This gluten free spaghetti bolognese recipe is an absolute classic. An easy dinner idea with a tasty gluten free pasta sauce. Perfect for the whole family. This recipe serves four and is best cooked low and slow - it takes around one hour to cook, or is even better when made the night before and reheated!
Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to a large, non-stick lidded pan and heat on a low heat. Add the onions, celery, carrots and garlic and fry for 5-7 minutes until they soften and the onions begin to go translucent. You'll want to stir them occasionally during this time.
Add the second tablespoon of oil to the pan, along with the dried basil and oregano. Stir so the herbs are evenly mixed then turn the heat up to a medium-to-high heat. Once the pan is sizzling, add the beef mince and use a wooden or silicone spatula/spoon to break it up in the pan. Keep stirring and breaking the mince up until it is all brown and there are no pink bits left (approx another 4-5 minutes).
Next add the tinned tomatoes, passata, red wine, tomato puree and Knorr stock pot to the pan. Stir the mix through to ensure it's completely mixed and bring to the boil. Then, once bubbling, turn the heat right down to low, pop a lid on, and leave to simmer for 45 minutes. Keep stirring occasionally during this time, to ensure it's not sticking. You want it to be bubbling gently, so if it starts to boil furiously then turn the heat down some more or move to a smaller hobb.
When the sauce has around 15-20 minutes left, bring some water to the boil in a separate pan. Salt the water and add a drop of olive oil, and then cook the gluten free spaghetti as per the pack instructions (usually around 10 minutes). BEFORE draining the pasta, scoop approx 2 tbsp of the pasta water from the pan and reserve (see notes). Drain the spaghetti.
Once the bolognese sauce is cooked, add the spaghetti plus the reserved pasta water to the sauce. Stir through using a pasta serve or tongs to ensure the sauce is mixed well and all of the spaghetti is coated. Serve in pasta bowls and sprinkle with torn fresh basil and grated parmesan to taste.
Notes
I always use beef mince which is at least 10% fat content as I find this gives a much nicer texture and flavour to the dish. The higher the better! I know some people prefer a leaner beef mince which is fine, but it may alter the flavour and tastes a little.
Reserving the pasta water is a key step here as the starchy water gives a lovely, silky texture to the finished dish and helps the sauce to stick to the pasta better! Don't worry if you forget this step - but definitely remember it for next time!