I make a pretty good spaghetti bolognese from scratch, even if I say so myself, so when I decided to try out the sachet of Spaghetti Bolognese Recipe Mix that Schwartz had kindly sent me, to be honest, I just used my own recipe and instead of adding my own spices and herbs as I usually would, I used the sachet of mix instead. Usually I would add garlic salt, garlic pepper, herbes de Provence, a bit of chilli and a couple of shakes of Turkish meatballs spice (brought back from holiday last year). I checked the ingredients list for the Schwartz mix and it contains : Wheat Flour, Potato Starch, Tomato Powder (14%), Salt, Garlic Powder (3%), Flavouring, Onion Powder, Basil, Herbs, Sugar, Black Pepper, Oregano, Nutmeg.
OK, off we go ! Time to brown the mix along with a couple of chopped onions. I also threw in a crushed clove of garlic for good measure.
The recipe on the back of the packet says to add mushrooms, but I also added some chopped carrot, as I usually do. It's a very sneaky way of getting veg into your kids without them even noticing - plus I love the tooth-tender crunch it gives to the finished sauce. You can also use up leftover cooked veg (I've used broccoli, green beans, sweetcorn and cauliflower in the past.)
After adding a tin of chopped tomatoes and the sachet of Spaghetti Bolognese mix, this is what you get. Yum ! It seems thicker than my usual sauce and a sneaky taste reveals that it is also sweeter - a quick look at the ingredients list reveals the addition of sugar, which I personally think it could do without, because the tomatoes and carrots already add natural sweetness. It's really well seasoned though and makes a tasty sauce.
After helping out in the kitchen again, Sophie couldn't wait to tuck in and declared it delicious.
Juliette wasn't too keen (but she did eat the mushrooms !), but she doesn't really like bolognese sauce, which is why you'll notice her sauce is on the side of the plate, as opposed to all over the spaghetti, as on everyone else's plate. She does however really love twisting her ears to switch on the super-duper spaghetti sucker-upper (that's her mouth, in case you were wondering) !
2-year-old Pierre also tucked in !
The smile and the bolognese sauce on his chin says it all - he loved it ! As did the grown-ups. When Madhouse Daddy Mike arrived for lunch, I let him tuck in without saying a word. When I told him I'd used the sachet instead of my usual from-scratch recipe, he said it was nice and he couldn't really taste much difference to usual. Which I will take as a compliment !
The Schwartz top tip for using this sachet is : Spoon the Bolognese mixture into halved red peppers. Sprinkle with cheese and bake in a medium oven for 35 minutes or until the peppers are soft and the cheese golden. Serve with garlic bread.
The great thing about bolognese sauce though is that it is so versatile so you can use the leftovers up in a multitude of ways. Serve over nachos or tortilla crisps topped with grated cheese. Add red kidney beans and chilli powder for instant chilli con carne. Use to make lasagne or to stuff cannelloni then cover in cheese sauce. Use as a baked potato topping. Use it to fill tortilla wraps with grated cheese, chopped fresh tomatoes and guacamole or transform it into burritos. Top with mashed potatoes (or sliced potatoes works too) to create a quick cottage pie. Or mix with leftover mashed potato and fry gently to create lovely rissoles that the kids will love. We also tried stuffed baked marrow last year, filled with bolognese sauce, which was declared a resounding success.
If you've got any other ideas for using bolognese sauce, let me know here - I love using up leftovers in innovative ways !
star rating : 4.5/5
RRP : 99p for 40g
for more information : http://www.schwartz.co.uk/productdetail.cfm?ID=5027
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I think I'd prefer to make my own version, but sometimes a sachet can save some time.
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