Everyone knows that nailing the perfect plate of pasta is all about combining the right sauce with the right shape. Long, thin pastas like linguine and spaghetti allow the sauce to tangle and emulsify. Whether it’s spaghetti with lobster or linguine with clams, you want a delicious light sauce that clings to every strand.
Richer meat rags like bolognese need flatter, wider pastas like tagliatelle or pappardelle to accommodate all the small chunks of meat. Never ever will you see spaghetti bolognese in Italy!
tomato sauce, meanwhile, goes with everything, so I’ve shared two versions below. Fresh tomato sauce is really delicious but I sometimes struggle to find a really tasty tomato in the UK. A good canned San Marzano tomato is great, just as good as something fresh. Plus, it’s the perfect ingredient for a store cupboard. I know I can always make a delicious plate of pasta with a few cans of San Marzanos picked off the shelf.
Everyone has their own version of bolognese sauce, and mine is below. It’s quite traditional, with finely chopped steak, veal and a little lardo for richness. Feel free to swap lardo for pancetta, and you can use ground beef if you don’t have time to cut it into cubes.
But whatever you do, buy the best quality meat you can afford, because this sauce depends on the quality of the beef.
How to make pasta sauce from scratch
Fresh tomato pasta sauce
This thick tomato sauce made from ripe tomatoes, celery, and garlic is simmered for over an hour for maximum flavor and sweetness. It is best served with spaghetti or spaghettini.