Rigatoni with Bolognese sauce recipe

A richly flavoured pasta dish is a family winner. Photo / Fresh

There’s nothing quite like a plate of pasta with a rich Bolognese sauce. Rigatoni has a ridged shape and hollow centre, making it ideal to carry meaty, chunky sauces.

Rigatoni with Bolognese sauce

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 medium onions, finely diced

5 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

500g beef mince

½ cup red wine

2 cups beef stock

700g passata

2 Tbsp tomato paste

2 bay leaves

2 Tbsp fresh basil leaves, torn roughly

2 tsp dried oregano

½ tsp dried thyme

½ tsp sugar

¾ tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

To serve

400g rigatoni

75g Parmesan cheese, grated

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic, and fry for 5 minutes or until the onions turn clear and the garlic becomes fragrant.
2. Remove the vegetable mix from the pan and set aside. Return the pan to the heat and add the mince. Cook until well browned and the mince has broken apart into small clumps. Add the wine and reduce for 5 minutes. Return the vegetables to the mince, then stir in the beef stock and the passata.
3. Add tomato paste, herbs, sugar, salt and pepper. Mix well, then turn the heat down to a gentle simmer. Simmer for 1 hour, stirring gently every so often. Add a little water if the sauce is getting too thick.
4. Towards the end of the cooking time, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the rigatoni and cook as per the packet instructions. Drain and tip into the pan with the Bolognese sauce. Mix well.
5. Divide the pasta among bowls, top with grated Parmesan, and serve with a salad on the side.

– fresh.co.nz