Classic Pasta Bolognese

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make classic pasta Bolognese? Get the ingredients ready. I used spaghetti, but you can use absolutely any pasta, as long as it's durum-wheat. Any ground meat works; mine is a beef-and-pork mix. Pasta with ground beef will be lower in calories, while ground chicken makes it lighter and also not very high in calories. You can make the ground meat yourself or use store-bought.

2. Step 2:

   

   Make the meat sauce. How do you make the sauce? Wash and peel the carrot and onion. Grate the carrot on the coarse side, or cut it into cubes. Finely chop the onion too.

3. Step 3:

   

   In a skillet over medium heat, heat any vegetable oil for frying. Add the chopped onion and carrot. Stirring constantly, fry them until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the chilled or thawed ground meat and salt. Mix well, breaking up the big lumps of meat. Fry the meat with the vegetables for about 15 minutes over low heat, stirring now and then.

4. Step 4:

   

   Peel the tomatoes. To do this, cut a criss-cross in each one and pour boiling water over them for 2 minutes, then transfer them to cold water. The sudden temperature change makes the skin come off easily and quickly with a sharp knife. Finely chop the peeled tomatoes. Add them to the skillet with the sautéed vegetables and meat.

5. Step 5:

   

   Add the tomato paste and seasonings too: dried basil and parsley (in summer you can use fresh herbs — even tastier), and ground black pepper. Mix well. Pour in a cup of clean boiled water and stir again. Turn the heat to its lowest and simmer the sauce for about 25 minutes. Peel and mince the garlic and add it to the skillet with the sauce. Simmer for about 5 more minutes.

6. Step 6:

   

   Cook the pasta. How do you cook pasta? Bring salted water to a boil in a pot and add the spaghetti. Cook it to al dente (still slightly firm) for the time on the package. Drain the water. Add a little vegetable oil (ideally olive) to the pot of spaghetti and toss so the pasta doesn't stick together. Put the pasta on a plate with the Bolognese sauce on top. You can add grated cheese and herbs.