1 medium carrot
1 medium onion
1 clove of garlic
1 stick of celery
250-300g minced beef
1 large (400g) tin chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 heaped tsp dried herbs
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (optional)
Ground black pepper
100ml water or reduced salt stock
Chopping board
Knife
Saucepan and lid
Tin opener
Wooden spoon
Tablespoon and teaspoon
Measuring jug
Bolognese sauce
Peel and chop the carrot, onion and garlic into small pieces. Remove coarse stringy bits from the celery, chop into small pieces.
Add the minced beef to the saucepan and cook over a medium heat until the meat has browned, stirring all the time. Drain off the fat. Add the vegetables; continue to cook for 5 minutes.
Stir in the tomatoes, dried herbs, black pepper, tomato puree and balsamic vinegar and simmer gently with the lid on for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add a little water or reduced salt stock if the sauce is too thick.
- Serve with spaghetti or pasta shapes. Add a side salad and top with a little grated cheese to give an even better balance
- Mash or chop the sauce more finely for babies
- Vegetarian alternative: use 250-300g Quorn or soya mince instead of beef. Frozen and refrigerated Quorn and soya mince can be used like minced meat; check packet for cooking times
- Leftovers or extra portions can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 days. To reheat, slowly bring it to the boil in a pan until piping hot all the way through. Bolognese sauce also freezes well
- 100ml stock needs only part of a stock cube: check packet instructions to work out how much to use
- Remove your baby’s portion before adding stock to the sauce
