Spaghetti Bolognese

Ingredients

• 15ml oil, total — staple
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed — staple
• 1 onion (about 120g), diced — staple
• 600g raw pork mince, replaces beef
• 1.6 beef stock cubes — staple
• 640g canned chopped tomatoes, mashed in the pan
• 24g tomato paste
• 6g brown sugar, optional — staple
• 8ml Worcestershire sauce — staple
• 2 dried bay leaves — staple
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme or oregano — staple
• 300g dry spaghetti
• 50g grated household hard cheese — staple
• 200g carrot, grated
• 200g courgette, grated
• 200g mushrooms, finely chopped

Method

1. Heat oil and soften onion, carrot, courgette and mushrooms for 6–8 minutes; add garlic.
2. Add pork mince and brown thoroughly, breaking it up. Add tomato paste, then canned tomatoes, crumbled stock cubes, Worcestershire, bay leaves and herbs. Add about 100ml water and optional sugar.
3. Simmer 25–35 minutes until meat is cooked through, vegetables tender and sauce thickened. Add water as needed; remove bay leaves before serving.
4. Cook spaghetti until just al dente, drain and reserve cooking water.
5. Toss spaghetti through the meat-and-vegetable sauce, loosen with pasta water and serve with the measured cheese.

Notes

- Four-serve pork version; pork mince costs less per gram of protein than the suitable beef/chicken mince options priced this week. Meat, cheese, pasta and oil are balanced to keep the complete plate within the household ratio cap. No wine or raw vegetable accompaniment. - Macros are estimates for four servings, including the served carb and all measured cooking oil; brand values vary. Each serve has at least 150g cooked non-potato vegetables. - Flexible proteins remain allowed; reprice and recalculate portions and macros for future meat swaps. Never use lamb, pre-cooked recipe protein or an unrequested steak cut. - Cool leftovers promptly, refrigerate, and reheat until piping hot.