopped
2 carrots, diced
2 celery sticks, diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped
150g (5oz) chestnut mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp plain (all purpose) flour
1 small bottle red wine (187ml/¾ cup)
400g (14oz) tinned chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato purée
1 vegetable stock cube (I use Oxo)
1 tsp white sugar (either granulated or caster)
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
2 bay leaves
250g (9oz) spaghetti
Method
Heat the vegetable oil in a non-stick pan on a low/medium heat and fry the onion, carrot, celery and garlic for 8-10 minutes until the onions turn translucent.
Add the sliced mushrooms to the pan and continue to fry for 2-3 minutes.
Add 1 tbsp plain flour to the pan and stir well. Once the flour has absorbed any moisture in the pan, add the red wine and cook for a minute, stirring well to incorporate the flour.
Next, add the tinned tomatoes, tomato purée, mince and around 200ml (about 7 fl oz) cold water (I just tend to half fill the now empty tin of tomatoes with water and add that in). Stir well.
Crumble the stock cube into the pan, then add the sugar, herbs, bay leaves and some salt and pepper.
Leave the bolognese to simmer for around 30mins, or until the sauce is nicely thickened.
About 10 minutes before the bolognese is ready, get a pan of water on the boil and salt the water well. Cook the spaghetti as per the packet instructions.
Serve the spaghetti bolognese in pasta dishes with a good grating of Parmesan or Cheddar (we’re not being precious about the authenticity here!) and a green salad.