One Pot Spiced Mince Linguine
by Meliz Berg
I have grown up eating pasta cooked directly in the sauce and I adore the way the pasta soaks up the flavour of the juices while it bubbles away. Ensure to gently push long strands of linguine into the sauce as they cook, and stir it as it softens to ensure the strands don’t clump together in the sauce or stick to the bottom of the pan. Saucy and delicious, and laden with lashings of grated hellim (halloumi cheese) and dried mint, this really is a simple, midweek treat. Feel free to swap the linguine for spaghetti.
Method
Based on 4 servings, adjust as needed.
Step 1
In a large jug, whisk the crumbled stock cube into 800ml boiling water (if cooking for 4) until fully dissolved, and leave to one side.
Step 2
Add the olive oil to a large, deep, non-stick pan and place on the hob over a medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onion to the pan, sprinkle in a little salt, turn up the heat a little and cook the onion for around 5–6 minutes until it starts to caramelise around the edges.
Step 3
Add the mince, turn the heat up, and break down the mince with the back of a wooden spoon. Stir the onion into the mince, then leave the mince to brown without stirring. After 3–4 minutes, once the underside of the mince is crispy, add the garlic, pul biber (crushed chillis), ground cinnamon, half of the dried mint, black pepper and some sea salt flakes to the pan, and stir well.
Step 4
Add the tatlı biber salçası (or sun dried tomato paste), stir it well into the mince, add the chopped tomatoes and stir again, leaving the tomatoes to sizzle into the meat for a minute or two. Fill up the empty tomato tin with cold water (if serving 4) and top up the stock with enough water from the tin to bring the liquid in the jug up to 1 litre (if serving 4).
Step 5
Pour the stock and the milk into the pan, stir, and once it comes up to the boil, add the linguine to the pan, gently separating the strands into the sauce. Turn the hob down to a low-medium heat. Keep an eye on the linguine for the first couple of minutes, and once it starts softening, ensure to push down any of the pasta slightly sticking out of the pan into the sauce, continuing to gently swish and separate the strands with a large pair of tongs.
Step 6
Once the linguine has softened into the pan, cook for around 10–12 minutes, gently stirring with the tongs every couple of minutes, until the pasta is cooked through but still a little al dente. Serve in large bowls, and sprinkle generously with the hellim (halloumi) and remaining dried mint.
- Ingredients
- Based on 4 servings
-
3tbsp Olive Oil 1x Sainsbury's Olive Oil 500ml -
1 Onion, finely chopped 1x Sainsbury's Onions Loose -
0.25 tsp Ground Cinnamon 1x Sainsbury's Ground Cinnamon 38g -
500g Beef Mince 1x Sainsbury's British or Irish 5% Fat Beef Mince 500g -
5 Garlic Cloves, finely grated 1x Sainsbury's Garlic -
2 tsp Dried Mint 1x Sainsbury's Mint 12g -
Maldon Salt, to taste 1x Maldon Sea Salt Flakes 250g -
100ml Milk 1x Sainsbury's British Whole Milk 568ml (1 pint) -
150g Halloumi, finely grated 1x Sainsbury's Cypriot Halloumi Cheese 225g -
300g Dried Linguine 1x Sainsbury's Linguine Pasta 500g -
2 tbsp Tatlı Biber Salças, or sun dried tomato paste 1x Gia Sun Dried Tomato Puree 70g -
1 Chicken Stock Cube, or vegetable 1x Sainsbury's Stock Cubes, Vegetable 10x10g -
1tsp Pul Biber, crushed chilli, Aleppo pepper orTurkish red pepper flakes 1x Sainsbury's Crushed Chillies 32g -
400g Tinned Chopped Tomatoes 1x Sainsbury's Chopped Tomatoes Can 400g