Easy Spaghetti Bolognese

This Spaghetti Bolognese recipe is a quick and easy weeknight version of the traditional, slow-simmered Italian meal. It’s a homemade pasta dish with herbs, spices, and seasonings that is both filling and comforting. Learn how to make the best bolognese sauce with a few tips and tricks along the way!
Spaghetti Bolognese and I go back quite a while. I remember my mom making this classic Italian meal at home when I was growing up. To me, the scent of meaty tomato sauce simmering away on the stovetop is the definition of comfort food.But unlike my mom’s version that took hours on the stovetop, I’ve updated the recipe to make a quick bolognese sauce that can be prepared any night of the week. And the best part you ask? It is a crowd-pleaser.
​Made with a creamy bolognese sauce this weeknight pasta dish will be one you’ll make time and time again in about one-third of the time it used to take my mom. The trick is all about good-quality ingredients – the best type of meat, the right tomatoes, and fresh herbs and spices.

​Yields: 6 servings  Prep Time: 15 mins  Cook Time: 30 mins  Total: 45 mins

What is spaghetti bolognese?Spaghetti bolognese is just in the name – spaghetti tossed in a sauce made from tomatoes, minced beef, garlic, wine, herbs, and spices. It is a classic Italian dish that has some American roots.
A traditional bolognese sauce made in the northern city of Bologna, Italy is served with broad, flat noodles such as tagliatelle, pappardelle or fettuccine. Another popular way to prepare it is lasagna bolognese. The thinking is that the thick sauce blends better with wider-shaped pasta.
​But tossing the bolognese sauce with spaghetti is an Americanized version of the classic. In other words, much quicker and easier, perfect for busy weeknights.

Pasta Bolognese ingredients
The ingredients for pasta Bolognese are broken down into four main groups – the sauce, the meat, the herbs and spices, and the pasta and garnish.
Sauce ingredients

• Vegetable Oil – I like this start this traditional Bolognese with a mild Olive Oil from Italy.
• Onion + Garlic cloves – One large or two small onions and three cloves of garlic will produce a savory flavor that really allows the meat to shine. Many Bolognese sauce recipes start with what is known as a soffritto (onions, carrots, celery), but I find that less is more here. If you would like to go the more traditional route, simply replace half the onions with an equal amount of chopped celery and carrots.
• Diced Tomatoes – High-quality canned diced or crushed tomatoes will produce the most flavorful meat sauce. I prefer San Marzano tomatoes, which are sweeter and richer in flavor. However, you can also used cherry tomatoes (during the summer months) or even plu tomatoes.
• Tomato Paste – An Italian tomato paste is best. Purchase a tomato paste that comes in a tube, rather than the can.
• Red Wine – The flavors of the wine will concentrate as they cook down, so choose a medium-bodied, dry red wine such as Pinot Noir, Merlot or Chianti.
• Chicken Stock – I prefer the lighter flavor of chicken stock, but for a richer, more complex bolognese sauce, use beef broth instead. Always make sure to purchase a low-sodium variety.

Best meat for this recipe

• 85/15 Ground Beef – I prefer to use only ground beef (some also call it “minced beef”) for my bolognese sauce. A lot of recipes typically include some type of pork, such as pancetta (uncured Italian bacon) or ground pork, but since I am not a big pork eater to begin with, I stick with using all ground beef. As always, go with what works for you.

Alternatively, if you want you can use ground turkey or ground chicken as well.

PRO TIP: If you’d like a mix of meat rather than just one kind, many grocery stores sell a pre-mixed combination of ground beef, pork, and veal. It will be labeled as meatball mix or meatloaf mix. Simply ask your butcher if you can’t find it!
Herbs and spicesThe list of spices and herbs to put in my bolognese meat sauce recipe could be as long or as short as you want. Below are the ones I used but feel free to switch it up with whatever herbs and spices you have on hand.

• Oregano – Dried oregano is a wonderfully classic herb that sings all things Italian to me. Make sure you don’t skip it!
• Thyme + Bay Leaves – I used the entire thyme spring and tie it in kitchen twine with the bay leaf. The delicate leaves from the thyme fall right off, so all I have to do is remove the wrapped stems and leaf when the bolognese sauce is done cooking.
• Kosher Salt + Black Pepper – Use the amount called for in the recipe. At the end of cooking, taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.

Pasta and Garnish

• Dried Spaghetti – It’s spaghetti bolognese after all! We will talk more about how to cook pasta in a little bit, but any long shaped pasta, such as linguine or fettuccine, will work too.
• Fresh Basil – I included the basil in garnish since you want to add the basil just before serving. The residual heat from the pasta will lock in its fresh flavor and green color. If you were to add it to the sauce, the basil would wilt and turn black.
• Parmesan Cheese – A final sprinkling of Parmesan cheese is all this traditional bolognese meal needs.
• Optional: If you like heat, a pinch of red pepper flakes can also be sprinkled on top before serving.

Vertical Divider

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• ▢1 large or 2 small onion, chopped
• ▢1- pound ground beef 85% 15%
• ▢1 28 ounces can of diced tomatoes
• ▢2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ▢3 cloves of garlic minced
• ▢1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢1 sprig of thyme tied in a bundle
• ▢1 bay leaf
• ▢1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• ▢1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• ▢1/2 cup red wine
• ▢1 cup chicken stock
• ▢1/2 cup fresh basil roughly chopped
• ▢1 cup Parmesan cheese shredded
• ▢1 pound (16 oz.) dried spaghetti or linguini

VARIATIONS:

• Pork and Beef: Substitute half the ground beef with an equal amount of ground pork. To really bring out the pork flavor, before cooking the onions, render 4 oz of diced pancetta or bacon in the Dutch oven until browned and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon, pour off all but 2 Tablespoons of the pork fat, omit the vegetable oil and begin making the bolognese sauce recipe. Add the pancetta or bacon back in when you add the remaining herbs and seasonings.
• With Cream: Once you remove the spaghetti bolognese from the heat, stir in ½ cup of room temperature heavy cream for a smooth, luxurious sauce.
• Without Wine: Replace the wine with an equal amount of chicken or beef stock. Remember the beef stock will produce a richer, meatier flavor.
• With Worcestershire Sauce: Adding 1-2 Tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce will give you a rich bolognese sauce. It’s a secret tip that gives this sauce that extra bit of zing!
• With Jar Sauce: Replace the diced tomatoes and tomato paste with a large jar of your favorite store-bought spaghetti sauce. 

​​

​Instructions:
​

1. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven (or any other heavy bottom pot) in medium heat. Add onion. Cook until wilted, 7-9 minutes.
2. Stir in the tomatoes and tomato paste. Cook, stirring frequently for 5 minutes.
3. Add in the ground beef. Using a wooden spoon break it into smaller chunks. Cook, stirring frequently, until it is browned, 7-8 minutes.
4. Add the garlic, dried oregano, bundle thyme, salt, pepper, bay leaf, red wine, and chicken stock. Give everything a stir. Bring it to a simmer.
5. Reduce the heat to medium-low, put the lid on, and let it to cook for 20-25 minutes, making sure to stir occasionally.
6. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the spaghetti according to the instructions on its package. *Please read the Pro Tip below*
7. Once the spaghetti is ready, drain it in a colander.
8. Discard the thyme bundle and the bay leaf from the Bolognese sauce.
9. Add drained pasta into the sauce. Stir it all together making sure that the pasta is generously coated with the sauce.
10. Stir in the fresh basil and top it off with grated Parmesan cheese.
11. Serve.

​Nutrition
Calories: 623kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 66mg | Sodium: 810mg | Potassium: 521mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 317IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 240mg | Iron: 3mg

PRO TIP: Cook the pasta shy of one minute according to package directions, reserve 1 cup of the starchy cooking water, drain and add the pasta to the pot with the sauce. This is the secret to restaurant-quality pasta! The pasta will continue cooking in the pot with the sauce, releasing it’s natural starch and sticking to the sauce. The reserved cooking water is there for insurance, just in case you need to adjust the sauce’s consistency.