Spaghetti Bolognese with Meatballs and Bacon, or Hamill Italiano

Method

• step 1

  Preheat the oven to 200°C (Gas Mark 6) for the meatballs.

• step 2

  While the oven heats up, slice the bacon into small pieces. Also, if you are using one, dice the onion.

• step 3

  Place the meatballs on a baking tray and place in the oven. In order to save on washing up, you can cover the baking tray with tin foil to catch the fat the meatballs will produce.

• step 4

  While the meatballs cook in the oven, brown the mince in a large saucepan with the chopped onion, and shallow fry the bacon with a small amount of oil.

• step 5

  Once the mince has fully browned, the bacon cooked to satisfaction, and the meatballs are cooked through (check with a knife), strain off any excess fat from the mince and/or bacon and remove the meatballs from the oven.

• step 6

  Add the bacon and meatballs to the mince and mix together.

• step 7

  Place the spaghetti into a saucepan to cook and soften (pre-boiling the water in a kettle will speed up this process).

• step 8

  While the spaghetti cooks, add the bolognese sauce to the mixture of meat and mix it all together.

• step 9

  Add the worcestershire sauce, crushed OXO cube and your choice of herbs and spices to the mixture. I use garlic granules, an italian herbs mix, salt and pepper, but it is up to you if you want to add your own or use less.

• step 10

  Heat the mixture on a low-medium heat and allow it to simmer for around 10 minutes or until the spaghetti is cooked 'al dente'.

• step 11

  Strain the water from the spaghetti and then serve, if you want you can add grated cheese to the top.

• step 12

  Extra: If you want to be a bit more adventurous, you can forgo the spaghetti and use the mixture as the filling for a calzone.