Christmas spaghetti Bolognese
Serves: 4
Prep time: 30 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photographs by Toby Scott
Christmas spaghetti Bolognese
Chestnuts, sage and a pinch of nutmeg add a Christmas twist to this easy spaghetti Bolognese recipe. Replacing half the beef mince with lentils and veg reduces the fat and calories, too
Serves: 4
Prep time: 30 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
585Kcal
Fat
11gr
Saturates
3gr
Carbs
85gr
Sugars
14gr
Fibre
13gr
Protein
30gr
Salt
1.3gr
Abigail Spooner
Abi is our Senior Food Producer. An obsessive foodie with a sweet tooth, she is happiest when baking and is a firm believer that there is always room for dessert (preferably following a big bowl of pasta)
See more of Abigail Spooner’s recipes
Abigail Spooner
Abi is our Senior Food Producer. An obsessive foodie with a sweet tooth, she is happiest when baking and is a firm believer that there is always room for dessert (preferably following a big bowl of pasta)
See more of Abigail Spooner’s recipes
Ingredients
- 1½ tbsp olive oil
- 1x250g pack 5% fat beef mince
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot, finely diced
- 1 medium parsnip, finely diced
- 200g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- ½ x 20g pack sage, or ½ tsp dried sage
- 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 500ml beef stock (made using 1 stock cube)
- A generous grating of nutmeg
- 1 x 180g pack cooked chesnuts chopped
- 1 x 400g tin green lentils, rinsed and drained
- 275g dried spaghetti
Step by step
- Heat ½ tablespoon of oil in a large pan. Fry the mince over a medium high heat until well browned, breaking it up as you go. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Heat the remaining oil in the same pan and fry the onion, carrot and parsnip for around 10 minutes until soft and golden. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook for a further 3-5 minutes.
- Return the mince to the vegetables in the pan along with the dried sage, if using (fresh sage should be added at the end). Pour in the tinned tomatoes and stock, stir well and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
- Bring to the boil then lower the heat, cover and simmer gently for 1 hour. Remove the lid, add the chopped chestnuts and lentils and then simmer, uncovered, for a further 10-15 minutes or until the sauce is thick and reduced. If you have chosen to use fresh sage, stir this through now. If cooking for less than 4 people, excess Bolognese sauce can be frozen.
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While the Bolognese is reducing, bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the spaghetti according to pack instructions. Drain and divide between 4 bowls, before spooning over the Bolognese sauce.TipUse gluten-free pasta and stock, if required.
