D230: Dutch Oven Beef & Everything pasta sauce

I made this up on the spot, but its not especially original.  Just big and yummy.  It's essentially our regular pasta sauce with extra stuff, done in a Dutch oven and then baked a bit.  I think you could also this with just about any tomato-based pasta sauce.

I used:

• three small onions
• 6 large button mushrooms
• about 1.2kg of minced beef
• 3 medium carrots
• 2 medium zucchini
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 red capsicum
• 1 green capsicum
• 1 small head of broccoli
• three cans of crushes tomatoes in thickened sauce
• half a punnet of 'snacking' tomatoes (mini romas)
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• fresh basil & parsley 



After reducing and serving out

• salt & pepper

To make:

1. Cut the broccoli into florets.  Halve the little tomatoes.  Dice everything else.
2. Turn on the oven to 375F/180C
3. On the stove top, heat olive oil in the base of your Dutch Oven.
4. Fry onion till softened.
5. Fry mushrooms.
6. Add beef and stir till browned.
7. Add the rest in this order, stirring each through and letting them collect heat:
1. carrots, zucchini, celery and capsicums;
2. broccoli (cook/stir till bright green);
3. cans of tomatoes and tomato paste.
8. Chuck in the little tomatoes and herbs and season to your liking.
   Other possible seasonings: a slosh of red wine and/or Worcestershire sauce, beef stock or stock cube, a fat pinch of brown sugar.
9. Bake in the oven for 20-30 mins.  Check for burning tops, but use your judgement if you need it to take longer.  If your sauce is very wet, leave the lid off while in the oven.

Nice big bits of veggies for Bub to find.