Start the pasta water. Fill a large pot with water, add a generous pinch of salt, and bring it to a rolling boil. You’ll hear the water roar as it reaches a full boil — that’s your cue to add the pasta later.

Brown the mince. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers and smells nutty. Add the beef mince and break it apart with a wooden spoon. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the meat turns from pink to a deep golden brown and you hear a satisfying sizzle. Any liquid should have evaporated, leaving only browned bits stuck to the pan — that’s flavour.

Sweat the vegetables. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion, carrot, and celery to the pan with the mince. Stir everything together and cook for 5 minutes. The vegetables will soften and become translucent, and the kitchen will smell sweet and savoury. The carrots will turn a brighter orange as they release their moisture.

Add the garlic and tomato purée. Stir in the minced garlic and tomato purée. Cook for 1 minute until the garlic becomes fragrant — you’ll smell it immediately — and the purée darkens to a rusty red colour.

Pour in the tomatoes and stock. Add the tinned tomatoes, beef stock, dried oregano, and dried basil. Stir well, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer — you’ll see small bubbles breaking the surface, not a violent boil. Reduce the heat to low and let it bubble away for 15 minutes. The sauce will thicken and turn a rich, deep red.

Cook the pasta. When the sauce has about 10 minutes left, add the spaghetti to the boiling water. Stir immediately so the strands don’t stick. Cook according to the packet instructions until al dente — the pasta should be tender but still offer a slight resistance when you bite into it. Drain the pasta in a colander, reserving about a cup of the starchy pasta water.

Combine and serve. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper. If it seems too thick, stir in a splash of the reserved pasta water until it reaches a silky consistency. Add the drained pasta to the sauce and toss well with tongs, coating every strand. Serve immediately with grated Parmesan if desired.