Next level spaghetti bolognese

No pasta recipe is as popular and family-friendly as bolognese. This version by skills & shows editor Barney Desmazery is an upgraded take on ragu bolognese, with a few new ingredients added.

SERVES 8 PREP 20 mins COOK 4 hrs EASY ❄

olive oil, for frying and drizzling 400g beef mince

400g Italian pork sausages, skins

removed, sausagemeat crumbled 200g smoked pancetta

1 onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

2 celery sticks, finely chopped 4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 thyme sprig small bunch of basil, small leaves

picked and reserved

2 bay leaves

2 tsp dried oregano handful of dried porcini mushrooms 1 tsp golden caster sugar

1 tbsp tomato purée

½ tsp Thai fish sauce

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

100ml whole milk

4 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes 200ml white wine

100g parmesan, grated, rind removed and reserved, plus extra to serve spaghetti, to serve

1 Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan and crumble in the mince and sausagemeat. Spend 30 mins cooking the meat – the mince will release a lot of liquid, which needs to evaporate, then it will sizzle in its own fat. If the pan becomes too dry, drizzle in a little more oil. Stir the mince until it’s speckled with crisp brown bits. 2 Heat the oven to 140C/120C fan/ gas 2. While the meat browns, heat a drizzle more oil in a flameproof casserole and sizzle the pancetta for 5 mins until it starts to brown and release its fat. Add the veg and herbs, then crumble over the dried porcini. Cook for 5 mins until the veg is soft and starting to brown. Sprinkle over the sugar, then stir in the tomato purée, fish sauce and vinegar. Simmer until the mixture is slightly thickened, then stir in the meat, milk and tomatoes. Use the wine to swill out the tomato cans and stir this into the pan. Season, then nestle in the parmesan rind. Bring to a simmer, then cover and transfer to the oven. Cook for 3 hrs. 3 When the bolognese is cooked, tip as many portions as you need into a large frying pan over a medium heat. Leave any remaining bolognese to cool completely, then portion into sealed containers and freeze for three months. You can then tip frozen portions into a saucepan and heat until piping hot. Cook the spaghetti in a pan of boiling salted water until al dente, then add to the sauce with a bit of the pasta water and finish cooking for 2 mins. Stir in the parmesan and a drizzle more olive oil. Spoon the pasta and bolognese into bowls, scatter with the reserved basil and serve with more parmesan.

GOOD TO KNOW calcium • 2 of 5-a-day

PER SERVING 500 kcals • fat 32g • saturates 13g • carbs 17g • sugars 13g • fibre 5g • protein 29g • salt 1.7g