Everyone needs a great everyday Spaghetti Bolognese recipe, and this is mine! The Bolognese Sauce is rich, thick and has beautiful depth of flavour. It’s perfect for a quick midweek meal but even better if you can simmer it for a couple of hours! Serve it over pasta, stuff into jacket potatoes, make an epic Lasagna or Baked Spaghetti Pie!
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
Spaghetti Bolognese
We Aussies have a thing about shortening words. Good day is g’day. Pavlova is Pav, afternoon is arvo, mosquitos are mozzies. Sharon is Shazz, Nagisa is Nagi (that’s yours truly).
So it is thoroughly Aussie to shorten Spaghetti Bolognese to Spag Bol!
And here she is – my Spag Bol. Rich, thick, incredible flavour in the sauce even if you only have time for a quick 20 minute simmer. Though if you can slow cook for a couple of hours, it really takes it to another level!
What goes in Spaghetti Bolognese
I’ve been loyal to this Meat Sauce recipe since I first learned to cook when I was a teenager. There are 3 little things in this recipe that might be a bit different to Bolognese recipes you’ve seen around:
1. Worcestershire sauce: it just adds that little extra something-something. I get antsy if I get caught in a situation where I have to do without;
2. Beef bouillon cubes (beef stock cubes) for extra depth of flavour in the sauce, to compensate for this being an everyday midweek version rather than a traditional slow cooked Bolognese Ragu which starts with a soffrito (onion, celery, carrot slowly sautéed) as well as pancetta.
3. Sugar, if needed: just a little bit goes a long way to transform the sauce if you happen not to be using high quality, sweet Italian canned tomatoes. Supermarket canned tomatoes here in Australia are notoriously sour. Especially the Australian ones – it pains me so much to say that, but it’s true.
How to make Bolognese Sauce
The making part is straightforward and quite quick too:
Saute garlic and onion – about 3 minutes;
Brown the beef – about 2 minutes;
Add everything else, give it a good stir then simmer for 20 minutes minimum (midweek), up to 3 hours (weekend indulgence!). Slow cooking makes the beef incredibly tender and the sauce develops extra flavour.
Difference between Bolognese and Meat Sauce?
Different name for the same thing! You’ll find Bolognese made all sorts of ways all across Italy and all around the world, but essentially mince meat (usually beef, sometimes combined with pork or veal) in a tomato based sauce flavoured with herbs.
The “proper” way to serve pasta: toss with the sauce
As with all my pasta recipes, I include a step to toss the pasta IN the sauce, rather than just placing pasta in bowls and spooning over sauce.
This makes the Bolognese sauce emulsify, so it thickens, becomes glossy and clings to the spaghetti. No more watery sauce at the bottom of your pasta bowl! This is how chefs and Italians make pasta. Try it once, you will be converted!
But it is an optional step. Sometimes, you just don’t have the energy to clean yet another pan. I hear ya. 🙂
What to serve with Spaghetti Bolognese
For a classic Italian feast, serve this with:
Garlic Bread – or even more indulgent, with Cheesy Garlic Bread (or go over-the-top with Crack Bread). Or, for a more traditional start, real-deal Italian Focaccia.
Garden Salad with Italian Dressing (hit of crisp fresh salad essential!)
Tiramisu to finish with an Espresso Martini on the side
For a super quick side salad option, make this Rocket Parmesan Salad with Balsamic Dressing. Probably my most made side salad because it’s literally a 2 minute effortless-no-chop salad!
This recipe is the way I have been making Spaghetti Bolognese for decades (gosh it’s scary saying that!!). I really love it, and I think the sauce is rich and loaded with flavour, especially for a 30 minute Bolognese recipe.
Though if you have the time, slow cook it for a couple of hours. The flavour develops and the meat becomes so luxuriously tender.
Either way, I hope you love it as much as I do! – Nagi xx
Watch how to make it
This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!
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Spaghetti Bolognese
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 onion , finely chopped (brown, yellow or white)
- 1 lb / 500g beef mince (ground beef) OR half pork, half beef (Note 1)
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) dry red wine (sub water or beef broth/stock)
- 2 beef bouillon cubes , crumbled OR granulated beef bouillon (Note 2)
- 800g / 28 oz can crushed tomato (or tomato passata)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp white sugar , if needed (Note 3)
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried thyme or oregano)
- Salt and pepper
To Serve
- 400 g / 13 oz spaghetti , dried
- Parmesan cheese and finely chopped parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot or deep skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic, cook for 3 minutes or until light golden and softened.
- Turn heat up to high and add beef. Cook, breaking it up as your go, until browned.
- Add red wine. Bring to simmer and cook for 1 minute, scraping the bottom of the pot, until the alcohol smell is gone.
- Add remaining ingredients except salt and pepper. Stir, bring to a simmer then turn down to medium so it bubbles gently. Cook for 20 – 30 minutes (no lid), adding water if the sauce gets too thick for your taste. Stir occasionally.
- Slow simmer option: really takes this to another level, if you have the time! Add 3/4 cup of water, cover with lid and simmer on very low for 2 – 2.5 hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so. (Note 5) Uncover, simmer 20 minutes to thicken sauce. (Note 6 for slow cooker)
- Adjust salt and pepper to taste right at the end. Serve over spaghetti – though if you have the time, I recommend tossing the sauce and pasta per steps below.
Tossing Sauce and Spaghetti (optional, Note 4)
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook per packet directions MINUS 1 minute.
- Scoop out a mug of pasta cooking water and set aside, then drain the pasta.
- Add pasta into the bolognese sauce with about 1/2 cup (125 ml) of reserved pasta water over medium heat. Toss gently for 1 1/2 – 2 minutes, or until the spaghetti turns red and the sauce thickens.
- Divide between bowls. Garnish with parmesan and parsley if desired.
Recipe Notes:
* Scaling recipe up (use auto recipe scaler) – If you double the recipe (or more!), then brown the beef in batches. If you try to cook it in one batch, you will end up stewing it rather than browning!
* Slow cooker: This is really fantastic made in a slow cooker! The meat becomes so tender and the sauce has incredible flavour. At step 3, cook until the wine liquid disappears completely, then transfer it into the slow cooker at step 4 and cook for low for 6 hours.
* Variations: Here are some ideas for ways to take this up a notch, if you are so inclined!
– Finely chop 1 carrot + celery and saute that with the onion to make a softrito. Cook on medium low heat for 10 minutes for extra amazingness!
– Add finely chopped bacon (smokey is the ultimate!) or pancetta, cook with the onion
– 1 tbsp soy sauce (my mother did this, I sometimes do! I’ve seen it in some chef recipes)
– Fresh or dried red chilli
– Bolognese gets better the longer it is cooked, and it’s even better the next day! 7. Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings, including pasta.
Nutrition Information:
Originally published August 2016. Updated with new commentary, new photos and most importantly, recipe video! No change to recipe – I wouldn’t dare! Too many readers love it as it is. 🙂
More family favourites we’ll love forever
Meatloaf – so much more than just a hunk of meat in loaf form!
Life of Dozer
You know those muddy looking ponds on golf courses? He loves ’em 😖
This is my go-to recipe for spag Bol. Gets demolished everytime and is a proven success with my kid. I add celery and carrot to the onion and garlic step just to sneak in those veggies. Great recipe, thanks Nagi!
Seriously has taught me how to make Spag Bol the right way! This one is SO yum!!
Doubled the batch and sat it on the stove for a couple of hours one Sunday afternoon….. a beautiful rich flavoursome bolognese – worth the time and effort…Thankyou
I never used to follow a recipe for Bolognese and now I will never not use this recipe!! The beef stock and Worcestershire sauce just add that extra something. I usually add carrots and veg, and sometimes red lentils to bulk it out and sneak some veg in for the kids.
Soooo delicious! Thanks for a new family favourite, Nagi.
I love my ragus and this recipe was different enough to at least give a go. It was hard not to add anything different and stay within the timeframes but this is a really nice sauce. Easy to make and just as easy to eat.
I do stress on the wine, if you drink red, use a bottle you would drink in the sauce…then you can drink the rest with the pasta
Followed the recipe from the book and this is probably the best tasting bolognese sauce I have ever had.
This was so delicious, my partner even gave me a 10/10 and went for seconds! This is the 3rd recipe I have made from you now and I will keep going!
The note about the crushed tomato’s being sour or sweet depending on the brand was very useful I did not know that!
Delicious. Family loved it. One tweak to the method. My Croatian mother always added the tomato paste after browning the meat and before any liquid was added. Cook the paste for a couple of minutes. Mum would say it brings out the real tomato flavour of the paste.
This recipe is SO incredibly delicious and SO simple to make! Everyone will love it. Thank you so much Nagi!
Hi Nagi, just a question about this bolognese recipe. In the video you put the lid on to simmer the sauce but in your book and the website it says to simmer it uncovered. Which is best? Thanks Andrew
Hi Nagi, I would like to know how many servings in your Bolognese Spaguetti Sauce please!
Incredibly quick to make and incredibly delicious. Nagi – we have made so many of your wonderful dishes, all of them so fabulous 🙂
Soooo incredibly good! I just had to leave a comment because I’m still a beginner at cooking but this recipe was so simple to make and so delicious! Thank you so much !
Another winner by Nagi!! Came together quite quickly and was absolutely delicious
I don’t normally bother to take the time to post my own review, but this is one recipe that I have to make a review.
When my family used to go out to pizza hut years ago, I used to always order their spaghetti bolognese. Pizza hut went downhill as I am sure everyone knows by now, and they cut their menus in half. They no longer serve spaghetti bolognese.
But I don’t have to miss my favorite dish with this recipe tucked away safely in my recipe book. This is the best spaghetti bolognese recipe on the internet! And it tastes exactly like the old pizza hut version used to. I LOVE this recipe, and would never bother to try another one. THANK YOU so very much for sharing this!!
Devine! Wow! I’m so impressed I cooked something so delicious, but I couldn’t have done it without Nagi’s clear recipe!
If you want a good quick spag Bol this works but if you want the best ever I prefer the BBC recipe which is a longer process as it uses a sofrito but it just has a depth of flavour this lacks
Nagi gives instructions for adding a sofrito in her notes. She didn’t use it in her basic recipe in order to save time.
I appreciate that but I think its worth the extra time and effort to do the sofrito and also the smokey bacon and chilli gives it extra bang too.
Thank you Nagi. I make this recipe every few months and keep in little ice block size pieces ready to go in the freezer for in case of emergencies at home.
I add celery and onions (softrito) at the start and also zucchini while I am slow cooking for extra veggies.
Tonight cooked 1/2 pork and 1/2 beef mince to mix it up – delicious!
As always another 5 star recipe!!! My mum described it as the “best bolognese she’d ever had”. I added two of the optional things- some bacon and carrots with the onion- and I used rosemary instead of bay leaves, swapped the wine for stock, and used a combination of beef and pork. I only had time to simmer it for about 45 minutes but it was delicious!!