Knock Your Socks Off Spaghetti Bolognese!

Warning! This recipe will change your life. I had some leftover ground beef in the fridge and I couldn't figure out what to do with it. Until, bam! It came to me... a rich, beefy tomato sauce with spaghetti. It's very simple to make, but it does require patience. Definitely worth it! Absolutely delish!

Servings: 3

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 lb ground beef (80% lean 20% fat) (or if you feel like being healthy you can use ground turkey or ground chicken instead) 1/2 lb ground pork 1/2 onion, finely diced 2 small garlic cloves, finely chopped 1/2 carrot, finely diced 1 tbsp tomato paste 1 (14 oz) can crushed tomatoes

2 tbsp red or white wine (optional) 1/2 cup chicken stock (beef or vegetable stock works too) 2 small bay leaves 2 sprigs of fresh thyme

1/4 tsp ground oregano

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional-I like mine with a little kick) 1 1/2 tsp soy sauce 1 tsp white sugar 1/4 cup milk Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

1/4 tsp ground black pepper 1/4 tsp ground white pepper (optional)

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg 1/2 lb (8oz) dried spaghetti 2 tbsp finely grated parmesan cheese, plus extra to serve Fresh chopped basil leaves to serve

Method:

Heat the one tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add the beef and spread it out in the pan. Season with a sprinkle of salt and allow to sear for 3-4 minutes or until you get a nice deep brown color on the bottom. Then break up the ground beef with your spatula. Add the ground pork and cook for another couple of minutes or until almost cooked through.

Add the onion, garlic and carrot. Mix through and cook for 2-3 minutes to allow the onion to soften. Stir the tomato paste through until well combined. Then pour in the crushed tomatoes, chicken stock and wine. Add the bay leaves, thyme, crushed red pepper flakes, ground black pepper, ground oregano, soy sauce and sugar. Turn the heat to medium-low, cover with a lid and simmer for 30 minutes, being sure to check that the mixture doesn’t become too dry…(add a little water if it does).

Remove the lid and stir through the milk and lemon zest. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Use tongs to remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Stir through the ground nutmeg, white pepper and season with salt to taste. Remove from heat. Cook the spaghetti according to package directions in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. To serve, add the spaghetti straight from the boiling water into the bolognese sauce (do this in a separate clean pan if you’re not using the full amount of sauce). Add a little of the pasta cooking water (about 2 tbsp to 1/4 cup) and the parmesan cheese and stir the pasta and sauce over high heat for a few minutes until thick and glossy. Serve in a shallow bowl and garnish with more grated parmesan cheese and fresh chopped basil. Enjoy!