Todays recipe is a retro classic reminiscent of my childhood in the 70s. My mum had a love of all things Italian and was using garlic and olive oil long before it was trendy.

Ill admit it I used to cheat and use pasta sauce in a jar to speed things up, That is until a couple of years ago, after being diagnosed as diabetic, when I I realised how much sugar goes into a jar of Pasta Sauce.  I set out to create my own bolognese based on my mothers recipe – reducing any unnecessary sugars and creating something that my (very picky) hubby would still eat.

This was no easy task as my hubby was a Dolmio fiend and it took many many attempts to create a bolognese sauce he was happy with. However finally last week – only 3 years after starting to try – he finally approved of the recipe – and last night i managed to recreate it perfectly – so I thought it was about time I shared it with you.

This recipe is not authentic – its what I grew up with but it is easy to make and delicious. Some things have changed – we use red onions now and the parmesan comes fresh not dried in a little box – but the essence of my mums recipe remains true…

Ingredients

• 500g minced steak with less than 10% fat
• a large red onion – diced finely
• 2 large cloves of garlic
• 2 tbs tomato puree
• 500g carton of passatta
• 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
• 300ml stock (or water)
• 200g mushrooms  – sliced
• a red and yellow pepper – sliced
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• grated parmesan to serve

Method

• In a heavy bottomed pan dry fry your minced steak and chopped onions together – after a couple of minutes add in the chopped garlic
• Continue to fry until all mince is browned and then drain out any fat from the pan
• Add in the tomato puree and mix well whilst continuing to fry
• Next add in the dried herbs and combine – frying for a further 2 minutes
• Add in the pasatta, chopped tomatoes and stock (or water)
• Lastly add in the mushrooms and peppers s then give everything a big stir
• Season and then allow to simmer for 30 minutes with the lid off till it reduces.You will need to stir everything regularly.
• After 30 minutes adjust seasoning and allow to continue to gently simmer whilst you heat up the water to cook your pasta of choice
• When the pasta water is bubbling turn off your pasta sauce, allowing this to rest whilst you cook your pasta.
• If you are carb watching then allow your pasta to cool fully before eating as this will reduce its GI I’ve been told.
• Serve when ready with your pasta and topped with grated parmesan – i also love this with garlic bread and a crunchy salad