Bolognese With Veggies - Kid Friendly
This bolognese with veggies is my go-to family dinner — packed with flavour, full of vegetables, and still completely kid-approved. If you’ve been looking for a veggie-loaded spaghetti bolognese that toddlers and older kids will happily tuck into, this one consistently gets a clean plate in our house.
It’s made with three times more vegetables than meat, cooked down into a rich, cosy sauce that feels like comfort food while also giving a big plant-based boost.
Why This Recipe
- Veggie packed: This recipe uses three times more vegetables than meat, all cooked down into a soft, flavourful sauce.
- Kid friendly: Familiar flavours and a rich, mellow sauce that little ones tend to enjoy.
- Freezer-friendly: Perfect for batch cooking and quick weeknight meals.
- Flexible: Works with different mince options, pasta shapes, or even served over potatoes.
Ingredients You Will Need
Ingredient Notes, Substitutes, & Allergy Swaps
- Dried herbs – I use an Italian herb mix, but basil, oregano, or any dried blend will work.
- Onion & garlic powder – Not essential, but they add depth. Swap garlic powder for fresh garlic if you like.
- Tinned tomatoes – Diced, crushed, or even passata will all work. Go with what your family prefers texture-wise.
- Minced beef – Lamb or pork are easy substitutes. If using lean meats like turkey or chicken, add a little extra olive oil to prevent the sauce from drying out.
- Carrot, zucchini, mushrooms – The ratios can be flexible. No zucchini? Add an extra carrot. Pumpkin, parsnip, or sweet potato (kumara) also work well.
- Spinach – Frozen or fresh both work. For fuss-free eaters, add as is. For green-averse kids, blend spinach with the tomatoes before adding.
- Spaghetti (or other pasta) – Any pasta shape works, or serve the sauce over baked potatoes or even oven fries.
Making Bolognese For Kids An Illustrated Step By Step Guide
Below are illustrated step-by-step instructions to make my Spaghetti Bolognese with Veggies recipe, if you prefer just the written instructions then head straight to the printable recipe card below.
Step one: Pop your grated carrot, zucchini, and onion into a large pan with a drizzle of olive oil. This is the base of our sauce — and it smells amazing as it starts cooking.
Step two: Give those veggies a good stir while they sauté. Don’t rush this bit — letting them soften and get a touch golden adds loads of flavour.
Step three: Now it’s time for the grated mushrooms and mince. Toss them in with the veggies. Mushrooms bring extra richness (and more veggies snuck in without fuss).
Step four: Cook everything together until the mince is browned. This step is key — browning means better flavour, and it’s worth waiting until there’s no pink left.
Step five: In go the tinned tomatoes, spinach, and dried herbs. If your kids are suspicious of “green bits,” here’s a trick: blend the spinach with the tomatoes first, and you’ll have a perfectly smooth sauce with all the goodness hidden inside.
Step six: Give everything a good stir and let the sauce bubble away gently. About 25–30 minutes will do it — the flavours deepen, the sauce thickens, and your kitchen will smell incredible.
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Step seven: Serve that rich, veggie-packed bolognese over spaghetti (or whatever pasta your family loves). Add a sprinkle of fresh spinach or a side of garlic bread if you’re feeling fancy. Comfort food at its best — kid-friendly, veggie loaded, and family approved!
Top Tips
Here is how you can make this veggie-loaded bolognese perfectly every time:
- Follow the veggie order. Sautéing onion, carrot, and zucchini first helps build that naturally sweet, mellow base kids love.
- Cook off the tomato paste. Those 2–3 minutes remove acidity and deepen the flavour.
- Blend strategically. Blend the tomatoes and spinach if your kids prefer a smoother sauce. You can check out this method in my Hidden Veggie Lasagna recipe.
- Simmer long and low. The longer it cooks, the more the vegetables soften into the sauce.
- Batch cook for future meals. This freezes beautifully — perfect for toddler portions or quick weeknight dinners.
How to Make This Recipe Suitable For Baby Led Weaning
This is a naturally BLW-friendly recipe because the vegetable-heavy sauce thickens and sticks well to pasta, making it easier for babies to self-feed.
- Choose soft, easy-to-grasp pasta: cut up spaghetti into short lengths, penne, or spirals work well.
- Cook pasta very soft (easily squashed between fingers).
- Keep sodium low — avoid adding salt; season adult portions separately.
- Ensure a soft, moist texture: the long simmer makes the mince extremely tender for babies.
- Offer with a pre-loaded spoon or dip soft pasta into the sauce.
Veggie Loaded Bolognese
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Ingredients
- 200 g mushrooms
- 1 medium carrot 150g
- 1 medium zucchini 150g
- 1 medium onion 150g
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 500 g minced beef
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ Cup tomato paste 55g
- 800 g tinned tomatoes 2 x 400g can
- 1 tablespoon mixed herbs
- 100 g chopped spinach frozen or fresh
- 500 g dried spaghetti
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables: Grate the carrot, zucchini, and mushrooms. Finely dice the onion, you can choose to grate the onion if you prefer.
- In a large pan heat the olive oil. Sauté the onion, grated carrot, and zucchini until softened and starting to go golden.
- Add the tomato paste, sauté for 2-3 minutes this helps deepen the flavour.
- Add the mince and the mushrooms, cook until the beef mince is browned.
- Add the tinned tomatoes, dried herbs and spinach. If your kids are a little weary of green specks in their food please check out the tip section in this post as I have a great hack for that
- Simmer for 25-30 mins until everything is well cooked, the sauce has thickened and flavourful. While the spag bol is simmering cook your chosen pasta as per the packet directions.
- Serve with cooked pasta.
Notes
- It can be tempting to just add all the veggies at the same time as the tinned tomatoes. The spaghetti bolognese will taste so much better if you add them in the order I've described and sauté them.
- Take the time to cook off the tomato paste for a couple of minutes, it really does improve the flavour (it gets rid of the very acidic flavour tomato paste can add to a dish and instead gives richness to the spag bol sauce)
- I used diced tomatoes but tomato purée or passata adds the same veggie content but will give a smoother sauce.
- If your kids are weary of green things in their sauce then my tip is to make a quick smoothie. Yes, blend the tinned tomatoes and the spinach in a blender before adding them to the browned mince and mushrooms.
- This spaghetti bolognese sauce can be stirred in the fridge for 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Quick Start Guide To BLW
Baby led weaning doesn’t need to be complicated, grab my quick start guide to begin your little ones food journey.
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will this still work if i leave out the beef mince and just put way more mushroom? my 2 year old isnt the biggest fan lots of meat in her food yet
You could try my vegan bolognese recipe https://mykidslickthebowl.com/vegan-bolognese/
Made this with a packet of Quorn mince and it was a hit. My fussy partner couldn't even name all the vegetables that were hidden in it!