Tim's creamy vegetable and minced meat sauce

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 500 g minced meat, mixed
• 3 large shallots
• 3 cloves garlic
• ½ chili pepper(s)
• 1 medium-sized bell pepper(s), color to taste
• 4 small carrots
• 3 small potatoes
• 1 m.-large zucchini
• 500 ml tomatoes, pureed
• 100 g herb cheese spread
• 100 g Parmesan
• ½ tube(s) tomato paste
• 5 small tomatoes
• 300 ml red wine, more or less depending on consistency
• 20 basil leaves, 10 green, 10 dark
• 5 sprigs of parsley
• 2 tbsp oregano
• 2 tbsp herbs de Provence
• salt and pepper
• Oil for frying

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 20 minutes

fruity with a kick

Wash the vegetables. Finely chop two shallots each, then chop one shallot a little larger. Then finely chop two carrots, then chop two carrots a little larger. Finely chop two potatoes, then chop one potato a little larger. Halve the zucchini, then chop one half finely, then chop the other a little larger. Halve the bell pepper, then chop one half finely, then chop the other a little larger. Set the larger vegetables aside for later use. Finely chop the garlic cloves and half the chili pepper. Briefly place the five tomatoes in a water bath, then peel and cut into eighths. Sauté the finely chopped shallots in oil until translucent. Towards the end, add the garlic, some of the chili, and the tomato paste. Shortly after, add the minced meat and fry. Now fry all the finely chopped vegetables, last the zucchini. I add the vegetables to the pot one by one: carrots, potatoes, bell pepper, zucchini. Briefly fry, then deglaze the minced vegetables with red wine, simmer briefly, then add the quartered tomatoes and pour in the passata. Simmer for 5-10 minutes. Now add the processed cheese and Parmesan to the sauce and let it melt. Reduce the heat at this point. Let the sauce simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Season to taste with salt, pepper, oregano, Provençal herbs, parsley, basil, and the remaining chili, and continue simmering, stirring frequently. Finally, add the coarser vegetables to the sauce and simmer for another 10 minutes. If the sauce becomes too thick, simply add a little water until the desired consistency is reached. I usually add another splash of wine in this case. I usually let the sauce sit for half a day, but you don’t have to. I usually serve it with spaghetti, but you can choose your preferred pasta. The sauce also works well as a base for a minced meat casserole. Simply reduce the ingredients accordingly.