Budget-friendly meal plan 50/50 Bolognese

Name: Budget-friendly meal plan 50/50 Bolognese
Total time: 2 h 40 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: ½ a bunch of rosemary (10g); 6 rashers smoked pancetta or smoked streaky bacon; olive oil; 750 g minced beef or pork; 8 cloves of garlic; 500 g fresh or frozen chopped mixed onion, carrot & celery; 5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar; 3 x 400 g tins of lentils; 4 x 400 g tins of plum tomatoes

Meat, lentils, fragrant veg & rosemary

“This big-batch recipe serves 12 – so you can split it into three meals for 4. You can enjoy one lot straight away – simply cook some pasta to serve alongside (see our tip below for spaghetti Bolognese). Cool and freeze the remaining two lots separately. Defrost and enjoy one of these later this week, transformed into a cheat’s cottage pie. Then keep the final batch to defrost and transform into a Sloppy Joe in week 4! Using half lentils and half minced beef or pork here means it’s not only kinder to the planet, but your wallet, too. Packing in a mighty 3 of your 5-a day, this winter warmer is full of the good stuff. ”

Serves 12

Cooks In2 hours 40 minutes

DifficultyNot too tricky

Beef Cheap & cheerful

Nutrition per serving

Calories 553 28%
Fat 17.3g 25%
Saturates 6g 30%
Sugars 10.3g 11%
Salt 0.5g 8%
Protein 29.3g 59%
Carbs 73.8g 28%
Fibre 4.2g -

Of an adult's reference intake

ONE

By Jamie Oliver

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Ingredients

½ a bunch of rosemary , (10g)
6 rashers smoked pancetta , or smoked streaky bacon
olive oil
750 g minced beef or pork
8 cloves of garlic
500 g fresh or frozen chopped mixed onion, carrot & celery
5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 x 400 g tins of lentils
4 x 400 g tins of plum tomatoes

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ONE

By Jamie Oliver

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Method

Put a large deep casserole pan on a medium-high heat. Pick and finely chop the rosemary leaves, finely slice the pancetta, and place it all in the pan with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, stirring regularly until lightly golden. Stir in the mince, breaking it up with your spoon, and let it brown for 15 minutes, stirring regularly. Peel, finely chop and add the garlic, along with the chopped mixed veg, season with sea salt and black pepper and cook for another 15 minutes, still stirring regularly.

Stir in the balsamic, cook away, then add the lentils, juice and all. Add the tomatoes, scrunching them in through clean hands, then half-fill each of the four tins with water, swirl around and pour into the pan. Bring to the boil, then simmer on a medium-low heat for 2 hours, or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Season to perfection, and enjoy as is, batching up extra portions to stash in the fridge or freezer for future meals.

Tips

LOVE YOUR LEFTOVERS:
Leftover herbs? Woody herbs like rosemary and thyme add depth of flavour to soups, stews and sauces. Add a sprig of rosemary to a tomato pasta sauce, or to a meat gravy to boost flavour.

FOR SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE:
Cook 75g of dried spaghetti per portion in a large pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions, then drain, reserving a mugful of starchy cooking water. Heat the Bolognese (allow 150g per portion) in the pan until hot through, then toss in the pasta, loosening with splashes of cooking water, if needed. Grate over 5g of Cheddar cheese, to serve.

FOR COTTAGE PIE:
Peel 1kg potato and sweet potato, cut into chunks, and boil in a shallow casserole pan until soft. Drain and mash well with 3 tablespoons of olive oil or a little butter, and season to perfection. Spoon the Bolognese into the pan, top with the mash, and bake until golden and cooked through.

FOR SLOPPY JOES:
Reheat the Bolognese until piping hot, then pile it into a soft toasted bun and add a grating (about 5g) of good melty cheese, such as Gruyère, or Cheddar if that’s what you’ve got in the fridge. You could even pop it under the grill at this point to melt the cheese. I like it with a few gherkins on the side.

HOW TO FREEZE & DEFROST YOUR BATCH-COOK RECIPES:
Just remember – if you’re batch cooking, let food cool thoroughly before freezing – break it down into portions so it cools quicker, and get it into the freezer within 2 hours. And make sure everything is well wrapped, and labelled for future reference so you’re not playing freezer roulette! Simply thaw in the fridge before use, and use within 48 hours. If you’ve frozen cooked food, don’t freeze it again after reheating it.