Spaghetti Bolognese
Spaghetti bolognese (sometimes called spaghetti alla bolognese, or colloquially 'spag bol', spaghetti with meat sauce, or just spaghetti) is a pasta dish that is popular outside Italy, but not part of traditional Bolognese or even Italian cuisine in general. The dish is generally perceived as inauthentic when encountered by Italians abroad. It consists of spaghetti served with a sauce made from tomatoes, minced beef, garlic, wine and herbs; sometimes minced beef can be replaced by other minced meats. In this sense the sauce is actually more similar to Neapolitan ragù from the south of Italy than the northern Bolognese version of ragù. It is often served with grated Parmesan on top, but local cheeses, such as grated cheddar are also often used. It may be served with a larger proportion of sauce to pasta than is common in genuine Italian spaghetti dishes. The sauce may be laid on top of the pasta (rather than being mixed in, in the Italian manner) or even served separately from it, leaving diners to mix it in themselves.
What you need:
| Amount | Ingredients |
|---|---|
| 1 tbsp | olive oil |
| 4 rashers | smoked streaky bacon, finely chopped |
| 2 | medium onions, finely chopped |
| 2 | carrots, trimmed and finely chopped |
| 2 | celery sticks, finely chopped |
| 2-3 sprigs | rosemary leaves picked and finely chopped |
| 2 clove | garlic |
| 500g | beef mince |
| 2 x 400g tins | plum tomatoes |
| 125ml | red wine |
| 6 | cherry tomatoes, sliced in half |
How to prepare:
- Put a large saucepan on a medium heat and add 1 tbsp olive oil.
- Add 4 finely chopped bacon rashers and fry for 10 mins until golden and crisp.
- Reduce the heat and add the 2 onions, 2 carrots, 2 celery sticks, 2 garlic cloves and the leaves from 2-3 sprigs rosemary, all finely chopped, then fry for 10 mins. Stir the veg often until it softens.
- Increase the heat to medium-high, add 500g beef mince and cook stirring for 3-4 mins until the meat is browned all over.
- Add 2 tins plum tomatoes, the finely chopped leaves from ¾ small pack basil, 1 tsp dried oregano, 2 bay leaves, 2 tbsp tomato purée, 1 beef stock cube, 1 deseeded and finely chopped red chilli (if using), 125ml red wine and 6 halved cherry tomatoes. Stir with a wooden spoon, breaking up the plum tomatoes.
- Bring to the boil, reduce to a gentle simmer and cover with a lid. Cook for 1 hr 15 mins stirring occasionally, until you have a rich, thick sauce.
- Add the 75g grated parmesan, check the seasoning and stir.
- When the bolognese is nearly finished, cook 400g spaghetti following the pack instructions.
- Drain the spaghetti and either stir into the bolognese sauce, or serve the sauce on top. Serve with more grated parmesan, the remaining basil leaves and crusty bread, if you like.