Spaghetti bolognese

Up: 🍳Home cooking

Ingredients

• 450 g (1 lb) beef mince
• 1 onion
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• 1 red pepper
• Olive oil
• Oregano
• Paprika
• Black pepper
• Balsamic vinegar
• 300 g dried spaghetti

Method

1. Chop the onion and soften in a frying pan with a little olive oil for five minutes over a medium heat, stirring to avoid browning the onion.
2. Start heating up a large saucepan, roughly a third full of water.
3. Add the beef mince, breaking it up with your spatula or fish slice, cooking it off until it browns all over.
4. Deseed and chop the pepper.
5. Add the oregano, paprika and black pepper and stir for another minute until these release their aroma.
6. Add a slug of balsamic vinegar (lemon juice also works) - the acid gives some depth to the tomato flavour in the sauce, and give it a few seconds to start frying.
7. Add the spaghetti to the pan of boiling water and cook according to packet instructions (about 12 minutes), stirring occasionally to avoid the pasta sticking to the bottom of the pan.
8. Add the tin of tomatoes (and swirl a little cold water in the tin and then add) and chopped pepper and continue cooking for another ten minutes until the spaghetti is ready. Over a medium heat it will simmer gently and only need occasional stirring.
9. Drain the spaghetti and serve with the sauce and grated cheese (Parmesan is traditionally Italian).