The Best Spaghetti Bolognese (Family Approved)

5 from 14 votes

The Best Spaghetti Bolognese (Family Approved)

There's a few secrets to creating the Best Spaghetti Bolognese recipe and here I'll show you exactly what they are! A delicious and easy bolognese that your family are going to fall in love with. I recommend reading the notes before diving into the recipe.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1 45

Total Time2

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: people

Author: Chris Collins

Cost: £3 / $4

Equipment

Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
Large Deep Pot with Heavy Lid (for bolognese)
Wooden Spoon
Jug (for stock)
Large Pot, Colander & Pasta Tongs (for spaghetti)
Fine Cheese Grater
Serving Spoon

Ingredients

150g / 5oz diced Smoked Bacon Lardons (see notes)
1 large White Onion, finely diced
3 large cloves Garlic, finely diced
1kg / 2.2lb Minced/Ground Beef (see notes)
2 heaped tbsp Tomato Puree (Tomato Paste in US)
1 cup / 240ml Red Wine (see notes)
1x 700g/25oz jar of Tomato Passata (pureed/strained tomatoes in US)
240ml / 1 cup Beef Stock (see notes)
3/4 cup / 100g Sun Dried Tomatoes, finely diced
2 large sprigs of Fresh Rosemary, finely diced
1 small bunch of Fresh Basil, finely diced (1 small bunch is typically 30g/1oz)
1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp Sugar, or to taste
1/2 tsp EACH: Salt & Pepper, plus more to taste
500g / 1lb Dried Spaghetti
20g / 1/4 cup Freshly Grated Parmesan, plus extra to serve

Instructions

Add the bacon to a large deep pot then turn the heat to medium. Fry until crisp with the fat rendered down, then remove and place to one side, leaving the excess fat behind. Add the onion to the leftover fat and fry until soft and golden (top up with a dash of oil if needed). Add the garlic and fry for another 30 seconds or so.
Increase the heat slightly to medium-high then add the beef and fry until browned all over, breaking it up with your wooden spoon as you go. Stir in the tomato paste and fry for a minute or so, then pour in the wine. Simmer for 3-4 minutes to allow the beef to soak up the wine and burn off the alcohol (the pungent alcohol smell should mellow out).
Pour in the passata and shake out the jar with a splash of water (I do 1/4 cup). Stir in the beef stock, bacon, sun dried tomatoes, basil, rosemary, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, salt and pepper then bring to a simmer. Pop on the lid, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour and 30 minutes, stirring a few times during. This length of time is important as it tenderises the beef and marries the flavours together.
Remove the lid and simmer for a further 10-15 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Timings will vary depending on how much it reduced during simmering. It should still be nice and saucy, but not watery. Stir in the parmesan until it melts, then check for seasoning and adjust if needed.
Add the spaghetti to salted boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain and serve the bolognese poured over the spaghetti with extra parmesan.
Optional: To mix the bolognese and spaghetti together, make sure you undercook the pasta by a minute and reserve 1-2 cups of the pasta water. Add half the bolognese to a large pan over medium heat and add half the spaghetti with a good splash of pasta water. Toss until the spaghetti turns red and the sauce thickens, clings to the pasta and is no longer watery. Serve then repeat with the second batch. If you have a very large pan you can try one batch, I just find it easier tossing in smaller batches.

Video

Notes

*Update - Recipe updated on 14/01/25 with very minor tweaks. The main one is that I now fry the bacon before the beef, instead of frying the beef and removing it. Not only is this easier, but it allows the beef to soak in the wine too. Not a major difference, but it's just how I find myself making these days.

a) Beef - I usually go for around 12% fat. This gives more flavour than lean beef. If you've only got high-fat beef, say 20%, I recommend draining some fat when you cook.

b) Beef stock - I use 1 cube (which should be for 450ml/2 cups water) and use it to make 240ml/1 cup. Just to get a stronger, more condensed flavour. If you're using ready-made stock try and use a good quality one to keep the flavour of the bolognese nice and rich.

c) Red Wine - This is an important ingredient as it adds a gorgeous depth of flavour to the bolognese. Most, if not all of the alcohol will burn off, but if for whatever reason you don't want to add it then just use more beef stock. I'm no wine expert but usually go for something like Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. In all cases make sure it's dry, not sweet.

d) Bacon - I always go for smoked, just for an extra punch of flavour. If you can't find lardons just use thick-cut bacon. If you can find pancetta that works perfectly too!

e) Parmesan - Ensure you're using freshly grated, not the powdered stuff!

f) Time/Consistency - Hugely important to simmer for at least an hour and a half. Also important you've got a heavy lid to go on top (so the steam doesn't escape and reduce the sauce too much). The bolognese should still be pretty saucy by the end, but if for whatever reason it's too watery, just conitnue simmering. If it's too thick, just stir in a splash of the pasta water to thin it out.

g) Freezing - Perfect to freeze leftovers! Just allow to cool, pop in an airtight container and store in the freezer. Thaw in the fridge overnight and heat on the stove (with a splash of water if needed).

h) Calories - Based on using no extra parmesan, 12% beef, shared between 6.

Nutrition