This pasta recipe is for spaghetti bolognese.  Often referred to as spag bolognaise or spag bol, this spaghetti recipe is great served with Parmesan cheese.

Ingredients – 2 portions

• 200g spaghetti
• 150g lean minced beef
• 50g bacon (streaky)
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 50g onion
• 50g celery
• 50g carrot
• 200ml beef stock
• 50g mushrooms
• 200ml tomato sauce
• 1 tbs balsamic vinegar
• Sea salt / vinegar to taste
• Parsley to garnish
• Parmesan cheese to garnish

Getting everything ready

• Make the tomato sauce.
• Cook the spaghetti to the ‘al dente’ stage.  Refresh and marinade in a little olive oil and a pinch of chopped parsley and lightly season.  Cover with clingfilm and save until needed.
• Wash, peel and rewash the carrot and cut the carrot into fine dice.
• Wash and cut the celery into a fine dice.
• Peel and cut the onion into fine dice.
• Peel and crush the garlic cloves.
• Wipe the mushrooms with a damp cloth and cut the mushrooms into small dice.
• Remove any rind from the bacon and cut into small dice.
• Chop the parsley.
• Finely grate the Parmesan cheese.

Method

1. Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat and add the crushed garlic.  Stir-fry for a moment or two and add the diced bacon, onion, celery and carrot.  Stir-fry for about 4 minutes.
2. Add the minced beef to the pan and carry on cooking until the beef begins to colour.  Add the mushrooms and balsamic vinegar and stir in the tomato sauce.  Mix well and bring to the boil and add the beef stock.  Season to taste (take care with the salt as the stock, tomato sauce and bacon will already have salt in them.
3. Turn down the heat, cover the pan with a lid and simmer for about 1 hour, stirring from time to time.  If you find your bolognaise sauce is getting dry, add a little more stock if necessary.
4. After about 1 hour, mix the marinated spaghetti into the bolognese sauce.  Mix well and heat for 2 minutes.
5. Divide the spaghetti bolognese between large warmed bowls and garnish with the grated Parmesan and chopped parsley.
6. Serve your spaghetti bolognese immediately with extra Parmesan as an accompaniment.

Tips for cooking pasta

Here are some great tips for cooking pasta, which includes information on how to choose your pasta and how to avoid overcooking your pasta.

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