Bolognese Soup

This is a winter staple at our house. Comforting but not too heavy, it makes heaps and reheats perfectly. Did I mention that it also cooks in just one pot, and is ready in less than an hour?

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, crushed

800 g beef mince

250 g small pasta shapes (such as shells or macaroni)

700 ml passata

800 g canned diced tomatoes

2 L chicken stock

70 g (about 1/3 bunch) kale, stemmed and chopped (optional)

1 tsp each dried basil, oregano, marjoram & thyme

¼ tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

parmesan, for serving

sour cream, for serving (optional)

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1 lb beef mince

0.50 lb small pasta shapes (such as shells or macaroni)

3 cups passata

28 oz canned diced tomatoes

2 qts chicken stock

3.50 oz (about 1/3 bunch) kale, stemmed and chopped (optional)

1 tsp each dried basil, oregano, marjoram & thyme

¼ tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

parmesan, for serving

sour cream, for serving (optional)

Ingredients note

The kale is optional, but recommended as it adds a touch of green to the dish and provides a nice semi-crunchy texture. Make sure you only use the leaves and discard the stems. You can replace the kale with the same amount of spinach, or omit it if you prefer (in which case, use only 1.5L / 1.5 qts of stock).
The red pepper flakes add flavour, not heat, but you can omit these if you prefer.
Top each dish with a dollop (about 1 teaspoon) of sour cream. This is optional but it’s a delicious addition and a nice visual garnish!
You can easily sneak more vegetables into this dish – try adding diced carrot, celery or capsicum (bell pepper) at the same time as the onion. You could also add chopped broccoli and frozen peas during the resting time at the end.

Variations

If you’re making this for guests and want to dress it up, this soup looks great served in cheesy cob loaves (and who doesn’t love a cob loaf!). Note, you may only get 4-5 servings from this recipe depending on the size of your cob loaves, and how much you want to fill them.

Directions

Make the soup

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat, then add the onion and garlic and saute for 2 minutes, or until softened.

2. Add the mince and cook, breaking apart with a wooden spoon, until it’s mostly browned.

Tip: The mince will break apart more easily once it’s browned.

3. Add the passata, diced tomatoes, stock, herbs, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, mostly cover the pot with a lid (leaving the lid slightly ajar to allow steam to escape) and cook for 20 minutes.

Add the pasta

1. Stir in the pasta, re-cover the pot with the lid and cook for 5 minutes.

2. Turn off the heat, add the chopped kale and stir.

Tip: Make sure you only use the kale leaves and not the stems. I like to chop my kale leaves into roughly 1 inch / 2.5 cm pieces or smaller.

3. Re-cover the pot with the lid and let sit for at least 10 minutes to thicken. The soup will continue to thicken and is even better reheated the next day!

4. Serve in bowls (or cob loaves) garnished with shaved parmesan and a dollop of sour cream.

Wine pairing

This soup is hearty comfort food, so you want a wine to match. A medium-bodied red wine like a Merlot or Merlot variety (such as Cabernet Merlot) will pair nicely.