Quorn mince bolognaise sauce

The Italian classic bolognaise sauce is a truly beautiful dish. I think you do have to go some way to find someone who doesn’t like a bolognaise sauce - the ragu from Bologne; whilst I have come across people who don’t like pasta(?). I know, it’s weird, but I also once knew someone who didn’t like chocolate and I have a friend who doesn’t like cheese.


Anyway, I digress. So this sauce is classically served with tagliatelli or spaghetti and I, for one would never presume to question this pairing. It is however, also delicious inside a baked sweet potato. In the run up to the South of France and in the hope of being in swimwear a lot, I opted for the lower GI and non gluten pairing of bolognaise sauce and baked sweet potato for our dinner tonight.


Gipsy Spread of course had a pork mince version. Regardless of which option decided on, lashings of cheddar or parmesan is also a necessity.


What you will need
300g quorn mince
1 onion
1 tin of chopped tomatoes (or passata)
1 tablespoon tomato puree
3-4 cloves garlic
200g mushrooms
125ml glass of red wine
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tea spoon chilli flakes (optional)
1 handful of green olives sliced.


Start by chopping the onions and garlic and softening these in some olive oil for 5-10 minutes. Slice the mushrooms and add to the pan for a couple of more minutes before adding the mince and optional chillies. Season with plenty of salt and add the glass of red wine. Let the alcohol cook off for a minute before adding the tinned tomatoes and the same amount of water. Stir through and add the tomato puree, balsamic vinegar and chopped olives. Simmer the sauce on a low heat for 15-20 minutes until the sauce has thickened.

Meanwhile, place a sweet potato in the oven to bake at 220 degrees for 45 minutes. When it's ready, cut a cross in the middle, add a small bit of butter and top with the bolognaise sauce and as much of whichever cheese you fancy.