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    Home » Recipes » Beef recipes

    Easy homemade spaghetti bolognese sauce

    Published: Oct 29, 2020 · Modified: Jun 16, 2024 by VJ · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    Jump to recipe

    This easy homemade spaghetti bolognese sauce tastes sooooooo much better than sauce from a jar. And it is so easy to make yourself. With just a few simple ingredients, you can be tucking into a delicious plateful tonight.

    Overhead shot of a table set with plates of spaghetti bolognese.
    Jump to:
    • Easy homemade spaghetti bolognese sauce
    • How to make spaghetti bolognese sauce
    • Can I freeze bolognese sauce?
    • Can I make it in advance?
    • Pin for later
    • Related recipes
    • 📋The recipe

    Easy homemade spaghetti bolognese sauce

    A plate of good old spag bol has to be the recipe that I call for when I want a quick and easy supper that tastes amazing but doesn't mean hours in the kitchen.

    Now, I know you can easily boil up a pot of spaghetti, pour over a bottle of store-bought sauce, and call it supper, but when you consider how quickly you can make your own bolognese sauce, and how much better it tastes, this is a no-brainer.

    Start to finish, this sauce takes literally minutes to prep, then you just leave it to simmer away on the stove until you are ready to eat it. And what you get is a meaty tomato-based spaghetti sauce that will have everyone begging for seconds.

    What I like about this recipe is how well it freezes. When I make this bolognese recipe I always double up on the ingredients and pop the freeze for a later meal. It saves on electricity, but more importantly, it saves on time.

    And once this spaghetti sauce is in the freezer, the sky's the limit as to what you can do with it. Turn it into a lasagna, make cannelloni crepes with cheese sauce, rustle up a batch of delicious homemade bolognese sausage rolls or even stuff it into these 5-minute homemade vetkoek. You could also just have plain old spag bol 🙂 .

    And of course, the family will be delighted. Because let's face it, everyone loves spaghetti bolognese!

    A pan of spaghetti bolognese sauce.

    How to make spaghetti bolognese sauce

    This recipe will make 4 generous helpings, and there might even be enough left over to freeze for later!

    The ingredients you will need:

    • Equal quantities of ground beef and ground pork. You can use just ground beef if you prefer. I like to add pork because I think it adds an extra layer of flavour to the sauce.
    • Finely diced onion, grated carrot and chopped fresh tomatoes. -The carrot should be grated on the smallest holes of your grater so that it can cook away into the sauce. And the onions and tomatoes should be very finely chopped.
    • Garlic minced or finely chopped. This is optional - traditional bolognese sauce does not normally contain garlic, but I like the flavour so I add it.
    • A can of chopped tomatoes and some tomato puree - there is a lot of tomato in this recipe, but it does not overpower the final dish.
    • For the spices, you will need dried oregano, basil and thyme
    • Sugar - I always add a small amount of sugar when cooking with tomatoes as it brings out the flavour and cuts through the tartness. You can leave this out if you prefer.
    • Salt, which as always is optional and to your own taste.
    • Freshly ground black pepper
    • Olive oil for frying
    • 1½ cans water - I use the can that the tomatoes came in to measure the water.
    • Spaghetti - or other long pasta, such as linguine or tagliatelle.

    Now follow these easy steps

    Preparing the bolognese sauce is easy - you can have this dish prepared and simmering in 15 minutes. Then you just leave it to cook away by itself!

    Steps for making spaghetti bolognese sauce.
    • Prepare the vegetables. Grate the carrots and chop the onions and fresh tomatoes. See image 1 above for the size that the carrots should be grated.
    • Fry the onions in olive oil until they soften, then add the meat. Continue to fry, breaking up any lumps of meat with a spatula until the meat is brown and crumbly.
    • Add the rest of the ingredients. Use the empty tomato can to measure out the required amount of water.
    • Now stir well and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat. Cover the pan with a tightly fitting lid and leave to simmer on the lowest heat setting for at least 90 minutes. You can leave it longer, it won't come to any harm but just check occasionally to see that it does not boil dry. Top up with additional water if necessary.
    • 20 minutes before the sauce is ready, put a large saucepan of salted water on to boil. Once it is boiling, add the pasta and boil for the length of time given on the packet.

    To serve, arrange a bed of pasta on each plate, spoon the bolognese sauce over the pasta, and sprinkle generously with parmesan cheese. If you are feeling really hungry, add a couple of slices of garlic bread and some cherry tomatoes, or a leafy green salad on the side.

    Close up of a pan of spaghetti bolognese sauce.

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    Can I freeze bolognese sauce?

    Yes, you can freeze this sauce. Just allow it to cool and then ladle into plastic containers. You can freeze this sauce for up to 4 months.

    To defrost, leave in the fridge overnight, or tip the frozen sauce into a saucepan on a very low heat and defrost in the saucepan. Once the sauce has defrosted, increase the heat and bring to the boil.

    Can I make it in advance?

    You can make this bolognese sauce up to 3 days in advance and store it in a covered container in the refrigerator.

    When you are ready to use it, just reheat it in a saucepan on the stove.

    Overhead shot of a plate of bolognese spaghetti sauce sprinkled with parmesan cheese.

    Pin for later

    Why not pin this recipe for bolognese sauce to one of your Pinterest boards so you can make it later? Just click the image below.

    Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.

    Related recipes

    If you enjoyed this bolognese recipe, you may also enjoy these other recipes made with ground beef.

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    You can find many similar recipes on my beef recipes page.

    📋The recipe

    Overhead shot of a plate of bolognese spaghetti sauce sprinkled with parmesan cheese.

    Spaghetti bolognese sauce

    This homemade spaghetti bolognese sauce tastes sooooooo much better than sauce from a jar. And it is so easy to make yourself. Just a few simple ingredients and you can be tucking into a delicious plateful tonight.
    Recipe by: Veronica
    Main Course
    Italian inspired
    Calories 672
    Prep 15 minutes minutes
    Cook 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 people
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    5 from 1 vote

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    Equipment

    • Sharp Knife
    • Chopping Board
    • Large saucepan with lid
    • Wooden spoon or spatula

    Ingredients

    • 8 ounce (425g) ground beef
    • 8 ounce (425g) ground pork
    • 1 large onion finely diced
    • 1 large carrot grated
    • 2 medium tomatoes coarsely chopped
    • 2 cloves garlic minced or finely chopped (optional)
    • 14½ ounce (400g) can chopped tomatoes
    • 2 tablespoons tomato puree
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • 1 teaspoon dried basil
    • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
    • 1 teaspoon sugar
    • 1 teaspoon salt optional
    • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil for frying
    • 1½ cans water
    • 8 ounces 450g dried spaghetti

    Instructions

    • Peel and finely chop the onion. Peel and finely grate the carrot. Chop the tomatoes. Peel and mince the garlic. (See notes 1 and 2).
    • Heat the olive oil in a large pan and stirfry the onion and garlic (if using) on a low heat until the onions start to soften and turn translucent.
    • Add the meat and continue to stirfry, until the meat is browned and crumbly. Break up any lumps of meat with a wooden spoon or spatula.
    • Add the rest of the ingredients. (See note 3).
    • Stir well to combine then bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a very low simmer, cover the pan with a tightly fitting lid and leave to simmer for about 1½ hours. (See note 4).
    • If the sauce is too runny after 1½ hours, remove the lid, turn up the heat slightly and allow to cook for a few minutes longer to reduce and thicken.
    • 20 minutes before the sauce is ready, boil a pan of water, then cook the spaghetti for the length of time indicated on the packet.
    • Serve over spaghetti, sprinkled with parmesan cheese and accompanied with fresh cherry tomatoes and slices of garlic bread. (See note 5).

    Notes

    Note 1 - The onion should be chopped into approximately ½-centimetre dice.  Grate the carrot on the finest grater setting.  Cut the tomato into approximately 1-centimetre dice.  If you prefer, you can remove the tomato skins by making a small cross at the base of each tomato, and covering the tomatoes with boiling water.  Leave for 2 minutes then pour off the water.  The skins should peel off easily.
    Note 2 - A true bolognese sauce does not contain garlic.  If you prefer to add garlic you should fry it with the onions.
    Note 3 - You will need 1½ cans of water.  Use the empty tomato can to measure the water.
    Note 4 - Keep your eye on the pan.  If the sauce starts to boil dry, top up with a small amount of extra water. One and a half hours is my suggested time.  You can leave this for longer with no danger of the sauce over-cooking.  This sauce benefits from a long cooking time over a very low heat.
    Note 5 - This sauce is normally served with spaghetti or linguine, but you could also serve it over shell-shaped noodles, or even use it to make a lasagne.  Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package.  Allow 2 ounces (approx 50g) of dried pasta per person.
    To freeze - allow to cool, then pack into plastic containers and store in the freezer for up to 4 months.  To use, defrost in the refrigerator and then reheat in a saucepan on the stove until piping hot.
    Nutrition - the calorie count does not include any pasta that you may serve with this dish.

    Nutrition

    Calories - 672kcal | Carbohydrates - 12.1g | Protein - 56.9g | Fat - 42.2g | Saturated Fat - 13.4g | Cholesterol - 188mg | Sodium - 797mg | Potassium - 831mg | Fiber - 1.7g | Sugar - 3.9g | Calcium - 49mg | Iron - 7mg

    I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.

    Unless otherwise stated, a cup is the standard US cup containing 240 ml. In all my recipes this cup is assumed to hold 140g of flour. For help converting other ingredients between cups, grams, ounces and other measures, see my recipe conversion calculator.
    All my recipes are developed and tested at sea-level. For tips on adjusting recipes for high altitudes see my post on baking at high altitudes.
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    About VJ

    Before I started my food blog I was an IT Consultant. Now that I've swapped an office for a kitchen I have a lot more time to spend on things that interest me such as trying out new recipes. Most of my cooking is based around quick and easy meals, mostly made from scratch, using everyday pantry ingredients.

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