The secret to the best spaghetti bolognese recipe is a little patience. I’ve tested and perfected this family favorite over many years.
If you like this recipe, check out my Best Garlic Bread next!
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I’ve been making my beef bolognese sauce for years. Most recently for my daughter and a group of her college friends. There’s nothing like cooking for a hungry group of teenagers to make you feel truly appreciated. They devoured my spaghetti bolognese and homemade garlic bread. Making me wonder why I haven’t shared this recipe with you yet? I filmed the recipe video you’ll find at the bottom of this post that night. And then a few days later I made a second recipe to take “glamour” pictures of the final dish. If I had to pick a favorite meal that I make, spaghetti bolognese is it!
More ground beef recipes
Ingredients for traditional spaghetti bolognese
- Spaghetti – If you like a lot of sauce, this recipe makes enough for a pound and a half of spaghetti. You might even be able to stretch it to two boxes of pasta.
- Ground Chuck – I usually splurge and use a pricier ground chuck for this recipe. But I’ve also made it with great results using lean ground beef like ground sirloin or ground round.
- Tomato Paste – Three tablespoons help to build a rich and intense flavor to the meat sauce.
- Worcestershire Sauce – Another layer of umami flavor for this sauce.
- Tomatoes – Use two, 28-ounce cans of San Marzano crushed tomatoes. San Marzano are considered the gold standard of tomatoes because of their naturally sweeter taste and lower acidity of the tomatoes.
- Mirepoix – The classic trio starter for many sauces and soups – onion, carrot and celery. I’m all about using shortcuts in the kitchen. And don’t shy away from using frozen mirepoix for popular recipes like my Rotisserie Chicken and Dumplings. But in the case of bolognese, I always start with fresh vegetables.
- Wine and Cream – One cup each. White wine is the traditional choice of Italians in Bologna (northern Italy). I like how the bright flavor helps to balance the other rich flavors in the sauce. This is where patience is a virtue. Put some music on and enjoy your time in the kitchen, allowing each addition of wine and heavy cream to simmer down.
- Butter and Olive Oil – Helps to start cooking the mirepoix to build the sauce.
- Garlic and Salt – I think three cloves of fresh garlic is the correct ratio for flavor. But feel free to add more. I season with salt as I go. Always taste the sauce at the end as you might want to add more salt. But a teaspoon and half is a good starting point.
Instructions
Prepare the ingredients. I chop the veggies by hand, but you could save time by using a food processor or veggie chopper. Heat a large nonstick deep sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and butter. Once the butter is melted, add the onion, carrot and celery. Give it a good stir, cover the pan and let the veggies sweat for a few minutes. Uncover, add the ground chuck and salt and cook, breaking up the meat until no longer pink.
Add the tomato paste, garlic and Worcestershire sauce. Cook for a minute or two until fragrant. Lower the heat to medium and add half of the wine. Cook and stir occasionally for about 5 – 7 minutes. Add half the cream and repeat the process. Continue cooking and stirring occasionally as you add the remaining wine and simmer it down. Then the remaining cream.
Add both cans of crushed tomatoes, stir well to combine. Lower the heat to medium-low or low, cover the pan and let it simmer for at least 20 minutes. Checking on the sauce occasionally and stirring as it simmers. Taste the sauce and add more salt if necessary before serving.
Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot on the stovetop. Cook the spaghetti according to package directions. Drain the spaghetti and ladle some sauce in the pot with the spaghetti and stir. Serve the spaghetti in bowls topped with more sauce. Sprinkle each bowl of spaghetti with some Parmesan cheese and fresh chopped basil before serving.
Serving suggestions
I usually serve spaghetti bolognese with homemade garlic bread and Caesar salad. Here’s some more recipes to turn this pasta into a complete meal –
Storage directions
Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for 3 – 5 days. The sauce also freezes beautifully. Be sure it is room temperature. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for 3 – 6 months.
Kitchen tools
- The garlic press I always use because I don’t have to peel the garlic before pressing it
- This is the nonstick pan with glass lid I use to make this sauce
Spaghetti Bolognese
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 med onion chopped
- 1 large carrot chopped
- 2 ribs celery chopped
- 1 1/2 lbs ground chuck
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 56 oz San Marzano crushed tomatoes two 28-oz cans
- 24 oz spaghetti one and a half boxes
Instructions
- Heat a large nonstick deep sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and butter. Once the butter is melted, add the onion, carrot and celery. Give it a good stir, cover the pan and let the veggies sweat for a few minutes.
- Uncover the pan, add the ground chuck and salt and cook, breaking up the meat until no longer pink.
- Add the tomato paste, garlic and Worcestershire. Cook for a minute or two until fragrant.
- Lower the heat to medium and add half of the wine. Cook and stir occasionally for about 5 - 7 minutes. Add half the cream and repeat the process. Continue cooking and stirring occasionally as you add the remaining wine and simmer it down. Then the remaining cream.
- Add both cans of crushed tomatoes, stir well to combine. Lower the heat to medium-low or low, cover the pan and let it simmer for at least 20 minutes. Checking on the sauce occasionally and stirring as it simmers. Taste the sauce and add more salt if necessary before serving.
- Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot on the stovetop. Cook the spaghetti according to package directions. Drain the spaghetti and ladle some sauce in the pot with the spaghetti and stir. Serve the spaghetti in bowls topped with more sauce. Sprinkle each bowl of spaghetti with some Parmesan cheese and fresh chopped basil before serving.
Video
Nutrition
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