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Family dinner
Spaghetti Bolognese
A slow-simmered British-Italian family bolognese with deeply browned beef, a fine vegetable base and enough sauce to cling properly to the pasta.
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Ingredients
Bolognese sauce
- 2 tbspolive oil
- 1medium onion (about 150g), very finely diced
- 1medium carrot (about 100g), very finely diced
- 1celery stick (about 70g), very finely diced
- 1 tspfine salt, plus more to adjust
- 3garlic cloves, finely grated or crushed
- 500 g10% fat beef mince
- 2 tbsptomato puree (about 35g)
- 150 mldry red wine or unsalted beef stock
- 2 × 400g tinschopped tomatoes
- 150 mlbeef stock
- 100 mlwhole milk
- 1bay leaf
- 1 tspdried oregano
- 1 tspWorcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tspfreshly ground black pepper
To serve
- 320 gdried spaghetti
- 2 tspfine salt, for the pasta water
- 40 gParmesan, finely grated
- 10 gbasil or flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped (optional)
Per serving
710 kcal43.0g protein82g carbs22g fat
Nutrition calculated from 19 of 20 ingredients; manual fallback used
Approximately 710 kcal, 43g protein, 82g carbohydrate, 22g fat and 9g fibre per serving.
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Method
- 01
Heat the olive oil
11 minHeat the olive oil in the heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery and 1/2 tsp of the salt. Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring regularly, until soft and lightly golden rather than browned.
- 02
Add the garlic and cook
7 minAdd the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the beef and spread it across the pan. Leave it undisturbed for 2 minutes, then break it up and cook for 6-8 minutes until no pink remains and several edges are well browned.
- 03
Stir in the tomato puree and cook
4 minStir in the tomato puree and cook for 2 minutes. Add the wine or stock, scrape the browned residue from the pan and boil for 3-4 minutes until reduced by roughly half.
- 04
Add the tomatoes
3 minAdd the tomatoes, stock, milk, bay leaf, oregano, Worcestershire sauce, pepper and remaining 1/2 tsp salt. Bring to a gentle simmer.
- 05
Partially cover and simmer
55 minPartially cover and simmer on the lowest heat for 50-60 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes. Remove the lid for the final 15 minutes if the sauce is still loose. It should be rich and spoonable, not watery.
- 06
Bring a large pan of water to
1 minBring a large pan of water to a rolling boil. Add 2 tsp salt and the spaghetti. Cook for 1 minute less than the packet time, reserving 150ml pasta water before draining.
- 07
Remove the bay leaf
3 minRemove the bay leaf. Taste the sauce and adjust the salt and pepper. Loosen with a little pasta water if necessary.
- 08
Return the spaghetti to its pan
1 minReturn the spaghetti to its pan, add roughly two-thirds of the bolognese and 50ml pasta water, then toss over low heat for 1 minute so the sauce coats the pasta.
- 09
Divide between warm bowls
3 minDivide between warm bowls, spoon over the remaining sauce and finish with Parmesan and herbs.
Equipment check
6 items required
- Large heavy-based saucepan or casserole
- Large pasta pan
- Chopping board and chef's knife
- Wooden spoon
- Colander
- Fine grater
Dietary and allergen note: Contains gluten, dairy and fish (Worcestershire sauce). Use gluten-free pasta and a suitable Worcestershire sauce if required.
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Recipe diagnostics
Checked before you cook.
Metric quantities and serving yield are explicit
Method includes timing and doneness cues
Nutrition is identified as a calculated estimate
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