spaghetti bolognese
This is a cozy, slow simmered spaghetti bolognese that actually tastes like it cooked for hours; rich ground beef, a full vegetable base (onion, carrot, celery, mushrooms), tomatoes, wine, and stock reduced down until thick and glossy. A splash of cream at the end smooths everything out, and finishing the pasta in the sauce gives you that clingy, restaurant style texture. Salty, savory, deeply comforting, and absolutely worth the extra simmer time.
What is the history of spaghetti bolognese?
Spaghetti bolognese is one of those dishes that feels traditionally Italian, but the “spaghetti and meat sauce” version is mostly a modern, international remix of a real Italian classic: ragu alla bolognese from Bologna. In Italy, that ragu is a slow cooked meat sauce built on a soffritto base (onion, carrot, celery), usually with wine and a small amount of tomato, and it’s traditionally served with tagliatelle or layered into lasagna - not spaghetti. The idea spread outside Italy through immigration and restaurant culture in the 20th century, especially in the UK, US, and Australia, where spaghetti was cheap and widely available, and the sauce evolved into a more tomato forward, spoon-over-pasta style. So spaghetti bolognese is ‘Italian inspired’ but its real history is a global comfort food adaptation of Bolognas long simmered ragu.
How to make spaghetti Bolognese?
In a large cast iron skillet sauté chopped onions, carrots, celery, and mushrooms in olive oil and lightly season with salt and pepper until translucent. Stir in garlic and sauté for about a minute and transfer to a small bowl. Season ground beef with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper and cook in the same skillet. Once the beef is fully cooked stir in the sautéed vegetables, chopped canned tomatoes with the reserved juices, cherry tomatoes, chicken stock, wine, and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer over medium low heat for about an hour until the sauce is thick. Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Reserve 1/8 cup of the pasta water. Pull out the bay leaves and stir cream into the sauce. Bring to simmer. Stir in reserved pasta water, bring to simmer and check the seasoning. Turn off the heat and take out about 1 1/2 cups of the sauce and set aside, then mix in the spaghetti. Plate the spaghetti and top with the extra bolognese sauce. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan!
Tips
Bolognese sauce freezes well! Just store in a feezer safe container and thaw when ready to serve with freshly cooked spaghetti!