Five veg beef Ragu

Unbalanced

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Take everything out of the fridge as meat cooks much better if at room temperature and won't go chewy.

Step 2

Heat the olive oil in a large, wide-based pan, add the onion and cook for a few minutes over medium-low heat until softened.

Step 3

Add the carrots, celery, courgette, mushrooms and garlic and cook gently for about 10 minutes until very soft.

Step 4

Throw in the rosemary and thyme and stir quickly. Turn up the heat and add the minced beef, breaking up the lumps with a wooden spoon and allowing the beef to sizzle and brown for about 5 minutes. Leave the mince to brown, untouched, for another 5 minutes to allow tasty morsels to emerge at the bottom of the pan. Pour in the red wine, scraping to deglaze the pan of all those bits.

Step 5

Next, add the tomatoes and 250ml of the stock and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down, partially cover the pan with the lid and leave to simmer very gently for 1½ hours. Give it a stir, add the tomato purée, seasoning and more stock if the mixture looks dry. Leave to bubble away, partially covered, for 2 hours until nicely rich and thick.

Step 6

When serving with your pasta, scoop large spoonfuls into the drained pasta pan and mix together before individually plating