My go-to for a rich and satisfying weeknight Spaghetti Bolognese. It only takes 30 minutes from start to finish. Simple ingredients, without skimping on taste.
It’s funny, I experiment with lots of recipes for Kitchen Sanctuary, but sometimes it takes me ages to publish a recipe for something we eat all the time!
I’ve been at this blogging thing for years – and I’ve never posted a recipe for spag bol? Shame on me!
Table of Contents
- 📺 Watch how to make it
- Pro Tip
- How does it compare to a traditional Italian Spaghetti Bolognese?
- 🍽️ What to serve it with
- 🍲 More fantastic Pasta recipes
- Spaghetti Bolognese Recipe
- Nutritional Information is per serving including spaghetti, but not including parmesan (I’ve no idea how much you’re going to add :-D)
We eat it so much, I can make this one with my eyes shut. Gracey makes it too (love it when she announces that she’s going to cook dinner ❤️️❤️️).
So let’s start off by saying this isn’t a 100% authentic Italian spaghetti bolognese. I don’t use two different kinds of minced meat, or pancetta or milk, and I don’t cook it for 3 hours. This is a quick dinner that totally hits the spot taste-wise and is ready quickly.
You can either make the bolognese and then spoon it on top of the pasta (like the image at the top of the page), or add the pasta to the pan with bolognese and mix it together like this:
How do you prefer to serve yours? Personally I like mine with the bolognese on top of the pasta.
📺 Watch how to make it
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post***
- First off we fry the onions until softened in a large frying pan (large skillet), then add in the garlic and fry for a minute.
- Add finely chopped carrots and mushrooms and fry again.
- Add the minced beef (ground beef) and fry, breaking up any lumps with a wooden spoon, until browned.
- Pour in half a glass of red wine, and allow it to bubble away until it’s reduced by three-quarters, then add tomato puree, oregano, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, a crumbled stock cube, a couple of tins of chopped tomatoes, a pinch of sugar and a little salt and pepper.
- Bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 minutes, while you cook your spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water. You could also swap out the dried spaghetti for my homemade pasta, which goes PERFECTLY with bolognese.
Once the spaghetti has cooked, drain it and divided it between your bowls, then top with bolognese and a sprinkling of spring onions and grated Parmesan cheese.
Pro Tip
I like to use tins of finely chopped tomatoes (Mutti and Tesco do tinned and Cirio does them in tetra paks). I find this makes a smoother thicker sauce (regular tinned tomatoes are usually chunkier with a thinner, more watery sauce).
How does it compare to a traditional Italian Spaghetti Bolognese?
Traditional spaghetti bolognese often uses beef and pork mince and pancetta. You might also find it with finely chopped celery (that go in with the carrots) and milk in it too. A traditional version is often also cooked for a lot longer (2-3 hours). These are all great additions, and cooking for a long time will always ensure a rich and tasty sauce. I do it this way occasionally, but I do my fast, easy version most of the time.
My version:
……also has some additional ingredients that you may not see in a truly authentic version. I add Worcestershire sauce, tomato puree and a crumbled stock cube for extra flavour and richness (remember, we’re only simmering for 15 minutes or so, so these additions make up for the reduced cooking time), and I also add a little sugar to balance the acidity of the tomatoes. I also add mushrooms, because I love them.
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It🍽️ What to serve it with
- Easy homemade garlic bread or Dutch Oven Bread
- A simple green salad
- Try my fresh homemade pasta (no pasta machine needed!)
🍲 More fantastic Pasta recipes
The wine adds a little extra richness to the dish. You can leave it out if you prefer, or you could replace with 1/2 cup (120ml) beef stock and an extra splash of Worcestershire sauce.
Yes, bolognese is a great way to get extra veg into your meal, and it can also bulk it out more if you want to reduce the amount of meat in it. I prefer to keep the veg fairly finely chopped – as great big lumps of vegetable just don’t work with a ragu like this.
Try adding finely chopped celery, peppers (bell peppers), courgette (zucchini) or aubergine (eggplant).
Yes you can make the bolognese ahead (I don’t recommend cooking the pasta ahead of time), we think it tastes even better when made ahead and reheated – as it allows the flavours to develop even further. Once cooked, cool quickly, cover and refrigerate for up to two days. Reheat in a pan or the microwave until piping hot throughout. You may need to add a splash of water or stock to loosen up the sauce when reheating.
You can freeze the bolognese sauce (not the pasta). Once cooked, cool, then split into portions if necessary, cover and freeze. Defrost in the fridge overnight, then reheat in a pan or the microwave until piping hot throughout.
Yes, you can double or halve the bolognese sauce, sticking to the same ingredient ratios. I love to double up when I make a bolognese, so I can freeze half for a future dinner.
If you’re doubling the recipe, make sure you have a large enough frying pan, and allow an extra 10-20 minutes, as it will take longer to chop the vegetables, fry the minced beef and simmer the sauce.
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Spaghetti Bolognese
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion peeled and finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 1 carrot peeled and finely diced
- 3 chestnut mushrooms finely diced
- 450 g (1 lb) minced beef (ground beef) I often use 400g instead of 450g, as shops seem to sell them in 400g packs these days. So if you can only get a 400g pack, that's fine.
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) red wine
- 3 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 beef stock cube crumbled
- 2 x 400 g (2 x 14 oz) tins finely chopped tomatoes
- ½ tbsp light brown sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 300 g (10.5 oz) dried spaghetti or fresh pasta
To serve:
- small bunch spring onions (scallions) chopped
- grated parmesan
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, until the onion softens.1 tbsp olive oil, 1 onion
- Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.2 cloves garlic
- Add the carrot and mushrooms and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.1 carrot, 3 chestnut mushrooms
- Add the minced beef and cook for 5-6 minutes, until browned. Stir often, breaking up any large chunks of meat with a spatula.450 g (1 lb) minced beef (ground beef)
- Add the wine. Bring to the boil and let it bubble for 2-3 minutes until reduced by three-quarters.120 ml (1/2 cup) red wine
- Add the tomato puree, oregano, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, beef stock cube, tinned tomatoes, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 15 -20 minutes until thickened.3 tbsp tomato puree, 1 tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp dried thyme, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 beef stock cube, 2 x 400 g (2 x 14 oz) tins finely chopped tomatoes, ½ tbsp light brown sugar, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper
- Meanwhile, boiled a large pan of salted water. Add the spaghetti and cook for 10-12 minutes until al dente.300 g (10.5 oz) dried spaghetti or fresh pasta
- Drain the spaghetti and divide between 4 bowls.
- Spoon the bolognese on top of the spaghetti and sprinkle on the spring onions and parmesan before serving.grated parmesan, small bunch spring onions (scallions)
Video
Notes
Can I make it gluten free?
Yes – ensure you use a gluten-free stock cube, gluten-free Worcestershire sauce and of course gluten-free spaghetti and you’re all set.Can I leave out the wine?
The wine adds a little extra richness to the dish. You can leave it out if you prefer, or you could replace with 1/2 cup (120ml) beef stock and an extra splash of Worcestershire sauce.Can I add in extra veg?
Yes, bolognese is a great way to get extra veg into your meal, and it can also bulk it out more if you want to reduce the amount of meat in it. I prefer to keep the veg fairly finely chopped – as great big lumps of vegetable just don’t work with a ragu like this. Try adding finely chopped celery, peppers (bell peppers), courgette (zucchini) or aubergine (eggplant).Best beef mince
Go for a good quality beef mince that’s higher in fat. Remember fat equals flavour! I use Angus steak mince with 12%-15% fat. You can get away with the really lean mince (5% fat or lower), but it won’t be as rich and juicy.Nutritional Information is per serving including spaghetti, but not including parmesan (I’ve no idea how much you’re going to add :-D)
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe was first published in September 2019. Updated in September 2024 with extra FAQs and housekeeping.
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Omg love it, I make it with chicken mince and a chicken oxo cube, everything else exactly the same so tasty .
I made your Spaghetti Bolognese recipe and it was delicious 🤘🏽🤘🏽🤘🏽
Hey! Vegetarian here!, I actually made this just using vegetarian mince instead by vivera and I think it turned out quite well!:)
Is there a way to make this using lentils instead? Can you offer any advice on that? I’ve made this recipe and I absolutely love it. But need to do a vegetarian option
I’ve been making something close to this for a long time. I never made a traditional Bolognese, but I had a rough idea what it was, and I read that it has some vegetables. So I came up with my own of ground beef, zucchini, carrots, onion, garlic, tomatoes and seasonings (thyme, oregano, marjoram, salt and pepper). Lately I’ve started adding some chopped celery, because 1) I read that goes into the traditional Bolognese, and 2) I really like celery. The last batch was terrific.