In meal plan 7 we have a cottage pie, a lasagna and spaghetti bolognese. All three recipes use the same easy ragu as a base.

What do I need to make Beef Ragu – used 3 ways

• 500g beef mince. The 20% fat beef mince is usually cheapest, but 20% of it is fat – flavoursome, but is too much fat, the 10% version is better.
• 60g bacon pieces, chopped small. Cooking bacon, the cheapest option, is fine used here
• 300g onions, chopped. Red or white are fine
• 450g carrots
• tin of tomatoes, the cheapest value tin works well
• 120g red lentils
• salt and pepper, seasoning is essential

One third of this mixture is used in each 2 portion recipe

How to make this Beef Ragu recipe

• Saute the onion until transparent.
• Add the mince, bacon and carrot.
• Saute gently, covered, until the vegetables are soft.
• Add the red lentils, tomatoes and about half a tin of water.
• Simmer gently for 15 minutes. If there is too much moisture in the pan, boil quicker until the level is right.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• If you have any available, a combination of any of the following will add flavour to the ragu.
  • A glass of wine (add instead of the water)
  • worcestershire sauce
  • a dollop of tomato ketchup
  • a squirt of tomato puree
  • some fresh thyme, bay or rosemary
  • a tblsp redcurrant jelly and/or any chutney.
  • add whatever seasoning you are using at the simmer gently stage.
• I used a tsp of salt, half a tsp pepper, 2 bay leaves, a third of a tin of baked beans from the back of the fridge and the washed out remnants of a bottle of tomato suace.

Your ragu is now ready, set aside for use in the recipes. Keep cool until use.

Possible changes to this easy recipe

There are some spare vegetables in meal plan 7, if you want to, you could add some of them here to get another portion or two from this mix, although, for me, it is stretched enough already.

• You could use the three portions of mix for a different combination of dishes if you want to.
• Say, cottage pie twice and spag bol once, something like that.
• On meal plan 7, there is 140g spaghetti and half the pack of mash left, and plenty of flour and enough milk left to make lasagna twice, so you could have any of the three options twice if you want to, then one of the others.

• If you are not following meal plan 7, this mixture is the classic one to stretch.
• Add some cooked beans, a tin of baked beans, complete with sauce, is fine.
• Or stretch it with more vegetables.
• If you use it to make cottage pie, you could add swede, carrot or sweet potato to the mash for a change, and serve with a green veg, peas or beans for instance.
• You could pop the mix into a double pastry pie,
• Stir through pasta and top with a little grated cheese,
• Top a large baked potato with it, again with or without the cheese.
• The uses of a beef mince mix are endless!

Easy beef ragu portioned out for use in three separate recipes.

How else to use this delicious ragu

Use any spare ragu

• on its own with crusty bread to mop up the sauce
• to top jacket potatoes
• a minor change is to use tagliatelle or penne, the Italian way, rather than spaghetti. Although Italians probably wouldn’t approve of this version of a ragu
• use the ragu as a base on a pizza
• use some crusty rolls and make sloppy joes

Beef Ragu

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In meal plan 7 we have a cottage pie, a lasagna and spaghetti bolognese. All three recipes use the same ragu as a base.

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Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 30 minutes mins

Course:

Dinner

,

Main Course

Cuisine:

Italian

Gluten Free

Dairy Free

,

Freezes Well

,

Nut Free

Servings: 6 servings

Cost per portion ???

Calories: 376kcal

Author: Thrifty Lesley

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Ingredients

• ▢ 500 g beef mince
• ▢ 60 g bacon bacon pieces, chopped small
• ▢ 300 g carrots
• ▢ 300 g onions chopped
• ▢ 400 g tinned tomatoes or fresh if you have them
• ▢ 120 g red lentils

Instructions

• ▢
  Sauté the onion until transparent.
  300 g onions
• ▢
  Add the mince, bacon and carrot. Sauté gently, covered, until the vegetables are soft.
  500 g beef mince, 60 g bacon, 300 g carrots
• ▢
  Add the red lentils, tomatoes and about half the amount of the weight of tomatoes in water. Simmer gently for 15 minutes.
  120 g red lentils, 400 g tinned tomatoes
• ▢
  If there is too much moisture in the pan, boil quicker until the level is right.
• ▢
  Season with salt and pepper.
• ▢
  Your ragu is now ready, set aside for use in the recipes. Keep cool until use.

Equipment Needed

pan to fry in

small sharp knife

chopping board

saucepan

Notes

If you have any available, a combination of any of the following will add flavour to the ragu.

• A glass of wine (add instead of the water)
• worcestershire sauce
• a dollop of tomato ketchup
• a squirt of tomato puree
• some fresh thyme, bay or rosemary
• a tblsp redcurrant jelly and/or any chutney.
• Add whatever seasoning you are using at the simmer gently stage.
• I used a tsp of salt, half a tsp pepper, 2 bay leaves, a third of a tin of baked beans from the back of the fridge and the washed out remnants of a bottle of tomato suace.

There are some spare vegetables in meal plan 7, if you want to, you could add some of them here to get another portion or two from this mix, although, for me, it is stretched enough already.

• If you are not following meal plan 7, this mixture is the classic one to stretch.
• Add some cooked beans, a tin of baked beans, complete with sauce, is fine.
• Or stretch it with more vegetables.
• If you use it to make cottage pie, you could add swede or carrot to the mash for a change, and serve with a green veg, peas or beans for instance.
• You could pop the mix into a double pastry pie,
• stir through pasta and top with a little grated cheese,
• top a large baked potato with it, again with or without the cheese.
• The uses of a beef mince mix are endless!

 

You could use the three portions of mix for a different combination of dishes if you want to. Say, cottage pie twice and spag bol once, something like that. On meal plan 7, there is 140g spaghetti and half the pack of mash left, and plenty of flour and enough milk left to make lasagna twice, so you could have any of the three options twice if you want to, then one of the others.

How else to use this delicious ragu

Use any spare ragu

• on its own with crusty bread to mop up the sauce
• to top jacket potatoes
• a minor change is to use tagliatelle or penne, the Italian way, rather than spaghetti. Although Italians probably wouldn't approve of this version of a ragu
• use the ragu as a base on a pizza
• use some crusty rolls and make sloppy joes

Explore this content further with the help of AI

• Dietary Adaptations
• Frugalise Even Further
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Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Beef Ragu

Amount per Serving

Calories

376

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

21

g

32

%

Saturated Fat

 

8

g

50

%

Trans Fat

 

1

g

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

1

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

9

g

Cholesterol

 

66

mg

22

%

Sodium

 

163

mg

7

%

Potassium

 

827

mg

24

%

Carbohydrates

 

24

g

8

%

Fiber

 

9

g

38

%

Sugar

 

7

g

8

%

Protein

 

22

g

44

%

Vitamin A

 

8921

IU

178

%

Vitamin C

 

17

mg

21

%

Calcium

 

61

mg

6

%

Iron

 

4

mg

22

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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