If food is too bland it could be that you're either leaving out something vital or you're using lesser-quality ingredients. The latter is why shop ready-meals are so high in salt. I always think that there's a "right" amount of salt for any recipe. To cure blandness, my first resort is fresh herbs and/or a tiny splash of Tabasco, maybe a bit more black pepper, depending. The Italians do it right when they start a ragu or a soup with a soffritto made with chopped onions, carrots and celery sautéed in extra-virgin olive oil. For a meat sauce, I add a bit of chopped-up pancetta to that for richness and savour. My chili meat sauce and bolognese always start like that. I find that slow-cooked meat dishes such as ragus and pot roasts are the very devil to judge for salt while you're actually cooking them, and they always taste different once they've stood for a few hours. Start low with your salt. You can always up it later on.