Spaghetti bolognese

Type: Main meal — heavier · Typical slot: Lunch or dinner · Time: 40 min (or 90 min if you simmer properly — make ahead) · Lunch-friendly: yes · Batch: yes (sauce batches well, cook pasta fresh)

Ingredients (4 servings)

• 500g lean ground beef (5–10% fat)
• 100g pancetta or smoked bacon, diced
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 carrots, finely diced
• 2 celery stalks, finely diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 200ml red wine (optional but worth it)
• 1 can (400g) crushed tomatoes
• 200ml beef stock
• 1 bay leaf, oregano, salt, pepper
• 30g parmesan, grated, to serve
• Pasta: 320g spaghetti uncooked. Split 200g G / 120g Harshitha cooked weight (cooked weight is roughly 2.5× dry).

Method

1. Render pancetta in heavy pot 4 min. Add onion, carrot, celery (sofrito), cook 8 min until soft.
2. Push aside, add beef, brown 6 min breaking up. Salt.
3. Add garlic, tomato paste, cook 1 min. Deglaze with wine, reduce 3 min.
4. Add tomatoes, stock, bay leaf, oregano. Simmer minimum 20 min, ideally 60. Adjust salt.
5. Cook pasta to al dente. Toss portion of pasta with sauce. Top with parmesan.

Macros (per person, per serving)