So, while cleaning out my refrigerator today I noticed a whole bunch of half used and bruised vegetables that have been lurking in the back, while no one paid them any attention, tragic considering this is the month of love. Once I was done cleaning instead of throwing these veggies away, I figured I will use them to create tonight’s dinner because food wastage should always be a big NO in every household.

My lonely looking bruised tomatoes, half chopped onion, half a pepper and two sad mushrooms deserve better than just ending up in the trash can. To give my leftovers a second life, I will be using them to make a quick and easy delicious Spaghetti Bolognaise for dinner tonight which you too can easily make instead of throwing out perfectly good food.

Ingredients

• 2 table spoons olive oil
• 400g beef mince
• ½ onion, diced
• ½ green pepper, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 100g carrot, grated
• 2 x chopped tomatoes
• 48g Knorr Dry Cook-in-Sauce Spaghetti Bolognaise
• 250g dried spaghetti
• seasoning salt
• 2 x chopped baby mushrooms

Method

• Heat a pan over a medium heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and once hot add the beef mince and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook the mince until well browned over a medium-high heat. Once browned, transfer the mince to a bowl and set aside.
• Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan you browned the mince in and turn the heat to medium. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and fry gently for 5-6 minutes, or until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the grated carrot and mushrooms then pour the mince and any juices in the bowl back into the saucepan.
• Add the tomatoes to the pan and stir well to mix. Pour in the Knorr Dry Cook-in-Sauce Spaghetti Bolognaise, bring to a simmer and then reduce the temperature to simmer gently for 30 minutes, or until the sauce is thick and rich. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
• When ready to cook the spaghetti, heat a pot of water and add a pinch of salt. Once the spaghetti is cooked through, drain and plate add the bolognaise and serve.

I know it’s not always easy to use everything up before it’s sell by date but here are 2 quick tips and tricks that will help you save up and stop food wastage without the stress of having to think up new meal ideas daily.

1. When unpacking your groceries, always move older products to the front of the fridge or cupboard and new products to the back. This way you use up old first and the new later before sell by dates.

2. For daily meal ideas try out the awesome #DinnerOnDemand Facebook Messenger service from Knorr that interprets words and emojis to suggest recipes made from the very ingredients you have in your fridge, freezer or cupboard. It’s fast, efficient and will have you enjoying your time cooking.

Keep an eye out on the blog for more easy recipes and tips and tricks for stopping food wastage. If you have some unused produce in your fridge don’t throw it away, get creative and create something epic.  Feel free to always ask us for advice and we will point you in the right direction J #LeaveNoFoodBehind