Spaghetti Bolognese
Hi There! I am going to show you how you can have this delicious, rich and meaty spaghetti bolognese on your dinner table tonight!
Spaghetti Bolognese is one of those classic recipes that comes to mind when you think of Italian cooking. Just like Spaghetti and meatballs, risotto and pizza.
When I think of spaghetti bolognese, I picture families coming together on a big long table. Happy faces, loud voices and lots of wine as they laugh and chat and dig into their bowls of pasta.
Its been around for hundreds of years and its never dated. Whether you call it Ragu, spag-Bol or spaghetti bolognese it has become a favourite in many Australian families! And for good reason. Add some crusty white bread to soak up the leftover sauce and you have got yourself some #foodporn.
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A little bit about me and my background
Growing up with my 2 Italian grandmothers Spaghetti Bolognese was a regular appearance at both my Nonna’s homes. My Nonna Giulia who has now passed away was born in Napoli, a very passionate Italian. She never missed a chance to talk about her good old days.
My Nonna Vera who has taught me and still teaches me so much about cooking is her happiest when she is in the kitchen cooking and baking for her family. she was borne in a beautiful part of Italy in Modena, known for balsamic vinegar.
whenever we were having spaghetti bolognese there was never any complaints at the dinner table. Over the years and after watching my Nonnas make the sauce countless times I have adapted my own little variations. It has now become a regular appearance at my own dinner table and I cook it frequently for my family. I always think of pasta reflecting Italy perfectly by matching the colours of the flag. Green for the fresh vibrant basil, White for the pasta and red for the sauce.
What you will need for the best Spaghetti Bolognese
- Meat: I use a combination of beef and pork mince; I find the 50/50 split works really well because the pork has a higher fat content which adds a lot of flavour.
- Red Wine creates a richness to the sauce. No need to worry as all the alcohol is actually cooked out of the wine. Use a good quality wine for the best result.
- Herbs I use fresh herbs where possible to add flavour, texture and freshness. you’ll need bay leaves, basil and parsley (oregano is also used but I prefer to use dried)
- Spices are also used to add flavour and sweetness. You will need nutmeg and sage
- Vegetables: Onion, garlic, celery and carrot
- Passata: A tomato puree made by cooking and straining the tomatoes through a fine sieve. You will find passata at most supermarkets or Italian delicatessens.
- Crushed tomatoes; I use val verde
- Tomato paste is a thick, rich tomato concentrate which is used to enrich the flavour of the sauce.
- A Pinch of sugar helps to regulate the acidity from the tomatoes.
- Spaghetti: the star of the dish. There are many different varieties of spaghetti some being thicker than others. You can use any variety. Ive tried many different brands of pasta and my favourite especially for spaghetti is Barilla.
- Extra virgin olive oil, parmesan and crusty white bread for serving: the ultimate pasta experience wouldn’t be complete without these three vital ingredients!
Is this recipe just for Spaghetti?
Bolognese is definitely not just for spaghetti. I pair my spaghetti bolognese recipe with penne, spirals, macaroni, fettuccini, gnocchi even ravioli. Once you have the recipe down pat its going to be a keeper because you can create so many other beautiful dishes. I use this recipe for my lasagne and cannelloni. Here are some other uses for bolognese sauce:
- To form the base of shepherds pie
- Meat pies
- Add to your Zucchini noodles
- Moussaka
- Stuffed capsicum
- Add a Mexican flare by using it on nachos
- Filling for baked potatoes
My tips for coking Spaghetti Bolognese
The biggest mistake I’ve seen is people go to all this effort to make a bolognese sauce and they don’t plate up properly.
Any Italian Nonna will tell you It’s a sin to put the cooked pasta straight into bowls and top with the sauce. After draining the pasta It’s imperative that you return it to the pot. Add your sauce and toss well before plating up. I assure you that taking care to ensure every strand of that spaghetti is coated in the beautiful sauce will be a game changer!
Never throw away the starchy cooking water!!! This is liquid gold when it comes to the perfect spaghetti bolognese or any other pasta dish. Adding some of the cooking water and mixing it through with the sauce at the end ensures your pasta won’t dry up and it gives the pasta a beautiful sheen.
Cooking time; OK so you have probably come across a lot of bolognese recipes where the cooking time is like 2 hours! I actually find that you don’t need to spend that long cooking the sauce and especially if your coking it with only beef which is quite lean it can leave the meat a bit dry. I personally find 40 minutes is a good happy medium. especially when you have a hungry family to feed.
My recipe will serve 4-6 hungry people! With extra sauce leftover and the best part about this is that the sauce freezes really well. I divide the leftover sauce into containers and freeze. Making weeknight dinners a breeze. I simply take out the sauce the night before and then I just have to boil the pasta and mix it through.
Tools to make the job easier
Check out my list of essential kitchen tools that I can’t live without!
There it is! everything you need to know about making my easy, healthy and delicious Spaghetti Bolognese. Its really a fantastic recipe to have because with this one recipe you can create so many other wonderful meals for your families. I hope you enjoy!!
XXX
You may also enjoy these recipes
- Spaghetti and meatballs
- Nonna’s Homemade gnocchi
- Traditional Italian Pizza dough
- Creamy Spaghetti with ricotta and spinach
- Pasta e fagioli
You can find out more about me here.
Spaghetti Bolognese
Ingredients
- 500 grams Spaghetti
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 2 bay leaves fresh if possible
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 carrot peeled and diced
- 1 stick celery trimmed, halved lengthways and diced
- 400 grams pork mince
- 400 grams beef mince
- 2 tbsp tomatoe paste
- 1 cup red wine
- 2 400g Tins of crushed tomatoes
- 700 grams passata
- 1 pinch sugar
- small bunch fresh basil, leaves picked 3/4 finely chopped and the rest save for garnish
- small bunch parsley stems removed and finely chopped
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp ground sage
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- extra virgin olive oil to serve
- grated parmesan cheese to serve
- crusty white bread to mop up all the beautiful sauce
Instructions
- In a large heavy based pot on medium heat add 1 tbs olive oil and saute the onion until soft. Around 6 minutes. Add the bay leaves, garlic, carrot and celery and continue to cook for a further 2 minutes.
- Turn up the heat to med-high. Add the mince, breaking up with the back of a wooden spoon and cook until browned all over.
- Add the tomatoe paste and red wine and cook until the wine starts to reduce.
- Next add the crushed tomatoes, passata, sugar, basil, parsley, oregano sage and nutmeg and stir to combine. Fill one of the tomato cans with water and add that to the sauce. Bring to a rapid simmer and then reduce heat to low. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook for 40 minutes.
- While the sauce is cooking bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook spaghetti according to packet instructions. Once cooked, reserve some of the cooking water. Drain the pasta and return to the pot. Add a generous splash of extra virgin olive oil. ladle in some of your sauce and add a good splash of the cooking water. This will give the pasta a beautiful sheen and leave it nice and moist. Toss the pasta to ensure every piece is coated in the sauce
- place generous amount of pasta into serving bowls and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and serve with the basil leaves, lots of grated parmesan cheese and crusty white bread to mop up the extra sauce.
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