Dolmio (sp?) with extra garlic 

Buy a tub of dried mixed herbs that way you don't have to get loads of individual pots.

You need a small container of mixed 'erb.

Fry 1/2 mince in it's own juice, ie dry.
Pour off stuff into a different pan. Fry chopped onions in the fat/water.
Add chopped pepper, add 'erb and pepper (no salt)
Stir about, add tinned tomatoes, leave to simmer, add chopped garlic.
Ask Mrs Crossy to do the spaghetti.
That's how I do it.

Buy a tube of tomato puree, a tube of garlic puree and a pot of mixed herbs. Brown your mince and onions, add a tin of chopped tomatoes, wee bit of worcester sauce and bung in the purees and herbs


Don't add the whole tubes btw. Add a wee bit at a time and keep tasting

MysTerry....Is Dolmio ok to use? I was going to make it from sctratch but if that's ok?

Should I still add a few bits, like onion and stuff?

Cinds.....good idea, I am so dumb, I didn't think of that...duh!

Ooo, thanks Cagney & Crossy..... I'm nervous, he's very particular about his Spag Bol I want it to be up to scratch!

Fry mince with one chopped onion (no oil needed).
Add tin of chopped tomatoes and good squirt of tomato puree.
Add crushed clove of garlic, black pepper and good few pinches of dried basil.
(You can also - if you have them - add a dash of chilli oil, or other herbs like oregano or coriander)
Stir, stir, stir (to break up any lumpy bits of mince or tomato) then simmer on VERY low heat for a good half-hour, to let it cook through slowly.
Simples.

The jars are fine but I find some a bit oily. I do like Tesco's onion and garlic though. Get steak mince too as that has less fat and won't turn out so oily. Add whatever he likes.....onions, peppers etc

Thanks Deman, It's simple to you, I am hopeless in the kitchen!

**scribbles ALL suggestions down**...I'll definately get the steak mince

shove a little bit of red wine into the above recipes to make it speshal

I also add a beef stock cube to mine .  .but the basis is the same as the others have said,.. mince, onions, tinned tomatoes, tomato puree,  Worcestershire Sauce, Garlic and dried mixed herbs.. season to taste

simples

You gotta have worcestershire sauce in everything


Never made it with wine Olly. I will do now though


If I want mine beefier I add a bovril stock cube

That's more or less how I would do it, but would add mushrooms with the onion and peppers and then a good slosh of red wine at the end....Would never, ever use the stuff out of a jar, but then I v v rarely use any convenience foods

of course !     I don't see why not..


My kiddies don't like herbs, but they don't really notice them in the Dolmio sauce, nor do they like to chew the meat, so I have to use a very good quality lean minced beef   (my butcher does it for me as he knows my kiddies well .. 
Just fry the beef, onion and add some peppers and maybe some mushrooms as well, when that's all done nicely,  transfer it from frying pan to a heavy bottomed saucepan with a good fitting lid, Add some tinned tom's with all the hard bits removed ( ! ) Add the sauce till it's all well covered and simmer gently for as long as you want. 


Simple.... lol

DID To save buying different herbs that you might not use again, look for tinned chopped tomatoes with herbs already added.

Thats pretty much what I do too, except I glug in a bit of red wine at the same time as the tinned tomatoes + tomato puree

try adding a little bit of chopped chilli with out the seeds when you fry the onion and mince , but beware you only need a little or as much as you like

Ooooh I'm gonna have to hav this for my tea now!

It's best to pour off the fat that comes out of the meat before adding the other ingredients.

I add a chopped red pepper and mushrooms to mine.

All of the above advice is great, I also add some mushrooms to mine, tomato puree is a must tho' don't forget the chef's tip to add a good dollup of tomato ketchup as well, it just removes any bitterness and really makes the difference.

I'm thinking that too

Yep... pretty much agree with the above.   I add red wine to mine too if I have a bottle open at the time.  Oh, and we use half a bulb of garlic LOL!  But thats cos we love it.

I tend to use the value mixed herbs.... and some parsley (only to counteract the side effects of the garlic)

Sometimes I will add a jar of co-op pasta sauce (the red wine one) or the Lloyd wotsit one.

Mushrooms, mushrooms, mushrooms!  (my lot like loads in theirs).

I also add some faux parmesan cheese (the ground hard cheese you get in the plastic tubs) to it whilst its cooking.

My friend sticks a dollop of Branston Pickle in her spag bol... that works too.

I like putting some chopped carrots in mine too!

What are you doing here at this time young lady!!

House is clean and I don't have any appointments today. You?

I'm taking 3 months out after being made redundant well sort of being made redundant!!  So have some me time for the first time ever!

Applying for jobs but am looking to do something I want to do that's interesting now!

I'm volunteering 2 days a week from next week at the British Heart Foundation shop in town which will be nice.

If I'm making it for a lot of people I add a tin of drained tinned chick peas, to make it go further and to save on the amount of mince needed. We enjoy it with lots of garlic.

Ooo, thank you all, maybe I'll get creative

As for the red wine...once the bottle is opened, i doubt there'll be any left to cook with!

If you want to use a ready sauce the Loyd Grossman ones are lovely...especially the bacon one.

I agree croc...the only sauce I use now days!

Same here...they cost a bit more but they're so worth it.

Oooo, that sounds nice A few of the recipes I looked at mentioned adding bacon Hope he appreciates all the FMs hard work..lol!

THAT'S the one! 

my mum puts bacon in her spag bol.... I used to, but Mr Ditty has expressed his disgust at this addition!

I can never bring myself to pour much wine into the spag. 

Put  little oil in large saucepan add onions fry until transparent dont let them brown when they are soft add mincemeat and brown until it seperates
Add salt and black ground pepper
Garlic to your taste I use a lot
Tin of plum tomatoes
Two small tins of tomato puree
Two or three basil leaves
Add water let it simmer
keep adding water when needed
I cook it for three hours leave it until the next day add water let it boil down leaving it to simmer for an hour .. the art of spagetti bolognais is cooking it the night before thats the proper Italian way... delicious

if you want to surprise him again the following week. ..

 do pretty much the same recipes as what's been said in here but add more chilli (powder  or fresh), paprika  and a tin of kidney beans. . et viola!  Chilli con Carne

or you could use the spag bol basic recipe to make lasagne too. . just need to make a cheese sauce [if you aren't confident makng that buy a packet one. ]  and buy some dried lasagne sheets and make the spag sauce a bit more liquidy so the lasagne has some juice to soak up and cook it..   You just need to layer the meat sauce, cheese sauce and lasagne  a few times then shove it in the oven to finish it off..

3  meals from the same basic recipe

Pork mince is also very good. It has a lovely texture

What sort of stuff you looking at? Volunteering sounds good too. Something I've always said I'd do but never have

Thanks for that If the Spag Bol turns out ok I'll do the Chilli next time, I prefer chilli to Spag Bol as well