Here's my personal take on spaghetti bolognese, aka spag bol. This one's not a traditional recipe, but if you don't mind a few creative liberties, you're in for a treat.
The only meat I use is ground beef. There’s no milk, no wine, and yet the sauce turns out incredibly delicious. Also, the steps are quite simple to follow.
After making bolognese for two decades and tweaking little things along the way, I've now got a method that's super easy to follow and a meat sauce recipe that never disappoints.
I begin by putting together two ingredient mixes in separate bowls. One mix has the classic soffritto ingredients: chopped onion, carrot, and celery. The second mixture has all the remaining ingredients needed for the tomato sauce.
Here is how the cooking goes:
- I put Mix 1 into the pot and cook until the veggies soften.
- Then I add garlic and beef and let it brown.
- Mix 2 goes in, low-and-slow simmering, and finally I toss in parmesan, basil, and spaghetti.
That is it.
Front-loading the prep means that once I turn on the stove, I am not constantly checking the ingredient list and rummaging around to find or measure things.
While the process is simple, the sauce needs time and patience. The longer it gently simmers, the deeper and richer the flavors become. I like to give it at least 1½ hours, but if I have the time, I’ll let it go for 3 or even 4.
If you're looking for more ground beef pasta recipes, try my ground beef pesto pasta or this ground beef bell pepper pasta.
Pre-cooking notes and tips
- Onion, carrot, and celery need to be finely minced, not chopped or pureed. I cut them into chunks, then pulse them in short bursts in a food processor until they’re finely minced. Onion separately first, then the carrot and celery together.
- Bolognese is a tomato-based sauce, and will be as good as the tomatoes you use. Unfortunately, canned crushed tomatoes from the store aren’t always top-notch, and when the tomatoes aren’t great, a more traditional bolognese with fewer ingredients can end up tasting a little flat. That’s why I use all the seasonings I’ve listed.
- Speaking of tomatoes, if you can, use canned San Marzano tomatoes. I get mine from Costco. Since they’re usually sold whole and peeled, not crushed, I pulse them in a food processor or blender before using them.
- Don’t rush the cooking or try to shorten the simmering time. The flavors really develop and get better the longer it simmers.
- I use yellow onions, but white ones should be fine too.
- The salt in the recipe might seem like a bit more than you’d typically use for 1 pound of meat, but the sauce gets tossed with spaghetti at the end, and it balances out well. Sometimes I even add a little more.
- Freshly grated Parmesan is miles better than the pre-shredded cheese you find in stores. I know convenience matters, but if you can, grate a block of cheese yourself.
- I use a Dutch oven or a heavy-bottomed pot or pan because they’re better suited for long, slow cooking.
- The amount of crushed red pepper flakes I use doesn’t make the sauce spicy. But if you don’t want to use it, feel free to leave it out.
- I’m sure someone will point out that lemon juice isn’t traditional in bolognese, and they’d be right. But as I mentioned at the beginning, I've taken a few creative liberties with my recipe. I came across a bolognese recipe by Matt Preston, a former MasterChef Australia judge, a while back and noticed he added lemon, so I decided to try it myself. And it works. It adds a finishing touch of brightness and freshness to the taste, which I find helps make up for the averageness of canned tomatoes.
- Fresh basil is also not a traditional addition, but like lemon juice, it makes the flavors pop even more.
Serving ideas
A green salad with a light vinaigrette makes a great pairing with bolognese. It helps balance the richness of the sauce.
Warm garlic bread or crusty bread also go great. Oh, and I love mopping up the sauce with some focaccia.
Don't forget to keep some extra Parmesan and chopped fresh basil on the table for everyone to add as they like.
And that's a wrap!
Even though my recipe isn’t exactly traditional, there’s no compromise on taste. Friends and family who’ve tried it have had nothing but good things to say. I hope you’ll give it a try because it just might become your favorite bolognese recipe.
Happy cooking ~ Nelo
Spaghetti Bolognese
Ingredients
Tomato sauce mix
- 28 ounces (800 g) canned crushed tomatoes - tomato passata also works (see Note A below)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1.5 teaspoons regular white salt - aka table salt (Note B)
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes - optional, adjust to taste ⓘ
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg
- 1 pinch ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds - finely crushed
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon - paste or powder
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Soffritto
- 1 medium (100 g) onion - finely minced (Note C has a tip)
- 1 small (50 g) carrot - finely minced
- 1 stick/rib (50 g) celery - finely minced
Other ingredients
- 14 ounces (400 g) uncooked spaghetti - tagliatelle and pappardelle are great alternatives
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 4 cloves garlic - thinly sliced
- 1 pound (500 g) ground beef
- ½ cup (50 g) freshly grated parmesan - and some extra for serving
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice - not commonly used in bolognese, but works great (see Note D)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil - and some extra for serving
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine all ingredients listed under "tomato sauce mix" and set it aside. In a separate bowl, combine all ingredients listed under "soffritto" and set it aside.
- Heat oil in a dutch oven or heavy-bottomed wide pan/pot over medium heat. Add the prepared soffritto. Stir and cook 6 to 8 minutes or until softened. Then add sliced garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the beef. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until browned. Break it up as it cooks.
- Add the prepared tomato sauce mix, plus 2 cups water. Stir well and bring it to a simmer. Then lower the heat and let the sauce cook at a very gentle simmer. Cook uncovered (a splatter guard is fine) for 1½ to 4 hours. The longer it cooks, the better. Stir occasionally.
- As the sauce reduces, it may start to get a little too thick. When that happens, add some plain water, no more than ½ cup at a time, to loosen it up. Repeat as needed while the sauce cooks. By the time the sauce is done, any added water should have cooked off, and the fat should have separated.
- When the sauce is about 30ish minutes from being ready, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Follow the package instructions to cook the spaghetti. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water. Then drain the spaghetti and set it aside.
- When the sauce is done, discard the bay leaves. Add the parmesan, lemon juice, and chopped basil. Give it a quick stir. Then add the cooked spaghetti and gently toss until well combined. If the sauce feels too thick, add a splash of the reserved pasta water to loosen it up. Let the spaghetti warm through for a minute or two.
- Top with extra chopped basil and parmesan if you like, and enjoy.
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