Spaghetti with Beef and Carrot Tomato Sauce
A rich, slow-simmered minced beef and carrot tomato sauce tossed with spaghetti, finished with a splash of starchy pasta water so every strand is glossy and coated.
- Total
- 55 min
- Prep 15 · Cook 40
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Searing · Simmering
- Savory
- Stovetop
- Oven
Instructions
-
Fill the large pot with 1 l water, add 1 tsp salt, and set it over high heat to come to a boil.
~8 min
Salting the water seasons the pasta from within as it hydrates, and a rolling boil keeps strands moving so they do not stick.
-
While step 1 cooks
While the water heats, peel and finely chop the onion. Peel the carrots and cut them into 1 cm dice.
~7 min
-
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in the large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the minced beef and cook, breaking it up with the wooden spoon, until browned and no pink remains, about 6 to 8 minutes.
~8 min
Browning the beef in a hot pan triggers the Maillard reaction, building the deep savory flavor the sauce is built on.
Brown the beef in a single layer without stirring for the first couple of minutes so it develops a deep crust, which gives the sauce its savory backbone.
Searing Leave the beef undisturbed in a single layer for the first minutes to build a brown crust; crowding or stirring too early steams it grey.
-
Add the chopped onion and diced carrots to the pan. Cook, stirring, until the onion is soft and the carrots begin to soften, about 6 to 8 minutes.
~8 min
Sweating the onion and carrots in the beef fat softens them and releases sweetness before the tomatoes go in.
-
Pour in the can tomatoes, add 0.5 tsp salt and 0.5 tsp black pepper, and stir to combine. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and the carrots are tender, about 15 to 18 minutes.
~18 min
An uncovered simmer evaporates water so the sauce thickens and concentrates, letting it cling to the pasta later.
Simmering Keep a gentle bubble, not a rolling boil, and stir occasionally; the sauce is ready when it mounds slightly and the carrots yield.
-
Add the spaghetti to the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 9 to 11 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the starchy cooking water, then drain the spaghetti in the colander.
~11 min
Cooking to al dente leaves the pasta slightly firm so it finishes without going mushy when tossed in the hot sauce.
-
Add the drained spaghetti to the pan of sauce. Pour in 120 ml of the reserved starchy cooking water and toss over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, until the sauce looks glossy and clings to every strand. Add a splash more water if it seems dry.
~2 min
The starchy water emulsifies with the tomato and fat, thickening the sauce so it coats every strand instead of pooling.