Italian · Lunch · Dinner
Spaghetti Bolognese
Spaghetti alla bolognese
A rich, slow-simmered ragù of lean beef, tomatoes and soffritto vegetables tossed through whole wheat spaghetti. It is hearty, comforting and lighter than the classic, with plenty of hidden veg.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Total
- 60 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 53% · Fat 19% · Protein 28%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 1 tbsp14 golive oil
- 1 medium110 gonion, finely diced
- 1 medium70 gcarrot, finely diced
- 2 stalks80 gcelery, finely diced
- 2 cloves6 ggarlic, minced
- 1 lb450 gextra-lean ground beef (5% fat)
- 2 tbsp32 gtomato paste
- 1 can (14 oz)400 gcanned crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup120 gwater, for the sauce
- 1 tspdried oregano
- 1 leafbay leaf
- 1/2 tspsalt
- 1/4 tspblack pepper
- 11 oz320 gwhole wheat spaghetti, dry
- 3 quarts3,000 gwater, for boiling the pasta
- 1/4 cup20 gparmesan, finely grated (optional)
- a small handful5 gfresh basil leaves (optional)
Steps
- 1
Heat the olive oil in a large deep pan over medium heat.
- 2
Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook gently for 8 minutes, stirring often, until soft.
- 3
Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- 4
Turn the heat up to medium-high, add the beef and cook for 5–6 minutes, breaking it up, until no pink remains.
- 5
Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
- 6
Add the crushed tomatoes, the 1/2 cup water, oregano, bay leaf, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer.
- 7
Lower the heat, partly cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring now and then, until thick; the beef should reach 71 °C / 160 °F.
- 8
About 15 minutes before the sauce is ready, bring the 3 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot.
- 9
Cook the spaghetti for 9–11 minutes or as the packet directs, until al dente.
- 10
Scoop out a mug of pasta water, then drain the spaghetti.
- 11
Remove the bay leaf from the sauce and taste for seasoning.
- 12
Toss the spaghetti with the sauce, loosening with a splash of pasta water if needed.
- 13
Serve topped with parmesan and torn basil, if using.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- Use regular or gluten-free spaghetti instead of whole wheat, choosing a pasta labelled gluten-free if needed and checking the tomato paste and parmesan labels too.
- Swap the beef for an equal weight of ground turkey or chicken, cooking it until no pink remains and it reaches 74 °C / 165 °F.
- For a vegetarian version, replace the beef with cooked brown lentils or finely chopped mushrooms and use a vegetarian hard cheese, since traditional parmesan is made with animal rennet.
- Make it dairy-free by leaving off the parmesan or sprinkling with nutritional yeast instead.
Storage
Cool and refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in airtight containers and eat within 3 to 4 days, reheating until steaming hot with a splash of water. The sauce freezes well on its own for about 3 months, but cooked spaghetti turns soft when frozen, so freeze the ragù separately if you can.
Make ahead
Make the ragù up to 3 days ahead and keep it in the fridge, or freeze it, then reheat until steaming hot while you boil fresh spaghetti. You can also dice the onion, carrot and celery a day in advance and refrigerate them in a covered container.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
Contains: GlutenCeleryMilk
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (1,152 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 529 kcal | 46 kcal |
| Protein | 37.9 g | 3.3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 73.2 g | 6.4 g |
| of which sugars | 9.9 g | 0.9 g |
| Fiber | 11.1 g | 1 g |
| Fat | 11.8 g | 1 g |
| of which saturated | 3.3 g | 0.3 g |
| Sodium | 622 mg | 54 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
