Cook Once, Eat All Week: Spaghetti Bolognese Meal Prep

ground beef

🥗Healthier: ground turkey

💰Cheaper: ground pork

Ground turkey is leaner and lower in fat.

red wine

🥗Healthier: grape juice

💰Cheaper: beef broth

Grape juice provides sweetness without alcohol.

Parmesan cheese

🥗Healthier: nutritional yeast

💰Cheaper: grated pecorino

Nutritional yeast is a dairy-free alternative.

canned tomatoes

🥗Healthier: fresh tomatoes

💰Cheaper: crushed tomatoes

Fresh tomatoes add brightness, while crushed are often cheaper.

Cut up the vegetables for the mirepoire: one large brown onion, one and a half carrots, and three sticks of celery.

Dice the onion by cutting in half, removing the ends, peeling, and then slicing horizontally and vertically to dice.

Peel the carrot, cut off both ends, cut in half, slice into sticks, and then dice.

Cut the celery in half, then into long sticks, and dice.

Dice three cloves of garlic by smashing with the flat part of the knife, peeling, and dicing by rocking the knife back and forth.

Fill a large pot halfway with water, set on high heat, add two large pinches of salt, and place a lid on it.

In a large pot on medium-low heat, lightly spray with oil and add the mirepoire (onion, carrot, celery) and cook for about 10 minutes until soft but not burnt.

Remove the vegetables from the pot and set aside.

In the same pot on high heat, lightly oil and add 750 grams of lean beef mince, letting it sear without moving for 1-2 minutes to develop a brown crust.

Flip the mince and repeat on the other side, then break it up and cook until the juices evaporate and it begins to render in its fat.

Add the diced garlic and 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, stirring to combine.

Add the mirepoire back into the pot along with 800 grams of canned tomatoes, 20 milliliters of soy sauce, 2 beef stock cubes, and 150 milliliters of water.

Add 0.5 tablespoon of oregano and black pepper, stir to combine, and bring to a boil before reducing to medium-low heat to simmer with a lid on.

Once the water is boiling, snap the 350 grams of spaghetti in half and place it in the pot, cooking for about 8-9 minutes or according to package instructions.

Continue to simmer the Bolognese until the sauce thickens, about 8-10 minutes.

Once the pasta is cooked, add 100 milliliters of pasta water to the sauce to thicken it further, then add the drained pasta and stir to combine.

Taste the sauce to ensure it is salty enough for your preference, then divide the spaghetti into five containers and add Parmesan cheese.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens