Arthritis-Friendly Recipe: Bolognese Bake

This is more a way to use up leftovers and make them for further than a recipe, but I thought I'd share it with you as we always really enjoy it as a speedy supper. We don't often have much bolognese sauce leftover but it has been known to happen occasionally - more often than not because I have deliberately cooked extra to freeze for when I'm having an arthritis flare or because I know we will want to eat this delicious bake.

It might seem unconventional to mix rice and bolognese but it really works. Better still as there is no faffing around with pans and hot water if you use ready-cooked rice, this is a really quick dish to make when arthritis makes any complicated cooking unappealing. You can add other things to the bake if you like; a few sundried tomatoes or some cooked aubergine are yummy. I also sometimes even add torn mozzarella for an extra cheesy bake.

Ingredients:
Leftover bolognese (see here for my recipe) - about 2 cups worth (or half the quantity made)
Two 250g packets of cooked rice (I like Tilda sundried tomato flavour for this recipe or you could use leftover rice you have cooked yourself)
Handful of grated cheese 

Serves 4

Mix the sauce and rice together. Spoon into an overproof dish and sprinkle the cheese over the top. Bake at 180C/375F for 20 minutes or until bubbling.

Allow to stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Arthritis diet notes:
If you make this with my bolognese sauce, this is a very healthy supper. It's packed with vegetables and the lean mince (or quorn for vegetarians) makes it much lower in saturated fat than some versions. This makes it a better choice for people with arthritis as the links between red meat and rheumatoid arthritis in some studies are mainly thought to be due to the saturated fat and omega 6 fatty acid content of the meat. Rice is a nice change from pasta and a good gluten-free alternative if you have difficulties digesting wheat or are coeliac. 

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