Everyone has their own little twists on bolognese sauce, but here’s a simple one for you!

These giant pasta shells, or Conchiglioni Rigati in Italian, look fantastic on the plate.

If you want to get creative and have a little time, undercook the shells slightly, drain, and then lay them in a single layer on a baking tray.

Next, fill each shell with sauce, grate over some Parmesan cheese, add a basil leaf to each, and bake in a 180°C oven until the cheese has melted and is golden.

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Serves 6

Ingredients

1kg Beef mince
500g Lamb mince (or pork)
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt & pepper
6 cloves garlic, crushed
2 carrots grated or finely chopped
4 stalks of celery grated or finely chopped
1 zucchini grated
2 onions finely chopped or grated
8-10 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 bottles passata
3 tins chopped tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 cup stock
Basil leaves
1 pack large pasta shells
Parmesan cheese, to serve
More basil leaves to garnish

Method

Heat a deep frypan over medium heat.

Add olive oil and mince and season with salt and pepper.

Cook until the mince has browned, breaking it up as you go.

Add garlic, carrot, onion, celery and zucchini. Continue cooking, stirring every couple of minutes, until all the liquid has cooked away.

Once the mince has a nice dark brown colour, add the tomato paste and cook, stirring for about a minute.

Add the passata, tin tomatoes, bay leaves and stock and stir to combine.

Taste for salt and pepper and add a handful of fresh basil.

Cook for about an hour over low heat.

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Toss pasta through the bolognese sauce, grate over Parmesan cheese, and serve with a few basil leaves.