Spaghetti Bolognese

• 5 g Olive oil (1 tsp)
• 50 g raw Onion (1.8 oz raw)
• 40 g raw Carrot (1.4 oz raw)
• 30 g raw Celery (1.1 oz raw)
• 6 g raw (2 cloves) Garlic
• 150 g raw Lean ground beef (5% fat) (5.3 oz raw)
• 16 g Tomato paste (1 tbsp)
• 180 g Crushed tomatoes (¾ cup)
• 1 g Dried oregano (1 tsp)
• 85 g dry Spaghetti (3.0 oz dry)
• 15 g Parmesan (3 tbsp)
• 3 g (1.5 g for the sauce, 1.5 g for the pasta water) Salt (½ tsp (¼ tsp for the sauce, ¼ tsp for the pasta water))
• 1,060 g (1 liter for the pasta, 60 g for the sauce) Water (about 4½ cups (4 cups for the pasta, ¼ cup for the sauce))

You'll need: Large frying pan or wide pot, Large pot, Colander, Wooden spoon, Knife, Cutting board, Grater.

Method

1. Chop the vegetables

   Cut the onion, carrot and celery into pieces about the size of a pea. Mince the garlic.

   Small pieces melt into the sauce. Big chunks stay crunchy and look out of place.

2. Soften the vegetables

   Heat the oil in the large pan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery and stir now and then for 5 minutes, until soft and the onion looks see-through. Add the garlic for the last minute.

   Don't brown them. Soft and sweet is what you want, so lower the heat if they sizzle hard.

3. Brown the beef and simmer

   Push the vegetables aside and add the beef. Break it up with the spoon and cook for 5 minutes, until no pink is left and it reaches 71°C (160°F). Stir in the tomato paste for 1 minute, then add the crushed tomatoes, oregano, half the salt and 60 g of the water. Simmer on low, uncovered, for 25 minutes, until thick and the spoon leaves a trail.

   Break the beef into small crumbs as it cooks. Lumps are hard to fix later.

4. Boil the spaghetti

   While the sauce simmers, bring 1 liter (4 cups) of the water to a boil in the large pot with the rest of the salt. Add the spaghetti and cook for 10 minutes, or 1 minute less than the package says. Drain.

   The water should taste lightly salty. That's the only chance to season the pasta itself.

5. Toss and serve

   Add the spaghetti to the sauce and toss for 1 minute over low heat. Pile onto a plate and grate the parmesan over the top.

   Finish the pasta in the sauce, not under it. The sauce clings far better.

Swaps

• Ground beef → Ground turkeyLeaner, with a milder flavor. Add a splash more oil so it doesn't dry out.
• Parmesan → Nutritional yeastGives a similar savory kick without dairy.