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Large pot of spaghetti bolognese with herbs and a wooden spoon
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Spaghetti Bolognese

My go to bolognese, this meaty sauce slowly simmers into a rich and delicious flavorful sauce.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Diet Halal
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 6 people
Calories 351kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 2 carrots grated
  • 2 celery stalks finely chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves minced garlic cloves
  • 1 lb minced beef 500g
  • 1 teaspoon all spice or seven spices
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 cans crushed tomatoes or tomato passata (each can should be 400 g or 12 oz)
  • 2 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • handful chopped basil leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil)
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 beef stock cube
  • 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • pinch red chili flakes, optional
  • 1/2 cup non alcoholic red wine or beef broth, grape juice, water
  • 1 pack spaghetti, cooked al dente 400g (16oz)
  • parmesan cheese for topping
  • extra basil for topping

Instructions

  • In a large heavy bottomed saucepan on medium heat, add the olive oil.
  • Once the oil is hot, add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Sautee, stirring regularly for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables have softened. If heat seems too high, reduce to medium low.
  • Add the minced beef, the allspice, the garlic powder and a big pinch of salt and pepper, and cook beef until browned, breaking up any clumps that form with a wooden spoon. You may choose to drain the beef of its fat at this point.
  • Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, basil leaves, dried oregano, bay leaves, the beef stock cube, fennel seeds, red chili flakes, the beef stock cube, water/grape juice/or additional beef broth, and cherry tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hr to 1 hr 15 min.
  • After 1 hour of cooking, check on seasoning and adjust as necessary. You should have a thick flavorful sauce. Remove the lid, and let the sauce continue to simmer for another 15-20 minutes for the liquid to reduce further.
  • If you aren't anticipating any leftovers, you can toss the bolognese sauce directly with the cooked pasta. If you think you'll have anything leftover, I'd advise you just serve with some bolognese sauce on top. This way you can store the leftover bolognese sauce separately from the cooked pasta.
  • Garnish with fresh parmesan and extra basil if desired.

Video

Notes

Use a food processor and add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Pulse until grated into fine pieces. This will save you so much time, and you can do all these ingredients at once!
Simmer for at least an hour, it'll really help develop the flavor of the sauce.
You can use regular beef or low fat beef, we usually have low fat mince on hand so that's my typical choice.
If you want you can substitute tomato sauce or diced tomatoes for the crushed tomatoes. If using diced tomatoes, I'd prefer to blend them up a little to smooth them out.
Storing leftovers: Leftover spaghetti bolognese can be stored for 4-5 days tightly covered in the fridge. Reheat it gently in a pot on the stove, or warm in the microwave.
Freezing spaghetti bolognese: Place leftover sauce in an airtight container or a heavy duty freezer bag, and once cool place in the freezer. It'll freeze for 2-3 months. You can thaw the sauce overnight in the fridge, or just place the frozen block in a saucepan and rewarm straight from frozen to serve quickly.

Nutrition

Calories: 351kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 386mg | Potassium: 525mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 381IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 2mg