Bolognese Smacked Full of Veggies

Now is the time of year to get out your crock pots and get some hearty dishes on the go (and into your freezer!) I had a bunch of veggies that I wanted to use up before hitting the farmers' market again this weekend. So what's a girl to do? Bolognese!!

Here's what went into mine:

2 onions

4 ribs of celery, diced

3 medium carrots, diced

1/2 a bulb of fennel, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 medium zucchini, shredded

1/2 head of cauliflower, chopped fine

4 -5 ounces/140 g beef , diced

8 - 9 ounces/250g pork, diced

2 cans of tomatoes

1 can tomato paste

1 cup milk

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp ground porchini mushroom powder (you can use fresh mushrooms if you like)

salt and pepper

I sauteed all the veggies first (yes, I had to fill the pan and saute three times to get it all done)

I dumped them into the crock pot as each pan full was ready. Then I did the same for the meat. Stir in everything else and that's it. I let it simmer on high for 4 hours but you could easily prep this ahead and let it simmer on low all day while your at work. Make lots because it freezes beautifully. All you'll have to do in the future is boil some pasta and dinner is done!

Throw in what ever veggies you have on hand. This is a great way to create a tasty quick dish for future meals. If you have picky eaters, use a food processor or blender to puree cooked or frozen and defrosted veggies to sneak them in.

What a great meal! And now - on to football. Tonight is opening night!!!! ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?!?!?!!? Wheeeeeeeeeee!