Mama's Beef Bolognese for Dogs

When I was in Italy, one of my favorite dishes was Beef Bolognese! Lots of ground beef, fresh tomatoes, salty cheese and wonderful pasta. It really is a perfect meal on a September night, or anytime when you feel like a hearty meal.

When we make beef bolognese for dogs , we make a healthier version and skip the onions. Together with minced beef, we use a lot of fresh vegetables minced in a blender (celery, and carrots). We also used my owner’s fresh grown tomatoes from our garden. We had an excellent mixture of red and yellow tomatoes that we used in this recipe. The end result is a much healthier and lighter version of this classic dish suitable for dogs craving a little Italian meal.

Dr. Marie from ask a vet:

I have no problem with feeding tomatoes to your dog. Really, tomatoes aren’t bad for dogs.

Tomatoes contain a substance called alpha-tomatine. It is found throughout the plant, but is much more concentrated in the leaves and stem. In the fruit, the level of alpha-tomatine is present in small amounts in the green unripened tomato and in tiny amounts in a ripened red tomato.

Tomatine can be toxic to the heart. However, a dog would have to eat a massive amount of tomato before the heart was affected. Additionally, the tomatine is very poorly absorbed by the intestinal tract.

Some dogs can have some mild stomach upset from eating tomatoes, but that’s about it. I don’t know of a case that has ever been reported of a dog suffering toxic effects from eating tomatoes.

So, the answer to “are tomatoes bad for dogs” is no.

Mama’s Beef Bolognese for Dogs

Preparation Time: 5 minutes Cooking Time: 20 minutes Makes: About 6 cups

Ingredients:

1 kg (2.2 lbs.) minced beef
3 carrots
2 small tomatoes
1 stock celery
1 pear
375 g (1 1/2 cups) of fusilli pasta (you can use another short type pasta if you like)
28 g (1/4 cup) grated parmesan cheese
30 ml (1 tbl. spoon) Oregano
a glug of camelina oil (or olive oil)

Directions:

In a large pot, add the camelina oil and brown the mince until practically done.
Cook pasta as directions on package.
Peel and dice carrots and celery and cook in water until soft
Add finely chopped tomatoes and chopped pear to the cooked minced and stir on low heat
Blend cooked carrots and celery in food processor or blender.
Add cooked pasta, and blended carrot and celery mix to meat mixture.
Add oregano to bolognese mix
Remove from stove add Parmesan cheese and let cool completely.
Grab a bowl and serve to happy dog.