Until recently, I really didn’t know how to cook properly.
One of the things I used to make often was spaghetti bolognese. It was high in protein, fit my diet well, it was reasonably healthy, and so I made it about twice a week. The recipe was very simple: mince, onions, spaghetti, and a bottle of pasta sauce from the store.
Over time I started experimenting. I tried different recipes, added more ingredients, cooked parts separately, and let the sauce simmer longer. Bit by bit it evolved.
Now I make the sauce from scratch, cook the mince in a separate pan, add finely diced carrots and a do a bunch of extra steps I never used to, as well as letting everything simmer for a two hours.
The result is honestly fucking delicious and better than any spaghetti bolognese I’ve had in restaurants.
The problem is that it went from being my easy go-to meal to something that actually takes effort. I used to make it multiple times a week, but now I barely do.
And the worst part is I can’t go back to the old version anymore, because it just tastes disappointing.
I just wanted to rant, I’m frustrated because I want the dish more, but don’t want all of the added effort.
PS. I’m heading to the shop now to buy all the ingredients I need to make this, gota start soon else I’ll eat way too late.
Can’t not make it at least once a week.Why not make it in bulk once a week, enough for a few servings? And I probably don’t need to tell you this… but keep it in the fridge/freezer
Also please share the recipe, I’m interested!
Does it freeze well? When I used to be extra as hell with Bolognese, I would do batch cooking and it went pretty well, especially if I wasn’t super lazy with how I defrosted it.
Probably, but I think it just won’t be the same again
You are correct, putting something in the fridge/ freezer will deepen the flavor, freezing it for later may in fact, work better and you might just end up with something tastier in the long run.
I hear you, but you might be able to decouple the lazy version and the fancy one. I love pasta al pesto. I have the lazy version (sauce from the store, chuck it in) and the fancy version (start with basil…). One is a comfort food in rough times, the other a delicacy I can only savor a handful of times a year. Both are great in their respective roles.
Simple solution.
Get a big, big pot and make a f%%k ton of sauce once a month.
Get containers and freeze them.
I make chili and lentil soup this way; I’ve got plenty of each sitting in the freezer. I mostly keep it for days I am sick or just don’t feel like cooking.
If you don’t have a good sized freezer check online. You can find one that’s about as much floor space as a chair that holds plenty.
Sounds nice, I personally like taking time to cook good food. Can we have the recipe?
It’s essentially this: https://youtu.be/HZctds20DfA
I add some chilli because I like it spicy
There’s no prize to perfection, only an end to pursuit
Bolognese is obe of my favorites as well, but it’s like a 4-5 hour process, yeah. Feeds me for a solid week, though, more than anything else I cook.
This is meal prep. Lots of people devote one day a week to cooking all their meals for the coming week. They portion it, freeze it and eat those meals all week. That’s great for busy folks or those who need a reginented meal plan. Not so great for people like me who say, I don’t want to eat any of this shit… Lol
That might be up your alley.
Thats a drag, man.
Cautionary tale, that one. Better be careful with the way I refine my easy stew. Currently, everything about it is pretty random, but at least it’s low-effort cooking. Better keep it that way.
Guess you wouldn’t like my easy meal of dumping a can of diced tomatoes over noodles and calling it a day.
Lol that’s where I started.
Another meal of mine used to be 2x packets of instant noodles and then I’d add ~300g chicken for protein and flavour.
Eventually I added onion, then I started using real noodles. Then I started adding chicken stock and making a sauce for flavour.
Another easy meal ruined, but it’s delicious.
…mission creep
My grandmother use to make her sauce in a giant pot. She’d freeze it in containers (plural) and we’d eat off of that for a month.
Take what you learned about your Bolognese and then make a simpler pasta dish. I love being able to whip up something delicious based on a can of tomatoes and what is in the fridge. Go practice that as your new easy dish…
You can do the same thing with other dishes you enjoy. Find a simple one and perfect it even if it becomes complex and work on doing simple meals.
