This recipe is a super quick and easy alternative to the usual beefy bolognese. You can use whatever mushrooms you can get your hands on, or you could even use lentils and dried basil for a total storecupboard meal. If you’re lacking ideas I’ve also added some extra recipes at the end for some bolognese-y inspiration too!
Ingredients
300g mushrooms (any will do)
1 onion
3 cloves of garlic
15g fresh basil
400g can of chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
150ml red wine
First, heat the oil in a large pan on a medium heat. Then finely chop the onion and add to the pan, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Then finely chop the garlic and add to the pan for a further couple of minutes.
Now, if you’ve got a food processor this bit is easy. Simply pulse the mushrooms until they resemble minced meat. If you don’t have a processor then finely chop the mushrooms by hand.
Add the mushrooms to the pan and stir until coated with the onions and garlic. Add the wine and cook down for about 5-7 minutes. The bolognese should be smelling rich and earthy by now, so you need to add the chopped tomatoes. Once the tomatoes are added, swill out the tin with a little water and stir.
Simmer for about half an hour on a medium-low heat and stir occasionally. In the last few minutes of cooking, season with salt and pepper and add torn basil to the bolognese.
Bonus recipes
Cook 1 serving of your favourite pasta shapes, mix in a few spoonfuls of the bolognese and top with a pile of grated parmesan.
Cook semolina according to packet instructions, season well and add plenty of grated cheddar. Serve with a generous ladle of bolognese on top.
Heat up the bolognese with a spoonful of chilli powder and serve with boiled rice and soured cream for a quick chilli.
Layer the bolognese sauce between pasta sheets with plenty of white sauce before topping with grated cheddar for a tasty vegetarian lasagne.
For a cheap and easy midweek meal, top a jacket potato with the bolognese and serve with mountains of cheesy goodness.
Louella's Kitchen 
So nice to see you posting again after a break. As a fellow Londoner-turned-expat, I’m sure you understand how the evenings can feel quite lonely, especially now that they get dark ever earlier! I can’t wait to make this bolognese (and a few of the cheeky bonus recipes – what a treat!) and snuggle up on the sofa while watching Eastenders (because I miss London). Us expats have got to do what we can to stay positive and never forget the motherland! I do hope Wales is treating you well and that we will see some more posts from you soon! Tot snel!
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