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I do apologise for last post…yet another vent about the irresponsible approach of the media when it comes to endorsing ‘skinny’…it never ceases to irritate and alarm me!
For dinner tonight, I’m rustling up a direct anti-thesis of Helen Flanagan’s ‘crisp diet’; or at least, so Yahoo would have us believe, with a twist on the traditional spaghetti Bolognaise that actually contains 5 of the 5 a day!
For us, we’re having to only go for 4, as we’re lacking carrots, but I’ll do the full recipe, for those who want all their veg in one sitting, ho ho.
‘5 of the 5’ Spaghetti Bolognaise
You will need:
1) One packet of mince (either veggie or real is fine!)
2) One onion, large (or in my case, using up what’s in the fridge, a small red onion and a few spring onions!) Peeled and finely chopped.
3) One carrot, peeled and grated. (This I lack. Boo.)
4) One courgette and one pepper, chopped into 1cm cubes, or sliced. (Big enough for roasting, basically.)
5) One tin of tomatoes.
6) 3 tbsp tomato purée.
7) 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped.
8) spaghetti.
9) Parmesan cheese to top.
10) olive oil.
11) A tsp dried basil.
How to make it:
1) Preheat the oven to 200c. In a roasting tin, toss the peppers and courgette with some olive oil, then roast for around 20 minutes.
2) Meanwhile In a large frying pan, heat some oil, and add the garlic, onion and carrot. Fry gently until soft and golden. (Apologies here for my lack of carrots…I used them last night!) Also, put some water on to boil for the spaghetti.
3) Add the mince to the onions, and cook until browned. Then add the tomatoes, basil and tomato purée. (A little hot tip- if you want added richness, a generous splash of red wine does wonders!) Once the water is boiling, add the spaghetti and cook as per packet instructions.
4) Leave the mince to simmer, uncovered, for five minutes or so, to reduce the liquid down. About two minutes before the end, add the courgettes and peppers, which should now be roasted and soft. Stir in well.
5) Serve with the drained pasta and sprinkle over with Parmesan cheese!
Total Cost: Thanks to Aldi, it was about £3.20 in total. (I love Aldi. End of.)
The Verdict? Highly positive all round! Though the boys did pick out their courgettes. I knew I wouldn’t be able to fool them…next time I’m grating it, ha ha!