Healthy Spaghetti Bolognese Recipe

Our spaghetti bolognese recipe is a winner for both the cook and the children. It crams in loads of good stuff so you can be sure your child is eating all the nutrients they need to grow and thrive.

A good spaghetti bolognese recipe is like gold. Most kids like it and it’s easy to eat, which is particularly handy when they’re tired after a long day of playing. Our spaghetti bolognese recipe enables you to chop up or grate all sorts of veggies and hide them in the sauce so your kids can benefit from a range of nutrients. It’s loaded with Vitamin C from all the tomatoes, which is great for boosting their little immune systems and aids in iron absorption from the meat.

Spaghetti bolognese is quick and easy to make and good value too. Leftover bolognese meat will store well in the fridge or freezer and can be used as the base for a meal of tacos or nachos too. This spaghetti bolognese recipe can be made on the stovetop or in the slow cooker. Giving the ingredients more time to simmer will further soften the veggies, making them virtually invisible to fussy eaters.

Our go-to spaghetti bolognese recipe
Ingredients:
• 60ml olive oil
• 20g butter (cut into cubes)
• 1tsp ground cloves
• 250g tomato paste
• 1kg beef mince
• 1 brown onion
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 2-4 celery sticks
• 1-2 zucchini
• 1 carrot
• 4-6 cups mushrooms
• 1 tsp of salt
• ¼ cup of wine
• 400g pasta

Method:
• Finely chop onion, garlic and celery
• In a pan, melt butter into the olive oil on a low heat
• Lightly brown the onion in olive oil and butter
• Add ground cloves and cook until fragrant
• Add mince to the pan and cook through
• Once browned, add 1tsp of salt and ¼ cup glass of wine
• Once absorbed add tomato paste and continue to stir continuously until the mince is coated and aromatic (around 3 mins)
• In a food processor, chop the carrot, zucchini and mushroom
• Add all chopped vegetables and celery to the pan
• Add 1 cup of water
• Bring to a boil and then simmer
• Add garlic cloves and simmer until it has reduced to the desired sauce thickness
• Cook pasta
• In a bowl combine the pasta and sauce mixture and enjoy!

Edge Early Learning supports healthy eating
Edge Early Learning provides healthy meals for children, while our educators encourage children to cook and prepare meals as part of pretend play. You may be interested in reading more about the benefits of cooking with children on the Edge Early Learning blog or trying out some healthy dinner recipes for fussy eaters.