Classic spaghetti bolognese

Brown the mince and leave it alone in the pan. Stir it every ten seconds and it stews grey. Let it catch and the sauce gets its flavour.

Serves

6 people

Prep

15 minutes

Cook

45 minutes

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From the shop

Start with 750 g of beef mince. For a softer, richer sauce, make it 450 g of beef and 300 g of pork mince.

Doubling the batch costs nothing in time. Freeze half in flat bags and it thaws in the sink in an hour.

Ingredients

• 750 g beef mince
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 800 g tin crushed tomatoes
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 beef stock cube, crumbled
• 500 g spaghetti
• Grated parmesan, to serve
• Salt and cracked black pepper

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over high heat. Add the mince. Press it flat and leave it for 3 minutes until the base browns. Break it up and cook for 3 minutes more.
2. Add the onion and carrot. Cook for 5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and tomato paste. Cook for 1 minute.
3. Add the tomatoes, oregano, stock cube and 250 ml of water. Bring to a simmer.
4. Turn the heat to low. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring now and then, until thick. Taste and season.
5. Cook the spaghetti in plenty of salted boiling water until just tender. Drain, keeping a cup of the water.
6. Toss the spaghetti through the sauce with a splash of the pasta water.

Serve it

Serve with grated parmesan.