Spaghetti Bolognese with zucchini and peppers

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 400 g minced beef
• 1 can tomatoes, chopped, 400 g
• 200 ml beef broth
• 150 g pasta (spaghettoni)
• 1 piece(s) zucchini, approx. 1/6 of a normal sized
• 1 onion(s)
• ½ bell pepper(s), red
• 1 garlic clove(s)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp smoked salt
• 1 tsp, heaped paprika powder, sweet
• 1 tsp, heaped parsley
• 1 tsp, heaped basil
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp, heaped pepper, black
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 pinch(s) nutmeg
• 2 tsp, heaped oregano

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour 20 minutes

Place the ground beef in a bowl along with the smoked salt, soy sauce, and a pinch of nutmeg. Mix everything together well and knead into a dough. Heat a pan with olive oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot enough, take fingertip-sized pieces of the ground beef and add them to the pan. Meanwhile, finely dice the zucchini, onion, garlic, and bell pepper. Once the ground beef is lightly browned, add the zucchini, garlic, and onion to the pan and continue to fry with the lid closed over medium heat. Press the chopped tomatoes through a sieve to separate the liquid from the pulp. Add the tomato pulp to the pan and fry for 3 minutes, mixing well. When the ground beef is lightly browned, add the beef broth and bring to a boil briefly. Once the sauce is boiling, stir in the liquid from the tomatoes and add the finely diced half bell pepper. Add paprika, pepper, oregano, parsley, basil, and sugar to the sauce and simmer on low heat. Note: Add paprika and pepper at the end, not while cooking the meat, as both become bitter when heated and seared. Sugar intensifies the tomato flavor. While the sauce is simmering, bring water to a boil and cook the spaghettoni (slightly thicker spaghetti). Once the pasta has the desired bite, add 2 tablespoons of the pasta water to the sauce to thicken it and stir well. Tip: If you don’t like the smoky flavor, you can also use regular sea salt.