Pork and vegetable bolognese with penne
A slow-simmered sauce, sweet with carrot and rich with pork. Proper comfort food that happens to be full of vegetables.
Notable for: antioxidants, fibre, vitamin A
Ingredients
- 750 gpork mince
- 400 gpenne
- 400 gcarrots, grated
- 300 gbrown onions, fine dice
- 300 gfrozen mixed vegetables
- 800 gchopped tomatoes, 2 cans
- 150 gtomato puree
- 10 gcrushed garlic
- 5 gdried mixed herbs
- 1stock cubes, in 200 ml water
- 10 mlolive oil
Method
Brown the pork hard in a dry pan in two batches, breaking it up as it colours, then tip out the rendered fat and set the meat aside.
Heat the oil and cook the onion and grated carrot over medium heat for 8 minutes, taking it far enough that the carrot goes sweet.
Add the garlic and herbs for 30 seconds.
Return the pork to the pan with the tomatoes, puree, stock and water, and simmer uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes until it thickens.
Add the frozen vegetables for the last 5 minutes.
Boil the penne, drain it a minute early, and finish it in the sauce so it takes on some of the liquid.
Pour the fat off
Pork mince renders a good amount of fat while it browns. Tipping it out before the sauce goes in keeps the finished dish rich rather than greasy.
Storage
Keeps four days in the fridge, and the sauce freezes well on its own.
Freeze the sauce without the pasta and cook fresh penne when you come back to it.
Cost per serving is indicative, based on New Zealand supermarket prices as at September 2026. Batch prices your own week against your own store on the day. Nutrition figures, including calories, are estimates rather than label readings, so always check the packet if you have an allergy. "Notable for" reflects well-established qualities of the ingredients used, not a lab measurement of this exact dish.