Bolognese is a sauce that doesn’t reward rushing — its real flavor only shows up after a long, slow simmer, once the vegetables, meat, and tomatoes have had time to melt into one rich whole. An hour of cooking might sound like a lot for a weeknight dinner, but most of that time the sauce is basically looking after itself, needing only the occasional stir while you get on with other things in the kitchen.

Finely chopping the onion, carrot, and celery — Italy’s famous soffritto — sets the foundation for the whole sauce, so it’s worth not rushing through this step. Milk, stirred in near the end of cooking, softens the acidity of the tomatoes and gives the sauce a noticeably silkier texture — a trick that rarely shows up in recipes but makes a real difference to the result.

Wine isn’t essential, but it adds real depth thanks to the light acidity and complexity that comes from cooking off the alcohol. If you don’t have any on hand, the sauce will still turn out well — just a touch simpler in flavor.

Cook the spaghetti separately and combine it with the sauce right before serving, so the pasta doesn’t turn soft and soggy. A good trick is to save a little of the pasta water and add a couple of spoonfuls to the skillet along with the spaghetti and sauce, tossing everything together over low heat — it helps the sauce cling to every strand. Serve immediately with a generous helping of grated Parmesan.