Ingredients

The following ingredients have 5 Servings
  • 1 x 500g pack beef mince
  • 1 x 30g pack basil
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 200g mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 medium carrots, grated coarsely
  • 2 medium courgettes, grated coarsely
  • 1 beef stock cube
  • 2 tbsp plain flour
  • grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • 400g dried tagliatelle
  • 40g finely grated Italian hard cheese

Instruction

  • Fry the beef mince in a large deep frying pan or casserole (no need for any oil), for about 8 minutes over a high heat until well browned, stirring to break it up as it cooks.
  • Take the basil leaves off the stalks and put aside. Finely chop the stalks and add to the mince with the garlic and mushrooms. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, then mix in the carrots and courgettes and cook for a further 2 minutes. Crumble in the stock cube and stir in the flour, cook for 1 minute then add half each of the lemon zest and juice plus 400ml boiling water and some seasoning.
  • Simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes, adding an extra splash of water if the sauce starts looking dry at any point, although it shouldn’t be swimming in liquid.
  • Meanwhile, add the tagliatelle to a large pan of salted boiling water and cook for 9-10 minutes until al dente, stirring to separate the noodles.
  • Roughly shred most of the basil leaves, keeping the small leaves to garnish. Mix into the beef ragu with the rest of the lemon juice and half the cheese. Drain the tagliatelle and toss together with the sauce. Divide between bowls and scatter with the rest of the cheese, lemon zest and basil leaves to serve.