Spaghetti bolognese will taste better if you swap mince for 1 surprising ingredient
Spaghetti bolognese is a super popular meal with Brits, but recipe expert Mimi Morley said you can make it taste better if you don't use mince.
When it comes to much-loved meals in the UK, it's fair to say that spaghetti bolognese ranks highly for many, as people love tucking into the popular pasta dish. However, according to a recipe expert, you can take the dish to the next level by swapping mince for something else.
Little you may know, in Italy, "spaghetti bolognese" doesn't really exist. There is a dish called ragù alla bolognese that's instead traditionally served with fresh, egg-based pastas like tagliatelle, lasagne or tortellini, not spaghetti - so it seems like Brits put their own spin on it to make it the celebrated dish it is today.
In Italy, the idea behind the original dish was for the thick, rich ragù to cling to the pasta and, while some places may serve spaghetti with a meat sauce (spaghetti al ragù), it's considered a less traditional combination and more of a regional variation or tourist offering. Despite this, chefs offer all sorts of tips to try and enhance the dish's flavour.
Mimi Morley, Senior Recipe Development Manager at HelloFresh, is known for offering all sorts of cooking tips, and she recently shared some unusual advice. According to her, it's best to ditch mince and use a different type of meat to enhance the flavour of spaghetti bolognese.
With HelloFresh having over 200,000 followers on Instagram, the food expert is someone you may want to listen to. Her quirky piece of advice may take you by surprise.
Mimi said: "I sometimes like to use sausage meat instead of beef and pork mince for my bolognese for some extra sausagey flavour (I know it’s not authentic)."
Typically, minced or ground meat is considered a key ingredient of the dish. Some say it defines the dish's characteristic texture and is essential to its flavour.
While minced beef is a traditional and common choice, blends of beef, pork and even veal are also frequently used, with options like ground turkey or chicken also utilised in a bid to make lighter versions too.
Meanwhile, in Italy, a more traditional sauce would comprise of onion, carrot and celery together with a mixture of ground beef and pork. Many Italians also use pancetta in their recipes.
While people's recipes may differ, they can use all sorts of ingredients to enhance flavour. For Mimi, it just happens to be sausage meat.
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The benefits of sausage meat
Little you may know, many people opt to use sausage meat to make bolognese. It's quite a common way for some people to make the dish.
To do this, you can either use pre-made sausages and remove the casings to break down the meat, or buy bulk sausage meat directly from a butcher. Doing this will help to create a hearty, meaty sauce and you can choose between sweet or hot Italian sausage, depending on what you prefer.
Adding Italian sausage to the dish can lead to significantly enhancing its flavour. It can also help to make the sauce more complex.
This is because the spices and pork in the sausage infuse into the ragu during cooking, which leads to a richer, more satisfying dish. Whether you use hot, sweet or mild Italian sausage, it can make a big difference.
It should lead to developing a really rich flavour that can transform a basic bolognese into something more memorable and complex.