When you're rushing to get a nutritious dinner on the table on a Tuesday night, building a deeply flavourful Bolognese sauce from scratch usually isn’t on the cards. Standard supermarket mince requires serious time, extra herbs, and long simmering to taste like anything at all.
This recipe solves that problem using a brilliant midweek shortcut: Stefan’s Italian Sausages from Cured Orange. Because Stefan has already perfectly seasoned the premium local pork with traditional garlic, fennel, and spices, you don't need to spend time balancing flavours. Squeezing the meat out of the casings gives you an instant, deeply savoury mince base that tastes like it has been simmering for hours.
Even better? We’ve structured this version so you can easily pack it with hidden (or visible) vegetables for an extra hit of fiber and nutrients, without slowing you down.
Ingredients (Feeds a family of 4)
- 500g Cured Orange Italian Sausages
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 pack (500g) Spaghetti
- 1 jar (approx. 500g) Premium tomato passata (or 1 can of crushed tomatoes)
- To serve: Fresh parmesan cheese and fresh basil
The Veggie Boosters (Choose your combination):
- The Classics: 1 medium brown onion, 1 small carrot, 1 celery stalk (finely diced, or grated to hide from fussy eaters)
- The Stealth Veg: 1 small zucchini or 4 button mushrooms (finely grated—they completely melt into the texture of the meat)
- The Greens: 2 handfuls of Martelli Orchards baby spinach
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Prep the Meat: Use a sharp knife to slit the skins of the Cured Orange Italian Sausages lengthwise. Squeeze the seasoned sausage meat out into a bowl and discard the casings.
- Prep the Veggies: Finely dice or grate your onion, carrot, celery, zucchini, or mushrooms. (Pro tip: Pulse them all together in a food processor for 10 seconds to save time and eliminate vegetable chunks).
- Boil the Pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook your spaghetti according to the packet instructions.
- Sauté the Veggie Base: Heat the olive oil in a large frypan over medium heat. Add your prepared onion, carrot, celery, zucchini, or mushrooms. Sauté for 5–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are soft, sweet, and the moisture has evaporated.
- Sear the Sausage Mince: Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the sausage meat directly to the pan with the vegetables. Use a wooden spoon to break the meat apart into small chunks as it cooks. Let it brown beautifully—that caramelisation combined with the sweet veggies is where the rich flavour locks in.
- Simmer: Pour in the tomato passata. Stir well to combine with the meat and veggies, then turn down the heat to low. Let it gently bubble for 8–10 minutes while your pasta finishes cooking. (No extra herbs or salt needed—Stefan’s seasoning does all the heavy lifting).
- The Green Boost & Serve: If using baby spinach, stir it through the sauce in the final 60 seconds until just wilted. Drain the spaghetti, toss it directly into the sauce, and divide into bowls. Top generously with grated parmesan.