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.

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
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.
Shelley
What a fab recipe… so easy and bloody delicious! … and i am really sceptical about online recipes… this was super!
Philip O'Donovan
Absolutely fabulous spaghetti bolanase.A wee bit of work but well worth it.
Laura Fuentes
I’m so glad! This is our go-to recipe as well.
Deanna
i love it
Christina Z
What green knife are you using in the cooking videos?? Can’t wait to try recipe
Laura Fuentes
Oh man… I don’t know! one we have on the set (it’s old)
Judy M
Have not even eaten this yet, and the kids are circling! Very close to the recipe that goes with my age-old Bon Appetit lasagna, but, as you said, with the secret ingredients (I put cinnamon and chocolate in my chili, so, yeah–added those with no issue ).
Laura Fuentes
I’m so glad everyone is waiting for their own serving! I hope it was as much a success at your house as it is at ours.
Anaise Corbitt
I just can’t wait to make this recipe! My husband literally walked in the door with boxes and boxes of venison from his hunting trip. Do you think I could use ground venison instead of beef?
Laura Fuentes
This recipe is absolutely DELICIOUS with venison!! Please bring some over! 🙂
Patti
I found this recipe this morning and made this for dinner tonight! I took your advice and doubled the recipe and I am SO happy that I did! A bonus, my picky 22 month old devoured two servings!!! My husband isn’t a wine drinker and said he could taste the wine (I didn’t notice it), so next time I will use half the wine. We have tons to freeze!!! Overall, delicious!!!
Laura Fuentes
So glad your family liked it! –especially your 22month old!Success!! Yes, the wine is optional and for those who are not wine drinkers at all… some might be able to taste it. If you brought the sauce up to a boil, the alcohol would have cooked off and left the sauce with a rich flavor. Of course, it’s totally optional for next time. OH, and the extra wine you have from the bottle… if you didn’t drink it… you can freeze it in 1/2 cup servings for next time! 🙂
Lori Loranger
If you don’t want to add the wine, do I need to add some other liquid?
Laura Fuentes
Lori, add some water or stock/broth. 🙂
Tanya
This was a huge hit for my family!! My kids who always try to “eat around” the sauce because they just want the noodles, loved this and asked for seconds, then my youngest asked if I could just pack the sauce for her lunch the next day! Thank you!
Casey S
I am a terrible cook and this was my second big hit from Superglue Mom & Momables. The whole family loved it. Thanks, Laura! Personally I’m not a huge fan of italian sausage so next time I think I’ll do 1/4 lb and up the ground beef.
Laura Fuentes
If you are not a fan of italian sausage you can add a little bit more ground beef for sure. Thank you Casey for letting everyone know how much you loved the recipe!
Liz
Lots of work, but I know it will be worth it. Thank you so much. Your family is precious, Thanks for all the cute pictures.
Laura Fuentes
Thank you Liz! it’s delish!
Jane @ Handiworking
Definitely going to try this. It sounds delish, but I have to say the little guy SOLD IT! That first photo of him with the strand of spaghetti hanging all the way to the bowl is priceless!
Anna
I have made this recipe numerous times throughout the years. I love it so much. The only thing that changes is the wine. I have tried different wines and the best is burgundy wine from Carlo Rossi. It’s cheap and for some reason really does something to the sauce. I have a big jug I use just for this recipe 🙂
Laura Fuentes
I hate to admit it but I also use the cheapest wine for this recipe. Good wine, cheap wine, it doesn’t alter the taste. You’re right! Thank you for making this recipe, Anna!
Gerry @ Foodness Gracious
Fantastic! This is a proven winner in our house and I always add wine, oregano, and maybe some fresh basil at the end. Great shots of the little guy, it’s so cool getting the kids involved as they just roll with it and the best pictures are always sure to follow!