Slow Cooked Spaghetti Bolognaise Sauce

This is a family recipe handed down to us by Mr. HRK's cousin, Judy, and originating from Canberra I believe. This always tastes great, and I think the secret ingredient in this recipe is the can of tomato soup. I always substitute fresh herbs instead of the dried ones, if I have them, and I generally do. This sauce is full of flavour and works really well layered in lasagne. I also generally add some finely chopped vegetables such as carrots, zucchini and celery  to increase the amount of vegetables for the family.

Ingredients:

500g prime minced beef
1 clove garlic
1 onion, diced
1 tin tomato soup
1 tin whole peeled tomatoes (chop up or use chopped variety)
1x140 g tomato paste
1 clove garlic (I add a few)
1/2 teasp dried oregano or fresh
1/2 teasp dried basil or fresh equivalent
parmesan cheese, grated
Optional: sautéed mushrooms

Let's cook:

Saute onion in a small amount of olive oil; add mince. Stir until meat is "broken into grains" and greyed through. (I strain off all juices once it's cooked.)

Now add tomato soup, chopped tomatoes and tomato paste, crushed garlic, oregano & basil, and freshly ground  pepper. Stir and bring to the boil.

Cover and simmer very slowly for approx. 2 1/2 hrs, stirring occasionally at first to guard against sticking.

Before serving, I add fresh basil leaves and sautéed mushrooms. Serve with parmesan cheese for topping. Serve with lots of fresh pasta.

Minced lamb, or lamb and pork can also be used for this recipe. It is so much more readily available now and makes a nice change form the usual spagbol.

 What do you prefer?