I have tested and tweaked this Spaghetti Bolognese over the last 3 years. It’s richly meaty with a mixture of beef and pork, with layers and layers of flavor. It’s become my personal Sunday sauce—my “I need to feed people and make them feel loved” recipe. Dare I say, it’s exactly what you want in a Spaghetti Bolognese.
My Spaghetti Bolognese Magnum Opus
If there’s a pasta sauce I love most, it is Bolognese. The long simmered meat sauce, thick and hearty, rendered silken and glossy when tossed with spaghetti and a little pasta water is something I’m perpetually craving.
I will order it in the best and bleakest of conditions, always hoping that no matter what restaurant or casual pizza shop I find myself in, I’m just around the corner from the best bolognese I’ve ever tried. Or at least I’ll be mildly satisfied. (Kind of like dating these days…)
In fact, it was my go-to order until I realized something. Restaurant Spaghetti Bolognese has been attacked by the scourge of heavy cream. Instead of a rich tomato ragu, it seems to always be pale and creamy, at least for this lactose intolerant Chinese girl.
(Technically, milk is a traditional ingredient for bolognese, but not to the point that it becomes more cream sauce than tomato sauce!)
So I decided to brush off this recipe, which began on a solo trip to London, cooked in my Airbnb. Since then it’s been vetted by friends, shared, and refined until I felt confident enough to bring it back to the family brain trust. I knew I had really created something when Sarah gave it her stamp of approval! Take it from me—those older sisters are tough cookies.
What I’ve learned about Spaghetti Bolognese:
- Many tomato meat sauces simply don’t have enough meat. If you’re cooking a pound of pasta, call me crazy, but I think you need more than a pound of meat, even if you’re just tossing a jar of tomato sauce into a pan of ground beef (which, to be clear, is easy and delicious, but not bolognese). In earlier versions of this recipe, I found myself always yearning for more meat. Instead of doubling up on beef, I found that a mix of beef and pork gives you more flavor, richness, and a more tender texture.
- A common addition to Spaghetti Bolognese is bacon, pancetta, or even guanciale, but I decided to leave it out. If you don’t have pork and just have beef, I would say it is a worthwhile addition. That said, after trying it a few times, I ultimately decided I would rather save my expensive cured pork products for breakfast or other more “minimalist” pasta dishes like Sarah’s Spaghetti Carbonara.
- If you have little kids (or adults) who may be sensitive to seeing carrots and celery in their pasta, pulse the carrot and celery in a food processor until very finely minced / coarse crumb size. The first time I made this for my nephew, he was filled with excitement…until he saw the little flecks of carrots. It was the betrayal of his young life! After running the vegetables through the food processor, proceed with the recipe as written. For what it’s worth, Ethan did eventually begrudgingly take down his whole plate of spaghetti through the tears.
- Anchovies are not traditional, but definitely worth adding. This is a trick borrowed from the power of Chinese oyster sauce. Oyster sauce always seems to add something to the party, and I feel anchovies have the same impact in this recipe. You can’t pick out the flavor at the end, but everything is just more delicious.
- Nobody wants a half can of tomato paste in the refrigerator. Few things irritate me more than having leftover tomato paste in the refrigerator. My mom insists on buying the little cans in bulk, and in a personal act of rebellion, I added an entire 6 ounce can to this bolognese. As it turns out, it’s the right amount, adding a rich tomato flavor and deep red color.
- Toss pasta with sauce over heat. Instead of adding the spaghetti to the sauce, or serving the sauce on a plate of spaghetti at the table, ladle the sauce over the spaghetti in a deep skillet and toss it over medium heat until it’s glossy, adding pasta water as you go. This will give it that rich, silky texture. You can finish with a drizzle of your favorite extra virgin olive oil too to add even more sheen and a delicious flavor.
- Don’t discard basil stems. Basil stems are an easy way to flavor your sauce. The stems get tied together in a little bundle and go into the sauce while it simmers — they give off flavor without breaking down into the sauce. Chiffonade the tender leaves for topping the pasta when you’re ready to serve! If you don’t have fresh basil, don’t stress. Dried oregano and a little thyme carry the herb load just fine.
- Dried mint can elevate your tomato sauces. A recommendation from a friend is to add a little bit of dried mint, a surprising yet widely appreciated addition to a rich tomato sauce. If you’d like to try this, I would suggest ¼ teaspoon to ½ teaspoon. I wanted to try it, but weirdly I couldn’t find dried mint whenever the impulse struck.
Spaghetti Bolognese Recipe Instructions
Heat a Dutch oven (or other thick-bottomed pot) over medium heat. Add the olive oil, onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Saute for 10 minutes until softened but not browned, stirring often.
Clear a space in the center of the pot. Add the tomato paste and let it fry until the oil turns red. Stir it into the vegetables. Then clear another space, and add the anchovies. Let them fry and break up into bits until sizzling and starting to caramelize.
Add the ground beef and pork, and stir to combine with the vegetables, breaking the meat up into crumbles. Increase the heat to medium-high. Let the meat brown all over, but don’t feel the need to get it crispy.
Add the red wine, deglazing the pan. Scrape up any browned bits with your wooden spatula. Add the beef bouillon, rosemary, bay leaves, oregano, thyme, and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes to cook off the alcohol.
Stir in the tomato puree, tomato chunks, and basil stems (you can tie them together with kitchen string for easy removal later). Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cover. Cook for 2 hours until you have a rich, thick sauce. Stir occasionally to make sure it stays at a low simmer. (Be sure to scrape along the bottom of the pot when you stir to ensure nothing is burning.)
Season with salt and sugar (optional, to taste, but I think it’s a helpful addition most of the time).
To serve, boil the spaghetti one minute shy of al dente, set aside a cup of starchy pasta water, and drain. Add the pasta to a skillet or pot set over medium heat. Ladle the sauce over the top, tossing it with tongs. Add a little bit of pasta cooking water and keep adding sauce until the consistency is to your liking and the sauce is clinging to the noodles.
Serve with basil leaves and grated parmesan cheese.
Looking for more authentic recipes? Subscribe to our email list and be sure to follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube!
Recipe
The Perfect Spaghetti Bolognese
Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion (or 2 medium onions, finely chopped)
- 3 carrots (finely chopped)
- 2 ribs celery (finely chopped; don’t trim away the leaves)
- 6 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
- 6 ounces tomato paste (1 can)
- 3 anchovy filets
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- ⅔ cup red wine (optional)
- 1 beef stock cube (or 1½ teaspoons Better than Bouillon beef base)
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves (finely minced; 1 large sprig)
- 3 dried bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 28 ounces tomato puree (tomato passata)
- 14 ounces whole plum tomatoes (squished in your hands to break them into chunks—or used diced tomatoes)
- 1 handful fresh basil (leaves and stems separated)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon sugar (optional, if needed)
- 1 pound dried spaghetti
- Grated parmesan cheese (for serving)
Instructions
- Heat a Dutch oven (or other thick-bottomed pot) over medium heat. Add the olive oil, onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Saute for 10 minutes until softened but not browned, stirring often.
- Clear a space in the center of the pot. Add the tomato paste and let it fry until the oil turns red. Stir it into the vegetables. Then clear another space, and add the anchovies. Let them fry and break up into bits until sizzling and starting to caramelize.
- Add the ground beef and pork, and stir to combine with the vegetables, breaking the meat up into crumbles. Increase the heat to medium-high, and let the meat brown all over, but don’t feel the need to get it crispy.
- Add the red wine, deglazing the pan. Scrape up any browned bits with your wooden spatula. Add the beef bouillon, rosemary, bay leaves, oregano, thyme, and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes to cook off the alcohol.
- Stir in the tomato puree, tomato chunks, and basil stems (you can tie them together with kitchen string for easy removal later). Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cover. Cook for 2 hours until you have a rich, thick sauce, stirring occasionally to make sure it stays at a low simmer. (Be sure to scrape along the bottom of the pot when you stir to ensure nothing is burning.)
- Season with salt and sugar (optional, to taste, but I think it’s a helpful addition most of the time).
- To serve, boil the spaghetti one minute shy of al dente, set aside a cup of starchy pasta water, and drain. Add the pasta to a skillet or pot set over medium heat. Ladle the sauce over the top, tossing it with tongs. Add a little bit of pasta cooking water and keep adding sauce until the consistency is to your liking and the sauce is clinging to the noodles. Serve with basil leaves and grated parmesan cheese.
