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Bolognese pancakes
Serves: 6
Prep time: 50 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Ant Duncan
Bolognese pancakes
Try something a little different for Pancake Day with this Italian-inspired bake. It is also equally delicious at any time of the year
Serves: 6
Prep time: 50 minsTotal time:
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
513Kcal
Fat
34gr
Saturates
16gr
Carbs
22gr
Sugars
9gr
Fibre
2gr
Protein
30gr
Salt
1.2gr
Debbie Major
Cook, writer and food stylist, Debbie's reputation for foolproof, delicious recipes is second to none. She is renowned for her dedication to seasonal home cooking and her love of all things rustic and authentic. Simplicity over cheffy is her motto!
See more of Debbie Major’s recipes
Debbie Major
Cook, writer and food stylist, Debbie's reputation for foolproof, delicious recipes is second to none. She is renowned for her dedication to seasonal home cooking and her love of all things rustic and authentic. Simplicity over cheffy is her motto!
See more of Debbie Major’s recipes
Ingredients
For the pancakes
- 350ml whole milk
- 1 large egg, plus 1 yolk
- 30g butter, melted
- 100g plain flour, sifted
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
For the Bolognese sauce
- 50g smoked streaky bacon, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 small carrot, peeled and finely diced
- 1 large celery stick, finely diced
- 1 x 500g pack 12% fat minced beef
- 1 x 400g carton basics chopped tomatoes
- 150ml chicken stock, from ½ cube
- 3 tbsp tomato purée
For the cheese topping
- 150ml soured cream
- 2 tbsp whole milk
- 75g basics full flavour cheese, finely grated
Step by step
Get ahead
The Bolognese sauce and pancakes can both be made ahead ready to assemble, and chilled for 2-3 days, or frozen.
- For the pancakes, blend the milk, the egg, egg yolk, 1 tablespoon of melted butter, flour and salt in a liquidiser to a smooth batter with the consistency of single cream (or whisk together in a bowl). Set aside for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, for the Bolognese sauce, fry the bacon in the oil in a large pan or casserole, until lightly golden. Add the onion and fry for 5 minutes, then add the garlic, carrot and celery, and fry gently for a further 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Increase the heat, add the beef and cook until it has all changed colour, breaking up the meat as you go.
- Stir in the tomatoes, stock and tomato purée and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and all the excess liquid has disappeared – it needs to be thick for this recipe. Season to taste.
- Meanwhile, cook the pancakes. Briefly re-blend the pancake batter. Heat a 17-18cm base diameter nonstick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Brush with a little melted butter, ladle in 2½-3 tablespoons of batter and swirl around so that it thinly coats the base of the pan. Cook for about 40 seconds, until lightly golden underneath and biscuit-brown around the edges, then flip and cook for about 30 seconds more until marked with light-brown spots. Slide the pancake onto a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter to make 12 pancakes in total, layering baking paper in between them on the plate.
- For the cheese topping, mix the soured cream, milk and 25g of the cheese together in a bowl with some seasoning. Preheat the oven to 220°C, fan 200°C, gas 7. Fill each pancake with 2 heaped spoonfuls of Bolognese and roll up. Place them side-by-side in a well- buttered baking dish, spoon on the cheese topping and sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown and the filling is piping hot. We like to serve them with a salad.