spaghetti bolognese
RECIPE BY Mikey Graham Singer-songwriter

There’s no doubt that making an authentic bolognese sauce is well worth the
effort. I often make a large quantity so that I can freeze it in smaller batches.
Preparation time: 10 minutes . Cooking time: 1 hour 5 minutes . Serves 4


what you need
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely diced
1 celery stick, finely diced
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
½ teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 bay leaf
350g (12oz) lean minced beef
1 tablespoon tomato purée
400g (14oz) tin chopped tomatoes
350g (12oz) dried spaghetti
freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese shavings, to garnish

what you do
Heat a large, heavy-based pan. Add the oil and tip in the onion, carrot, celery,
garlic, thyme and bay leaf. Cook for 6-8 minutes until the vegetables have
softened and browned a little, stirring occasionally.

Add the minced beef to the pan and mix until well combined, then sauté until
well browned, breaking up any lumps with a wooden spoon. Stir in the tomato
purée and continue to cook for another minute or two, stirring. Add the
tomatoes, season lightly with pepper and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat
to the lowest setting and simmer for 1 hour until the beef is tender and the sauce
has slightly reduced in volume.

Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add the spaghetti. Stir once and then
cook for 8-10 minutes or according to the instructions on the packet until the
pasta is just tender but still has a little bite. Drain and then return to the pan. Add
the bolognese sauce and toss until well combined.
Divide among warmed wide-rimmed serving bowls. Scatter the Parmesan
shavings over to serve

typical nutritional content – per portion
Energy Kcal (Calories) 523
Fat (g) 13.7
of which saturates (g) 4.5
Salt (g) 0.04
Sugars (g) 9.1