Easy Bolognese Sauce Recipe

This easy Bolognese sauce recipe can be made in 30 minutes, making it the perfect weeknight meal. Learn how to make a healthy Bolognese sauce from scratch and you’ll never want to buy a pre-made jar of pasta sauce again.

This non-traditional Bolognese sauce is a great way to sneak some extra veggies into a meal without your kids noticing!

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Quick and easy to make – have dinner on the table in 30 minutes
• Easy to adapt depending on your taste preferences
• A good way to get kids to eat some extra vegetables
• Tastes even better the next day

Ingredients

• 500g (1lb) beef mince ground beef
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion
• 1 carrot medium size
• 1 stick celery
• 3 cloves garlic
• 6 mushrooms (optional)
• 1 red bell pepper (optional)
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder (or garlic salt)
• 1 beef stock cube (bouillon cube)
• 400g (14 oz) chopped tomatoes 1 tin
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste (or tomato puree)
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 400g (14oz) gluten free spaghetti or pasta of your choice
• Parmesan cheese (optional garnish)
• Fresh basil (optional garnish)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

• Sharp knife
• Cutting board
• Frying pan or Dutch oven
• Wooden spoon
• Saucepan
• Colander

Ingredient Notes

Is this a traditional Bolognese sauce?

In short, no it is not a traditional Bolognese sauce recipe.

A traditional Bolognese sauce only includes onion, carrot, celery and garlic in terms of fresh vegetables. It also includes pork mince or pancetta (as well as beef mince), red wine, milk and stock to form the base of the sauce.

Traditional cooking methods allow the sauce to simmer on a low heat for at least 2 hours. It would also be served with tagliatelle, rather than spaghetti or any other type of pasta.

Whilst this method can achieve really delicious results, most of us could use a recipe that will come together much quicker and yet still make a really tasty weeknight meal.

I have tried to make this recipe as simple as possible, so you can get dinner on the table in around 30 minutes. I have included some additional vegetables, which I like to chop up small so my kids don’t realise they’re eating them. You can leave these out if you would prefer though.

Additional Vegetables

Here are some ideas of vegetables that taste great in a (non traditional) Bolognese sauce:

• bell peppers
• mushrooms
• asparagus
• courgette (zucchini)
• olives
• broccoli stalks

How to Make an Easy Bolognese Sauce

Step 1

Chop the vegetables you are using in to small chunks. Boil enough water ready to cook your pasta.

Step 2

Add the finely chopped onion, carrot and celery to a frying pan along with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Begin to fry slowly over a medium heat, stirring regularly.

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Step 3

Once the onion, carrot and celery have started to soften, add the beef mince to the pan. Use a wooden spoon to break up the meat so it can start to brown off.

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Step 4

Add your spices to the meat. I like to use oregano, paprika, garlic powder and a beef stock cube (bouillon cube). Mix together well.

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Step 5

Add the garlic and any other vegetables you would like to include, such as mushrooms and/or bell peppers.

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Step 6

In a separate saucepan, start to boil your pasta of choice according to the instructions on the packet.

I like to use gluten free spaghetti, which takes around 15 minutes to cook. I usually allow 100g (3.5oz) of dry spaghetti per adult and 50g (1.75oz) per child portion.

Step 7

Add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste (or tomato puree) along with a tin of chopped tomatoes and the Worcestershire sauce to the pan.

Crushed or diced tomatoes can be used instead of chopped tomatoes, if that’s what you have on hand.

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Step 8

Allow the Bolognese sauce to cook at a medium-high heat for around 10 minutes. Stir both the Bolognese sauce and the pasta on a regular basis.

Grate some cheese whilst you are waiting for the sauce and pasta to cook.

Step 9

When the pasta is cooked, pour into a colander to drain the water.

Serve the pasta into bowls and top with the Bolognese sauce.

Add some grated cheese and fresh basil (optional). Add salt and pepper, according to your taste.

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Storage

Leftovers taste great the next day, but can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

You can also freeze leftovers, once it has been allowed to cool, for up to 3 months.

I would suggest reheating the sauce and any pasta on the stovetop rather than the microwave, to preserve more of the nutrients. You may need to add a splash of water if the sauce seems too thick or the pasta too dry.