Beef Bolognese

Bolognese is one of those wonderfully therapeutic and delicious meals. This size batch feeds our family twice so I either freeze half and eat the rest or make two lasagnes- one for now and one for the freezer. You can also freeze into smaller portions which are fantastic for early weaning - 7-month old Madeleine used to have great fun attempting to dip batons of sweet potato or pasta into the bolognese- so messy but so fun!

Serves 4 adults and 2-4 small children

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2 tbsp olive oil

500g good quality lean beef mince

140g onion, finely diced

110g carrots, peeled and cut in 1-cm cubes (or grated if you are preparing for older children who don't like chunks of vegetables)

2 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole

800g passata

200ml water

50g parmesan, finely grated

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In a large pan heat the olive oil and then fry the meat in two batches until golden brown. Add the onion and carrots and cook for 5 minutes on a high heat stirring occasionally to prevent them burning. Add the garlic, passata and water and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes covered. Stir occasionally. After 45 minutes remove the lid and continue to cook for a further 30 minutes.Turn off the heat and stir through the parmesan until it has completely melted. Remove and weigh- you should have about 1kg of mixture- if you have a lot more then return to the heat for a little while longer to reduce down. If you have much less then add some boiling water to loosen the bolognese.

Now remove 500g of the mix and place in a food processor. Blitz down into a rough puree and then weigh into 8 portions for your baby. With the remaining half, add the salt, stir to combine and then keep for two adult meals.

just for adults: add 1/2 tsp salt