Easy Spaghetti Bolognese Recipe

Name: Easy and Tasty Spaghetti Bolognese Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 60 min
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons olive oil; 3 tablespoons butter; 2 large onions (chopped finely); 4 ribs celery (diced); 1 cup carrots (diced); 6 ounces bacon (chopped into small pieces); 2-4 cloves garlic; 1 pound lean ground beef; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour; 15 ounces can crushed tomatoes; 2/3 cup beef stock; salt and pepper; 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning; 1 pound spaghetti pasta (cooked)

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I think everyone has a recipe for spaghetti Bolognese! Perhaps you had an old family recipe passed down from Italian grandparents, or use a jar of store-bought sauce (like I do here in my Instant Pot Spaghetti). Or maybe you have your own favorite Bolognese recipe like I do! This is my favorite way to make this for my family.

It is just good food!

Bacon, carrots, onions and celery form the base of the meat sauce, making it super flavorful. We add garlic, tomatoes, beef or chicken stock, as well as Italian seasoning, to round it out.

Check out my Turkey Bolognese for a lighter version of this classic recipe, or my Chicken Spaghetti for another decadent dish!

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Why you’ll love this recipe

It uses basic ingredients that are easy to find.
Because it involves tomatoes, onions, carrots and celery, it’s PRACTICALLY a salad…
You can sub many of the ingredients according to what you have on hand. Chopped red bell peppers taste great in this recipe. You could also use Italian sausage, ground pork, ground chicken or ground turkey in place of the ground beef. I often use half beef stock, half red wine as well.
It tastes even better the next day, so plan for leftovers!

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If you love this, you’ll also enjoy my Spaghetti Carbonara or Skillet Mac and Cheese. Both hugely popular classics! You might also like a shortcut – my Instant Pot

spaghetti bolognese in a white bowl with a fork and parmesan cheese

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it Spaghetti Bolognese or Spaghetti Bolognaise?

It’s both, actually. Bolognese is an Italian word, while the French word, Bolognaise, is what people in Australia and New Zealand know it as. In England? Spag Bol. Easy.

What to serve with pasta?

I like a good salad alongside a hearty pasta dish. Go for a classic Chicken Caesar Salad, or my Grilled Vegetable Salad. A basic Arugula Salad is also a good option!

Key Recipe Ingredients

Remember: this is just an overview and the why of the ingredients I choose here. The full list of ingredients and amounts is found in the printable recipe card below.

spaghetti bolognese ingredients laid out and labeled

Olive Oil & Butter.
Onions, Celery, Carrots. Diced into a similar size.
Bacon. I’d say this is optional, but it’s bacon! If you don’t have it, it’s okay, but so much better with it!
Garlic. As much or as little as you prefer. Make sure it’s finely minced.
Ground Beef. Go for the leanest you can get. I like a 97/3 blend.
Tomato Paste. Adds additional flavor depth.
Flour. Regular all-purpose flour.
Tomatoes. I used canned tomatoes. They can be crushed, whole or diced, even tomato sauce if that is what you have!
Beef Stock. If you don’t have this, chicken stock is just fine.
Seasoning. Obviously, salt and pepper, but also Italian Seasoning. Grab it from the store or make your own. Bay leaves and red pepper flakes are not in this recipe, but I add them regularly depending on the day.
Spaghetti. Obviously, any pasta will do. But if you can’t call it Spaghetti if you use Penne. You COULD call it pasta with Bolognese sauce though if you care about names!

How to make Spaghetti Bolognese from scratch

This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. The full list of ingredients, quantities and instructions can be found in the printable recipe card below.

Jump

Make the Sauce

Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium high heat. Add the onions, celery and bacon pieces and fry them together for 5 minutes, stirring once or twice.

process of cooking the veggies for spaghetti bolognese.

Stir in the garlic and ground beef and cook until the meat is no longer pink.

Lower the heat and continue cooking for a further 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

collage of process for making spaghetti bolognese.

Increase the heat to medium, stir in the tomato paste and flour

Cook for 1 or 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and stock, and bring to a boil, stirring. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and stir in the Italian Seasoning.

collage of adding tomato paste and tomato sauce to a dutch oven.

Cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

spaghetti bolognese in a dutch oven with a wooden spoon.

Cook the Pasta

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti until al dente. Drain, set aside.

Serving

Pour the sauce over freshly cooked pasta.

Devour with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

Want more Easy Pasta Recipes?

Pasta e Fagioli (aka Pasta Fazool). Healthy comfort food that satisfies the whole family using commonly found ingredients!
Skillet Lasagna. This comfort food classic is perfect for weeknights and pleases the whole family!
Italian Style Chicken Mozzarella Skillet. A rich, tomato based sauce made from scratch, linguine pasta, and chicken. Topped with melty mozzarella cheese. What is not to love?
Ham Tetrazzini. A super-fast weeknight dinner, this Ham Tetrazzini is a spin on the traditional version and is sure to please the whole family.

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Update: This was originally posted in October of 2008, and has been updated to improve reader experience.

About Kylee Ayotte

I am a born and raised New Zealander (a Kiwi), now living in Phoenix, Arizona. I’m happily married to the love of my life – a hot American boy I met while traveling the world. I’m a mama to 2 awesome little boys and love red things, rugby, cheesecake, and bacon. Mmmmm. Bacon. Meet Kylee

Thank you for this delicious recipe. Words are not enough to describe how fabulous this dish is. Thank you for sharing it with us. It’s part of our cuisine from now on. Have a great day !