My friends say my grandmother's recipe is the best spaghetti bolognese they've ever had. It's generous enough to feed the family and have leftovers for another day.

5 from 36 votes

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This classic meal will impress and satisfy a hungry family. This classic bolognese is always a winner!

Easy Spaghetti Bolognese Recipe

This Spaghetti Bolognese recipe is the real deal. It reminds me of when I visited Italy in ’95 for the first time. The woman who managed the house where I stayed made what I thought was the best spaghetti sauce ever. This is as close as it gets.

This recipe is easy to put together, you probably have most of the ingredients on hand, and everyone loves it, so you don’t get any complaints!

You’ll need a little wine for the recipe, so either feel free to pop open a bottle and have a glass while you cook… or use that half a glass leftover from a dinner party. If you must omit the wine, know that the sauce will be fantastic but missing “something”.

My youngest loves this sauce so much that he waited for me to go inside to get a spoon to help himself to the bowl! So much for photographing the food intact. It ended up being all about him and the happiness he feels around good food.

a kid slurping spaghetti bolognese from a bowl

Ingredients

It might seem like the recipe itself has a lot of ingredients… but most are seasonings! And I’m sure you have most of them in your pantry.

Here’s what you need to make this classic Spaghetti Bolognese recipe:

Olive oil: for cooking.
Bacon: it’s always a tasty addition!
Aromatics: chopped and peeled onion, carrots, celery, and garlic.
Seasonings: salt, pepper, leaves bay, dried thyme, dried oregano, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg.
Ground beef: a classic ingredient for this delicious recipe.
Italian sausage: removed from casings or ground.
Tomato paste: for consistency and flavor.
Red wine: it builds the body of the recipe, and it cooks off -so it’s totally safe for the kids to eat.
Crushed tomatoes: or swap them for pureed tomatoes.
Diced tomatoes: more tomato flavor!
Stock: broth or water work too; use whatever you have on hand.
Sugar: it cuts the acidity of the tomatoes.
Heavy cream: you can also use half & half or whole milk instead.
Unsalted butter: extra flavor!
Parsley leaves: fresh and chopped.
Spaghetti: we need pasta here!
Freshly grated Parmesan: what is spaghetti bolognese without cheese?

You’ll find the measurements in the recipe card below.

Cinnamon & Nutmeg in Bolognese

I learned about adding a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg to my bolognese from my grandmother in Spain to enhance and deepen the rich flavors of the sauce. Just a small amount gives the sauce a hint of having a “secret ingredient” that’s hard to replicate.

How to Make Spaghetti Bolognese

Unlike some of the other amazing family dinner recipes, this Spaghetti Bolognese isn’t a quick 30-minute meal. I suggest you cook this on a weekend while you prep your food for the week and are in-and-out of the kitchen.

Here’s the step-by-step:

Cook the bacon
In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped bacon and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. Do not drain.
Add the aromatics and seasonings
Add the onions, carrots and celery and cook, stirring, until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic, salt, pepper, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, cinnamon, and nutmeg and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
Add the meat, tomato, and wine
Add the beef and sausages, and cook, stirring, until no longer pink, for another 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, stir to incorporate. Add the wine and mix in well to deglaze any “bits” that might be at the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook for about 3 minutes until most of the wine liquid has evaporated and a thick sauce remains.
Bring to boil
Add the canned tomatoes, broth, and sugar. Bring it to a boil.
Let it simmer
Reduce the heat to medium-low and let it simmer while you go about your business for about an hour to an hour and a half (yes, that long). Make sure you come back every fifteen minutes or so to stir so that nothing is stuck at the bottom of the pot (this is one of the reasons I love a good enamel-coated cast iron pot).
Cook the pasta
Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
The creamy touch!
While you cook the pasta (or in the final 15 minutes), add the cream (if using) and butter to the pot. Stir well and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm until ready to serve.
Combine and enjoy!
Serve spaghetti with the bolognese sauce sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

How to Store Leftovers

I recommend freezing leftovers of this classic bolognese sauce in ½ cup increments per person you wish to serve for future meals. In the fridge, keep extra sauce in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze in a freezer-safe container or zip bag for up to 3 months.

Having a stash of this sauce in the freezer is perfect for when you need a delicious meal idea for the family you can heat up fast!

Classic Spaghetti Bolognese Recipe

Laura Fuentes

My friends say my grandmother's recipe is the best spaghetti bolognese they've ever had. It's generous enough to feed the family and have leftovers for another day.

5 from 36 votes

Servings 8

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 1 30

Total Time 2

Ingredients

For the sauce:

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 strips of bacon, diced
1 large onion, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
1 stalk celery, finelly chopped
2 cloves garlic
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
1 pinch ground cinnamon, recommended
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, recommended
1 pound lean ground beef
½ pound Italian sausage, removed from casings
2 tablespoons tomato paste
½ cup red wine
28 oz crushed tomatoes
14 oz can petite diced tomatoes
1 cup stock or broth, or water
2 teaspoons sugar
¼ cup heavy cream or half & half, optional
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Serve with:

1 pound spaghetti
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Instructions

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped bacon and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. Do not drain.
Add the onions, carrots and celery and cook, stirring, until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic, salt, pepper, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, cinnamon, and nutmeg and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
Add the beef and sausages, and cook, stirring, until no longer pink, for another 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, stir to incorporate. Add the wine and mix in well to deglaze any “bits” that might be at the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook for about 3 minutes until most of the wine liquid has evaporated and a thick sauce remains.
Add the canned tomatoes, broth, and sugar and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and let it simmer while you go about your business for about an hour to an hour and a half (yes, that long). Make sure you come back every fifteen minutes or so to stir so that nothing is stuck at the bottom of the pot (this is one of the reasons I love a good enamel coated cast iron pot).
While you cook the pasta (or in the final 15 minutes), add the cream (if using), and butter. Stir well, and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm until ready to serve.
Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

To serve:

Serve pasta in a shallow plate. Laddle sauce over the top, and combine. Spinkle parmesan over the top.
Allow sauce to cool completely before freezing or storing.

Notes

This recipe yields enough bolognese sauce for 12 when served with pasta. We noted 8 servings in this recipe because 1lb of pasta serves 8. You can cook more or freeze extras for another time in ½ cup increments of sauce per person.

Equipment

Weekly Meal Plan

5qt Enameled Pot

Nutrition

Serving: 1 servingCalories: 526kcalCarbohydrates: 58gProtein: 29gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 72mgSodium: 779mgPotassium: 945mgFiber: 5gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 3010IUVitamin C: 17mgCalcium: 233mgIron: 5mg

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Spaghetti Bolognese Recipe

Easy Spaghetti Bolognese Recipe