Bolognese tastes better if you stir in 1 kitchen ingredient

A chef has shared his top tip to cook ‘restaurant-quality’ spaghetti bolognese at home every time. Prep Kitchen’s Head of Food, Chef Paul Mason, has said stirring in a spoonful of a controversial spread into bolognese could make a massive difference and ‘transform the dish’.

An authentic Italian bolognese sauce, known as ragù alla bolognese, is made with just a handful of essential ingredients. It primarily features ground meats, a finely chopped aromatic base, tomatoes, wine, and dairy, all working together to create its distinctive, rich and savoury taste.

In the UK, people commonly enjoy “spag bol” in a less authentic way. Typically, people opt for a substantial meat sauce made mostly of tomatoes and served over spaghetti. This British variation strays from genuine Italian recipes by using a lot of canned tomatoes and generally contains minced beef, garlic, onions, grated carrots, mushrooms, and assorted herbs.

No matter how people choose to cook their version, Paul Mason says adding one kitchen cupboard item to your recipe can make bolognese taste like it’s been made in a restaurant. Paul is Michelin-trained and is responsible for creating and developing the meals on the Prep Kitchen menu.

Some people may love or hate the ingredient Paul recommends, as the food spread is known for being controversial. However, for those who enjoy the taste or are keen to add extra flavour to their bolognese, Paul suggests using Marmite.

Speaking to the Daily Express, he said Marmite acts as a powerful natural flavour enhancer. He explained: “Add half a teaspoon of Marmite to your bolognese, chilli or beef stew and it transforms the whole dish. The reason it works comes down to umami, the deep, savoury, mouth-filling taste that makes restaurant food so moreish.”

“Marmite is one of the richest sources of natural glutamate you can buy, which is the compound responsible for that savoury depth. A small amount melted into the sauce adds richness and a meaty, slow-cooked quality without tasting remotely of Marmite itself.”

He added: “Nobody will guess it is in there. They will just think you have been simmering it all day.”

Another top tip Paul recommends for cooking ragu at home is to use Parmesan rind. He said: “Next time you get to the end of a block of Parmesan, do not throw the rind away.

“Drop it straight into your ragu, bolognese or even a cottage pie as it cooks, then fish it out before serving. As it simmers, it slowly releases an incredible depth of savoury, cheesy umami into the sauce.

“It is something we never waste in a professional kitchen, and the beauty of it is you get all that richness without needing a heavy cream sauce. A genuinely brilliant hack that costs you nothing.”