Spaghetti Bolognese

I suck at making bolognese. Don't know why, I can just never get it right. <- me, yesterday.
So I asked some knowledgeable friends for help. And would you look at this! I can now make great bolognese! I was missing two ingredients: sugar and Vegemite. Unlikely ingredients, so I don't feel like a horrible cook for not thinking to add them. Well, maybe a little for the sugar, which cuts out the acidity of the tomatoes.

So here is my bolognese recipe, which is now a LOT better than it was! Spawn even had seconds!

INGREDIENTS:
500g beef mince
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped finely
2 pieces shortcut bacon, diced
1 400g tin diced tomatoes
2 tbspn tomato paste
1 carrot, grated
2 bay leaves
1 tspn paprika
2 tbspn mixed herbs
1/2 tspn Vegemite
1/2 tspn sugar (I used raw, which I dissolved before adding, but brown works best)
1 tspn Worcestershire sauce
1 tbspn soy sauce
1-2 cups beef stock
Optional: sliced mushrooms, chilli

METHOD:
Cook onion, garlic and bacon in a pan over medium heat until the onion begins to soften, then add beef and cook until brown. Add tomatoes and paste, stirring to combine before adding remaining ingredients. NOTE: only add one cup of stock- slowly add more as needed during the cooking time. I ended up adding about 1 1/2 cups of stock in total.
Cook on low for as long as you can - I cooked the sauce for a little under two hours and it was amazing, but I was told up to eight hours makes the meat super tender and delicious.
Stir occasionally to prevent sticking, and add stock or salt as needed, in small increments.

Serve with pasta and sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan. Alternatively, this makes a fantastic base for lasagna, teamed with the white sauce from my cauliflower cheese recipe! 😍

Enjoy!

- L. x