5 Meals Using Leftover Bolognese Sauce

Simmering pot of bolognese sauce

Spaghetti bolognese is a very popular dish in my house. The kids like how it tastes, and I like how I can eke a few meals out of a few inexpensive ingredients, making it a very useful for frugal cooking. I also like that I can slip a few extra veggies in but I don't tell the boys that.

Invariably, I always cook about twice as much sauce as we need for one meal. This isn't a bad thing because a bolognese sauce can be used for so much more than just ladling on spaghetti.

1. Lasagne

I use the exact same sauce for a lasagne that I use for a spaghetti bolognese.

You will need:

• Box of non-cook lasagne sheets - these can be layered in the sauce and don't need to be pre-cooked. 
• Tub of ricotta cheese
• Ball of mozarella cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• Fresh herbs - thyme, basil, and oregano (if you can find them, otherwise dried will work)
• Milk
• Black pepper to season

Method:

• Place the ricotta, a tablespoon or so of grated parmesan, a bit of grund black pepper, and the finely chopped fresh herbs (or dried) into a bowl. Add just enough milk to loosen the cheese enough to spread easily. 
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• Ladle a small amount of sauce into a casserole dish. Cover over with the lasagne sheets, spoon a bit more sauce over the top. Add a layer of the ricotta mixture. Then repeat with sheets, sauce and ricotta. 
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• Finish up with a layer of sauce over the top then shred the mozzarella and spread that plus another tablespoon or so of grated parmesan over the top.
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• Preheat the oven to 180c/350f/gas mark 4. Bake the lasagne for about 30 - 45 minutes, until it is hot and bubbling, and the cheese is melted and browned across the top.

 2. Pasta bake

Similar to a lasagne, but without the fuss of layering.

You will need:

• Cooked pasta - I use farfalle or penne, but anything you have in the cupboard would work.
• Mozzarella or a combination of favourite cheeses
• Parmesan cheese (optional)

Method:

• Cook the pasta, drain and combine with the sauce. 
• Stir in chunks of cheese
• Spoon into a casserole dish and sprinkle the top over with parmesan, if desired. 
• Bake in a preheated oven at 350f/180c/gas mark 4 for about 30 minutes, until the top is browned and the dish is hot and bubbling. 

3. Pizza

A quick meal that can be as easy or as complicated as you desire.

Home made pizza

You will need:

• Pizza bases, make your own or buy ready-made
• Favourite grated cheeses
• Assorted meats and vegetables for toppings
• Fresh thyme and basil, roughly chopped
• Ground black pepper
• Olive oil

Method:

• Place the base on a baking sheet
• Spoon some of the sauce and spread over the pizza base. 
• Add on any toppings you want
• Add on a bit of cheese
• Sprinkle over some of the fresh herbs, a bit of black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil
• Bake in a preheated oven at 350f/180c/gas mark 4 for about 10 - 15 minutes. 

For an even quicker, child-friendly, mini-pizza lunch idea, spoon a bit of the heated sauce over slices of bread (I will sometimes use a round cutter to create rounds of bread, add a bit of cheese, and tuck under a medium-hot grill for a few minutes until the cheese is melted and starting to brown.

4. Jacket potato

This makes a nice lunch-time meal, or a simple mid-week evening meal

You will need:

• Baking potato, one per person
• Favourite cheese, optional

Method:

• Bake whole potatoes in the oven or microwave until soft inside
• Spoon over some of the heated sauce, and sprinke with a bit of cheese if desired. 
• Serve with a fresh salad

 

5. Omelette

This works equally well for any meal in the day.


You will need:

• Eggs
• Butter
• Cheese

Method:

• Whisk 2- 3 eggs until frothy, add in a touch of milk if desired
• Melt butter in a skillet over a medium-high heat
• Pour in the egg mixture and let cook untilnearly set all the way through
• As the eggs cook, gently lift at the sides to allow more of the uncooked egg to run underneath.
• When nearly cooked through, spoon some of the heated sauce over one half of the omelett, sprinkle over some of the cheese. 
• Fold the other half of the egg over the sauce and serve immediately
• You can have this as is for breakfast or brunch, or add a green salad for a complete lunch-time or evening meal.

Sausage and Potato Pie

This is one of those recipes I picked up several years ago when I was looking for different ways to cook savoy cabbage. Of course, I modified it my own use. This is a delicious and filling meal on its own or if you want you could always serve this with some carrots or peas on the side.

It is a nice warming meal for cold days come Autumn and Winter time.

Sausage and Potato Pie

Serves: 4 | Prep Time: 45 minues | Total Time: 2.5 hours

Ingredients

• 8 Cumberland sausage links, or 1 Cumberland sausage coil

  

  Bottom layer of potatoes

• 115 gram butter
• 2 large onions finely sliced
• 175 gram bacon lardons
• 1 head savoy cabbage finely shredded
• 1 kg floury potatoes parboiled and thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• 570 ml double cream
• 425 ml fresh beef stock
• 2 bay leaves
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3.
2. Heat a sauté pan. Add the sausages and gently fry until they are about three quarters cooked and

   

   Cooking bacon lardons

   golden brown. Remove from the pan and slice. Parboil the potatoes then thinly slice.
3. Add 55g/2oz of the butter to the sauté pan and once melted add the onions. Cook the onions gently for 10 minutes or until soft and translucent. Remove from the pan and set aside.
4. Add the bacon lardons to the frying pan and cook for 3-4 minutes until golden and crispy. Add the cabbage with 2 tablespoons of water. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the cabbage is soft, but still holding a little texture. Drain off any fat, remove from the pan and set aside.
5. Rub a large gratin dish (30x21x6cms/12x8x2in) liberally with 25g/1oz butter.
6. Place a layer of sliced potatoes in the bottom of the dish season with salt and pepper and a sprinkling of the thyme.
7. Top with a layer of sliced sausage, then a layer of cooked onion.
8. Top with another layer of sliced potato and season with salt, pepper and thyme.

   

   Layering ingredients into a dish

9. Spoon over the cooked cabbage and bacon.
10. Top with another layer of potato slices and season again with salt, pepper and thyme.
11. Top with a layer of sliced sausage, then a layer of cooked onion and finally a layer of sliced potato.
12. Season once again with salt, pepper and thyme.
13. Pour the cream and stock into a pan and add the bay leaves. Place over a gently heat and bring to just below boiling point. Pour over the sausage and potato pie. You want the liquid to just cover the top layer of potatoes. Dot over the remaining butter and cover with foil. Place the dish on a baking sheet. Place in the oven and cook for 1.5 hours.
14. Remove the foil from the dish and increase the oven temperature to 200C/400F/Gas 6 and cook for a further 15 minutes or until the top is golden. Serve immediately.

The sausage, onions, bacon, and cabbage were all cooked in my SKK Saute Pan. You can find it in the SKK Amazon store linked to at the bottom of this page.