Beef, Leek & Red Pepper Ragout

Another “what shall I do with the veggie box content?”. This is a lovely beef ragout made from minced meat with lots of chopped seasonal vegetables. We had it with gnocchi today and my boys just gobbled it down but I think jacket potatoes would be lovely too. Feel free to also add any root vegetables left-overs from your fridge.

Portions: 2 adults + 2 children + extra for freezing
Cooking time: 1 hour

What's in it: This is a well-balanced family meal providing a good mix of protein and vitamins. Tomatoes and red peppers will give you a great Vitamin C boost, which will help your body absorb important minerals.

Ingredients:

• 300g quality beef mince
• 1 large leek, finely chopped
• 3 red peppers, cut into very small cubes
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into very small cubes
• 2 tins chopped tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato puree
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• ½ tablespoon of thyme and oregano
• Salt, mixed pepper

Preparation:

1. In a large casserole dish add a few drops of olive oil and start by frying the minced beef over medium heat until all water has evaporated and the meat starts to turn brown.
2. Add chopped garlic, leek and red peppers and gently fry for 5-10 minutes until soft.
3. Add tomato puree and herbs followed by the chopped tomatoes and carrots. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Stir thoroughly, cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
5. Serve over pasta, gnocchi, rice or jacket potatoes.

Adult version: This ragout would also make a great base for a chilli. Just add some beans and spice it up with fresh chillies of chilli powder.

Suitable for freezing and re-heating.

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About this blog
This blog is about family cooking. It's important to get together for family meals. Here I'm posting healthy family recipes that kids and adults will love and make cooking for the family more fun. All my family recipes are well balanced and healthy family recipes but they can be tweaked for fussy eaters or spiced up for a more sophisticated adult palate. In addition to the healthy family recipes, I'm publishing some of my knitting and crochet patterns for toddler toys and accessories.