Billy's Bolognese

Name: Billy's Bolognese
Total time: 3 h 30 min
Yield: 6 adults
Ingredients: 2 onions; 2 cloves of garlic; 1 large carrot; 1 stick of celery; 1 courgette; olive oil; 500 g lean beef mince; 2 x 400g tins of plum tomatoes; 450 g dried spaghetti; Cheddar or Parmesan to serve

A tasty recipe from Billy and the Giant Adventure

“Billy’s mum had made them all a big pot of Billy Bolognese with spaghetti. The key to the best Bolognese in the whole wide world was taking the time to cook loads of finely chopped vegetables until golden and sticky, before browning the mince, adding a special selection of herbs, then tomatoes galore that she crushed into the mixture with her bare hands. Billy’s mum always left it blipping away, low and slow, for hours, creating the most incredible flavour. The final flourish was grated cheese on each portion, which was met with rounds of applause from the kids. ”

Serves 6 adults

Cooks In3 hours 30 minutes

DifficultyNot too tricky

Beef

Nutrition per serving

Calories 497 25%
Fat 11.4g 16%
Saturates 3.6g 18%
Sugars 14.6g 16%
Salt 0.8g 13%
Protein 32.3g 65%
Carbs 70.6g 27%
Fibre 5.3g -

Of an adult's reference intake

Billy and the Giant Adventure

By Jamie Oliver

BUY THE BOOK

Tap For Method

Ingredients

2 onions
2 cloves of garlic
1 large carrot
1 stick of celery
1 courgette
olive oil
500 g lean beef mince
2 x 400g tins of plum tomatoes
450 g dried spaghetti
Cheddar or Parmesan , to serve

Tap For Method

The cost per serving below is generated by Whisk.com and is based on costs in individual supermarkets. For more information about how we calculate costs per serving read our FAQS

Billy and the Giant Adventure

By Jamie Oliver

BUY THE BOOK

Tap For Ingredients

Method

Place a large casserole pan on a medium-low heat.
Peel the onions and garlic, trim the carrot, celery and courgette. Finely chop or coarsely grate all the veg, then stir it into the pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft and sweet, stirring occasionally.
Add the mince, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, then turn the heat up a little and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly until the meat is browned and the veg is nicely golden.
Scrunch in the tomatoes through clean hands, then half-fill each tin with water, swirl it around to pick up all the last bits of tomato and pour into the pan.
Mash everything up with your spoon, add a pinch of black pepper, reduce the heat to low and leave to cook for 2 to 3 hours, or until thickened and reduced.
About 15 minutes before you’re ready to serve, cook the spaghetti in a large pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions, then drain. Use tongs to divide between bowls, then spoon over the Bolognese and serve with a good grating of cheese.

Tips

Jamie wholeheartedly believes that cooking is up there as one of the most valuable skills you can teach a child. Getting kids excited about food, where it comes from and how to cook it, gives them a better chance of being healthier and happier in the long run. When cooking with kids, use your common sense to determine what jobs they can help you with, depending on their age and skill level. It’s always good to start small, with jobs such as mixing and measuring, then progress to elements of a recipe, then go on to slightly trickier techniques over time. The more they cook, the better they’ll get. Make sure you supervise them when using heat or sharp utensils like knives and box graters, and teach them about the importance of washing their hands before they start, and after handling raw meat and fish, as well as other basic hygiene rules. Most of all, have fun with it, and encourage them to give things a go.