Pasta sauces - need some help!

jasperconran

Hi all,

well, I have been making my own bolognese for quite sometime now. but my OH keeps saying that there isnt enough sauce and the meal is too dry! Me and my daughter dont seem to have a problem!

anyway, my question is this - how do I make more pasta sauce? I bulk my spag bol out at the min with tesco value porridge oats as no one likes lentils and I think they would find me out! lol. they aint found out about the oats yet!!!:D I do use chopped toms and tom puree, but where am I going wrong? I know you guys will be able to help me! thanks

Bitsy_Beans

I would guess that it's the oats soaking up any excess liquid??
Can you add another tin of chopped toms or use a good third of tom puree tube, mix a roux (melted butter and flour), add some hot water and mix until thickened??

Rebekah24

MM.. How about adding in some stock- veg or beef, and padding out with some quorn mince or generic brand veggie mince?? Might stretch it out some more!

More tomatoes, get some reduced peppers/other whoopsie veg and chuck those in?

jasperconran

Bitsy_Beans wrote: »

I would guess that it's the oats soaking up any excess liquid??
Can you add another tin of chopped toms or use a good third of tom puree tube, mix a roux (melted butter and flour), add some hot water and mix until thickened??

Hi Bitsy, i had a funny feeling that it was prob the oats. hmm..... never would have thought of the butter/flour thing, might give that a go. thanks to all for the quick replies:D

jasperconran

Rebekah24 wrote: »

MM.. How about adding in some stock- veg or beef, and padding out with some quorn mince or generic brand veggie mince?? Might stretch it out some more!

More tomatoes, get some reduced peppers/other whoopsie veg and chuck those in?

hi Rebekah, more toms, good idea. I do add beef stock, but never would have thought of quorn mince tho, is that cheaper by any chance??? might havta check that out!

SueC_2

Finely chop some carrots, onions and celery. It all mushes down so you'd hardly know it was there, providing a sneaky portion of veg while you're at it.

Soya mince is available in packs alongside the lentils and couscous etc in some supermarkets. Mixed in with meat mince you really can't tell the difference (although it can make you rather, ahem, windy)!

MrsBartolozzi

I tend to use passata rather than chopped tomatoes - Lidl, Aldi and Sainsbury's are about 45p (often called creamed tomatoes). I just use the carton rather than a posh jar, it's cheaper! This is wetter than the tinned toms, but I don't feel the need to add tom puree either as there's plenty of flavour. My faves are Lidl and Sainsbury's but tesco et al do them too.

Caterina

Also if you have a market near you it is often possible to buy fresh tomatoes for very little money, especially if they are a bit soft (which is ideal for sauce!). Whizz these tomatoes in a blender and add to the rest of the sauce. Fresh tomatoes are quite watery so they could help your water-soaking oats problem too.

Ivrytwr3

I bulk my spag bol out at the min with tesco value porridge oats

Yuk!!!

Lloyd Grossman pasta sauces 89p at the minute!! - Lovely!

Stephen_Leak

Another vote for losing the oats. Bolognese sauce may not actually come from Bologna, but it certainly doesn't come from Scotland.

This recipe and these quantities make me 3 x 300+g servings. The tomato puree adds flavour, and also thickens the sauce a bit, so you don't have to reduce it so much. A little tin of tomato puree is also cheaper than a second tin of tomatoes.

BOLOGNESE SAUCE

Serves 3

INGREDIENTS

2 cloves of garlic
2 onions
1 tablespoon of olive oil
500g of minced meat
400g tin of plum tomatoes*
140g tin of tomato puree
2 teaspoons of mixed herbs
1 beef stock cube
Ground pepper to taste

METHOD

Peel the garlic and chop it into tiny pieces. Peel the onions and chop them into tiny pieces.

Put the oil into a frying pan on a medium heat. Add the garlic and onion. Fry the garlic and onion for about 2 minutes. Stir frequently to stop it sticking.

Put the meat into the pan and fry for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring all the time. By this time, it should have broken up and be an even colour, with no pink bits.

Open the tin of tomatoes. Pour the juice into the pan. Chop the tomatoes while they are still in the can (it’s easier than chasing them around the pan). Pour the chopped tomatoes into the pan.

Add the tomato puree and herbs. Crumble the stock cube into the pan. Stir thoroughly.

Continue to cook, stirring as the mixture boils, until the sauce has reduced.

Season with the pepper.

ADDITIONS & ALTERNATIVES

Use minced beef, lamb, pork or turkey, whichever is cheapest. If the pack is a bit less than required, make up the difference with some finely chopped mushrooms, added at the same time as the meat.

Use oregano instead of the mixed herbs.

Add a glass of wine and cook for a bit longer. Or drink the glass of wine and cook for the same time.

Serve with a plain pasta, such as spaghetti, and grated Parmesan cheese.

TIPS

Always "take the pasta to the sauce". Put the cooked pasta in the pan with the sauce and stir together until thoroughly coated.
　
* Plum tomatoes can be used either whole or chopped. It is difficult to stick chopped tomatoes back together again if you need to use them whole.

rednose66

The point with adding the oats isnt to impart a Scots flavour to an Italian dish but rather to bulk it out when money is tight. I would have thought though that using brown lentils well well cooked would have done a better job of bulking out than oats but then again I love lentils!