A bowl of steaming hot pasta topped with rich, hearty bolognese sauce is our family favorite spaghetti bolognese. The sauce takes 45 minutes and the pasta takes 10 minutes to cook.
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If you ask my kids what to cook for dinner, oftentimes, they will say spaghetti bolognese. This is one of those recipes you can make ahead of time. If you have guests coming over make the bolognese sauce up to 2 days ahead or freeze it for a month.
About this spaghetti bolognese
There are just two components - the pasta and the meat sauce.
For the pasta, a classic spaghetti is used. And yet, you can certainly use your family favorite variety of pasta. This bolognese sauce is finger-licking good. Don't forget to serve some nice wholesome crusty bread with it. So, you leave nothing on your plate.
To add some variation, sometimes, I use roasted garlic instead of fresh garlic, grated zucchini in the sauce. Finely chopped sweet potato is absolutely delicious with the ground meat as well.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Beef - I like using ground beef with about 18 to 20% fat. If you use very lean the meat tends to get too dry.
- Pork - I like some ground pork for flavor. You can also use pancetta instead of the ground pork.
- Tomatoes - Today, I'm using canned. I prefer to use two different varieties for additional flavor. Because we are using canned tomatoes, we cook it for only an hour. If we used fresh tomatoes, it would need to be cooked for at least 2 - 1 ½ hours.
- Veggies - Classic carrots, celery, and onions are all I'm using, but mushrooms work as well.
- Seasoning - I'm using a ready blend of Italian seasoning, which I always have on hand. If you want, you can also use fresh.
- Wine - White wine most commonly used, but I do love the flavor of red wine in my bolognese sauce. It also adds a nice deep color to the sauce.
- Parmesan - A little goes a long way. It really adds a nice nutty flavor to the meat.
Video - Bolognese
Step by step instructions
For the bolognese sauce
- In a Dutch oven or heavy bottom sauté pan, add olive oil.
- Sauté garlic, carrots, celery, and onions until translucent.
- Then, add the ground beef and pork. Break apart the beef into smaller pieces.
- Sauté until you see no more pink meat.
- Add the Italian seasoning and bay leaves - continue to cook and breaking the meat apart.
- Then, add the canned tomatoes and tomato paste.
Season with salt and pepper. - Followed by the wine - cook on high for 2 minutes.
- Then, add the water, fresh thyme, and basil.
- Cover and cook for an hour on low stirring every 15 minutes. Adding a little water if necessary to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Taste and adjust seasoning.
Cook the pasta
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil with salt.
- Add spaghetti and cook for 10 minutes or until al dente (read directions on package).
- Remove the spaghetti from the water and into the sauce.
- Alternatively, you can serve the sauce topped over the pasta.
10 tips for cooking pasta perfectly every single time
- Use a large pot of water when boiling pasta to prevent a mess on the stovetop.
- Use 4 times the amount of water for your pasta - For example, to boil one cup pasta use at least 4 cups water.
- Always bring the water to the boil before adding pasta or the pasta will be sticky.
- Salt the water generously more than you think you need as this is the only time you will be able to season the pasta on its own.
- Never add oil to the pasta when cooking. This will create a non-stick surface on the pasta that prevents the sauce from sticking.
- Pick the right pasta for the right sauce. For example, long pasta such as spaghetti for oil and tomato-based sauces, or penna and large shapes for cream and meat-based sauces.
- The pasta cooking time on the package is a suggestion - always taste pasta to know if it's done. Most dry pasta takes about 10 to 12 minutes while fresh pasta often takes less than 2 minutes.
- Pasta must be cooked "al dente", which means it must be tender yet have a bite.
- If you plan to cook pasta long before serving, it's a good idea to keep it a minute underdone as it will continue to cook with the residue heat in the sauce.
- Never drain the pasta into a colander and never rinse the pasta. Instead, remove the pasta from the pot (preferably directly into the sauce).
Frequently asked questions
This pasta will keep in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. When you need to reheat it - add a few tablespoons of water to help the sauce blend again.
Boil water with salt in a large pot at least 4 times the quantity of pasta. So, 1 cup pasta would need at least 4 cups of water.
Once the water comes to a boil, add the pasta and give it a good stir.
Let the pasta cook for about 8 to 12 minutes.
The best way to check pasta is to taste it. It has to be Al Dente - meaning soft but still have a bite.
Drain the pasta and set aside until ready to use it into the sauce.
A classic bolognese has carrots, celery, and onions but you can certainly make it your own by adding any veggies your family enjoys.
The classic spaghetti bolognese is made with a mixture of beef and pork. I've made bolognese with beef, lamb, and pork but you can certainly use chicken for a twist. If you do use chicken I suggest using ground thighs or legs compared to the chicken breast to prevent it from drying out. You will also need to cook it for less time, 25 minutes. Check out my chicken with pasta in 15 minutes.
Yes, in fact, using milk is quite common in bolognese sauce. You can add ½ cup of milk at the end of cooking. It helps thicken the sauce too.
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Printable Recipe
Easy Spaghetti Bolognese
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Ingredients
For the sauce
- 1 lb (500 g) Ground beef ((20% fat))
- 4 oz (100 g) Ground pork (or pancetta)
- 2 cans (800 g) Tomatoes ((15 x 2 oz or 4 cups) crushed)
- 4 tablespoon Tomato paste
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil
- ½ cup Onions (finely chopped)
- ¼ cup Celery (finely chopped)
- ¼ cup Carrots (finely chopped)
- 1 teaspoon Garlic (thinly sliced)
- 2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 Bay leaves
- ½ cup Water
- ½ cup Wine (red or white)
- 2 tablespoon Thyme (fresh)
- 2 tablespoon Basil (fresh)
- 4 tablespoon Parmesan (grated)
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
- ½ cup (120 ml) Milk ((½ cup) - Optional)
For the pasta
- 1 lb (500 g) Pasta (spaghetti, pappardelle, tagliatelle, rigatoni)
Instructions
Bolognese sauce
- In a Dutch oven or heavy bottom saute pan, add olive oil.
- Saute garlic, carrots, celery, and onions until translucent.
- Then, add the ground beef and pork. Break apart the beef into smaller pieces.
- Saute until you see no more pink meat.
- Add the Italian seasoning and bay leaves - continue to cook and breaking the meat apart.
- Then, add the canned tomatoes and tomato paste.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Followed by the wine - cook on high for 2 minutes.
- Then, add the water, fresh thyme, and basil.
- Cover and cook for an hour on low stirring every 15 minutes. Adding a little water if necessary to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Taste and adjust seasoning.
- If using milk, add the milk now add turn the heat off. Give it a good stir until you are ready for the pasta.
Pasta
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil with salt.
- Remove the spaghetti from the water and into the sauce.
- Alternatively, you can serve the sauce topped over the pasta.
Recipe Notes & Tips
Tips for cooking a good meat sauce
- Use a Dutch oven or deep soup pot when making tomato-based sauces as tomato spatters while cooking
- Don't make haste, give every step the time it needs to saute, sweat, and stew.
- Cook the carrots, celery, and onions until they are soft and translucent so later they will almost disappear in an effort to thicken the sauce.
- The fat in the meat will render out and add an additional depth of flavor so try combining meats like beef and pork. If you don't have pork, use bacon or pancetta. Slice them fine and saute them with the onions
- Let the meat brown on medium-high stirring of. The caramelization adds depth of flavor to the sauce.
- Use a variety of tomatoes - different types of tomatoes bring different flavors and sweetness
- If you use fresh tomatoes - cook the sauce for 2 to 3 hours.
- Undercook the pasta if you plan to keep it for a while before servings. It will cook further while it sits in the hot sauce.
- Make extra sauce but don't drown the pasta in the sauce. Remove some and save for later.
- Extra sauce is amazing over pizza!!
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
Mary
This is such a delicious bolognese! My family loves it!
Veena Azmanov
I am so happy to hear that, Mary. Thank you for the feedback