Cheap Eats: Proper Bolognese

Spaghetti Bolognese is cooked by millions of households up and down the country, ours included. Like most, I used to reach for the red gloopy jar of Ragu, Dolmio or cheaper supermarket equivalent when times were hardest. But then I came across this recipe and the rest is history!

Not only is this recipe incredibly tasty and comforting, it's cheap, easy and a good way of hiding nutritious vegetables for the kids. It's more time-consuming than opening a jar, but Rome (or Bologna) wasn't built in a day! And besides, this recipe will easily feed six adults or 4 adults and 4 kids so make ahead of time and freeze.

What you'll need:
One carrot, onion and celery stick chopped up small
One tin of chopped tomatoes or 500g of fresh, chopped up small
One clove of garlic finely chopped
One glass of red wine
A few rashers of smoked streaky bacon or a handful of lardons
Squeeze of tomato puree
Glug of olive oil
Salt and pepper to season
400-500g of Minced Beef
A bay leaf

Here's what to do:
1. Fry the bacon for a couple of minutes in the olive oil and on a low heat, then add the carrot, celery and onion and fry for five minutes.

2. Add the garlic and fry for two more minutes before adding the Minced Beef. Break the beef up with a wooden spoon, season with salt and pepper and cook until brown, about five minutes.

3. Next, add a squeeze of tomato puree, the glass of wine, stir together and turn the heat up high, as the alcohol needs to be evaporated.

4. Final step, add the bay leaf, the tin of tomatoes and fill half the tin with cold water and add that in, bring to a simmer and leave to simmer for at least an hour, ideally two, stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn't catch on the bottom.

We like to eat half and freeze half, and it goes much further if you mix it with cooked spaghetti.

Serve topped with a grating of parmesan cheese, and the rest of the wine of course!

Do let us know if you've tried this, or have a variation you love, or have more cheap eats we can try out and share!