Leftover bolognese is amazing for whipping up a quick dinner! Here are five quick and simple ways you can serve bolognese on busy nights.
Whether you make it from scratch or use a jar, everyone has their favourite way of making a bolognese sauce. The wonderful thing about bolognese is that you can stretch a big batch of it over several meals.
These five very quick and very simple ways you can transform your left over Spaghetti Bolognese mince sauce into fabulous new meals. These meals are all budget friendly and apart from the capsicum, can be frozen.
If you’ve got a busy week, it’s a great idea to cook a large batch of bolognese and use it in various meals throughout the week.
bolognese puff
You will need:
1 sheet of puff pastry (serves 4 – double or triple this to feed more)
Preheat oven to 200 degrees and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Cut the puff pastry into 4 equal squares and place on top of the baking paper.
Add a few English spinach leaves on top and add a serving spoon full of mince and a sprinkle of grated cheese.
Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the pastry is golden.
Serve with steamed green vegetables such as asparagus and broccolini. Less topping is better on the pastries or they go soggy.
lasagne
You will need:
Lasagne sheets (dry or fresh)
500g – 800g bolognese (serves 6)
2 x white sauce packets
Grated cheese
Baking dish, serving spoon, measuring jug, fork
Steps:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees and spray a baking dish with oil.
Make the white sauce according to packet directions.
Line the bottom of the dish with lasagne sheets, top with the mince, some of the white sauce and a bit of grated cheese, top with another lasagne sheet, mince and another lasagne sheet.
Top with some of the white sauce and the mince and a lasagne sheet.
Repeat until there is about 1 cm free from the top of the dish and sprinkle with grated cheese.
Bake in the oven according to how long the lasagne sheets need to be cooked for (this will be from 35-55 minutes).
Serve with a simple salad.
Kat’s tip:Need a bolognese recipe? Try my Easy Bolognese Sauce – it’s easy and delicious!
stuffed capsicum
You will need:
2 x Large red capsicums cut in half and deseeded (this serves 4 people)
1 cup of bolognese (maybe a bit extra depending on the size of your capsicums)
1 small packet of microwave rice
1 sml tin kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
Grated cheese
Sharp knife, medium bowl, baking tray, baking paper, small strainer
Steps:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Combine the cooked rice, kidney beans and the mince together in a bowl and spoon into the capsicum shells.
Top with grated cheese (or leave out).
Place on the baking tray and put in the oven to roast for 15 – 20 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the capsicums become soft.
Serve with a green salad
burrito stack
You will need:
1 packet of large tortillas
500g of bolognese
1 medium tin of kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
Grated cheese
Cumin powder
Sour cream
Avocado (serves 6)
Large round pizza tray (no holes) or large round oven proof plate, serving spoon, small strain
Steps:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and lightly oil a tray or oven proof plate that will fit the size of the tortillas.
Heat the tortillas in the microwave so they separate easily.
Combine the kidney beans and a few good shakes of cumin powder with the mince.
Place one tortilla on the tray and top with some of the mince mix, top with another tortilla and then more mince.
Repeat until you have used the mince mix or the tortillas (these can go as high as you like). Top with grated cheese.
Place in the oven until the cheese has melted. Serve with sour cream and avocado and a fresh green salad.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees (or the temperature indicated on the pastry box).
Generously spray the pie dish with oil.
Once the shortcrust pastry is thawed, place it in the bottom of the pie dish (you may need to roll it out a bit depending on the size of your dish).
Cut any overhang off and fill in any gaps. Ensure there are no air bubbles in the pastry.
Fill with mince and top with the sheet of puff pastry again rolling to stretch it if necessary.
Use a knife to cut a cross in the top to allow the steam to escape.
Use a fork to press the two pastries together.
Beat an egg with a bit of water and brush over the top of the pastry to give it a crisp, golden finish.
Place in the oven until the pastry is cooked.
Serve with mashed potatoes, carrots and broccoli OR add a packet of frozen veggies that have been cooked and drained to the mince mix.
Variations to all recipes
Use cannelloni tubes instead of lasagne sheets
If you don’t like capsicum you can fill a Portabello Mushroom the same way or leave the rice out and pile on top of a baked potato
Make a Quesadilla instead of the Burrito Stack (A Quesadilla is when the burrito is folded into halves and then quarters and then put in a pan or toasted sandwich maker to make a ‘toasted sandwich’)
Use mashed potato on top of the pie instead of another layer of pastry
Any type of mince will suit these recipes (e.g chicken mince)
Vegetarians
Substitute the beef mince for a vegetarian mince product such as Quorn Mince
Healthier options
Use the leanest mince available and cook without oil
Add chopped mushrooms and grated vegetables such as zucchini, pumpkin and carrots to the mince
Add a large tin of kidney beans to all mince bases
Use low fat cheese and/or decrease the amount used
Serve all meals with a fresh, green salad or steamed vegetables drizzled in olive oil and sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Cook-up
If you would like to cook these meals at the one time you will need approximately 3kgs mince, 3 jars of pasta sauce, and two hours for preparing and cooking. Pre-heat the oven to 180 -200 degrees. Cook the Lasagne (40 minutes) on the top shelf first as it takes the longest. The Meat Pie can go on the bottom shelf (20 minutes) and then the Burrito Stack. Cook the pastries next. The capsicums are best cooked the meal they are being eaten for (although they are delicious cold for lunch the next day).
Shopping list
(apart from the mince, this list does not include what you need to make your spaghetti bolognese mince sauce)
Vegetables: English spinach, 2 red capsicums (serves 4)
Grocery items: 1 sml tin kidney beans, 1 medium tin kidney beans, cumin powder (optional), tortillas, 1 sml packet microwave rice, 2 packets white sauce mix (more if you like more sauce), baking paper, spray oil
Any additional sides such as salad, vegetables and garlic bread
Katrina Springer, affectionately known as The Organised Housewife, advocates for a harmonious home and balanced living. With expertise in home organising, cleaning, meal planning and managing family life, Kat's mission is to inspire and support her community with practical tips empowering her readers to reclaim control of their homes.
My mission is to inspire and empower others to achieve a sense of order and balance in their homes, enabling them to easily tackle daily tasks so then the rest of the day is filled with activities that bring them joy.
As a popular blogger, influencer, and author, I draw from my expertise in home organisation, cleaning, and meal planning to offer practical tips and heartfelt encouragement to my audience.
