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Everyone’s favourite classic Spaghetti Bolognese can be anything but boring if you know a few simple steps to getting a rich, hearty, deep favour from your ragu. This is such an EASY recipe and is perfect for batch cooking too.
This recipe has been tested SO many times because I wanted to get it just right.
Everyone wants simplicity from their classic Spaghetti Bolognese, but it also has to be on another level to take it from mince and tomatoes to something INCREDIBLE.
With just a few simple ingredients, this recipe is a perfect homemade version that you can double (or triple!) to batch cook for another day.
Why you’ll love this Spaghetti Bolognese recipe
⭐️ Works every time – a favourite go-to recipe
⭐️ Make on the hob or in the oven
⭐️ Perfect for batch cooking and freezing
⭐️ Low cost ingredients
⭐️ Big hit with the all ages
⭐️ Serve with spaghetti or other pastas
Sarah’s Notes
I know you can whip up spag bol in half an hour but I have fine-tuned this recipe over and over again, and believe me when I say it’s worth cooking low and slow instead.
You may find yourself wanting to speed this recipe up, which of course you could do, but I urge you to keep it simmering (or stick it in the oven) for that extra depth of flavour, rich consistency and unmistakable umami.
Homemade Spaghetti Bolognese Ingredients Notes
- Oil – Go for olive oil or sunflower
- Pancetta – Use the thinly sliced type. Some packs of pancetta are 90g or 105g, either is near enough for this recipe! You can leave it out if you prefer, but it really does add to the flavour here. You can swap for smoky bacon if you can’t find it
- Garlic – You’ll need 4 cloves for this recipe. It’s fine to use frozen or jarred as well as fresh if you like
- Base vegetables – Chopped onion, carrot and celery. You can replace fresh with a frozen bag of ‘soffritto’, which comes already pre-chopped and all together in one bag. It might be called ‘vegetable base mix’ or something similar in some supermarkets. If you are using frozen, make sure you give a little more time to it browning and cook until all the water has evaporated
- Herbs – Rosemary, thyme, oregano and bay leaves (dried is OK)
- Beef mince – Ideally I’d use 5% or 10% fat for this recipe, otherwise it might be a bit fatty, but it’s down to personal preference. You can drain some of the fat if you need to
- Beef stock – Use your own freshly stocked or a beef oxo cube (or other cube) is also fine
- Red wine – About 150ml of anything you have makes all the difference to the resulting flavour
- Tomato base – Tinned chopped tomatoes and tomato puree, the best quality you can
- Sugar – Just a teaspoon makes a difference by balancing out the acidity of the tomatoes
- Worcestershire sauce – Two tablespoon give a deeper flavour
- Season – Make sure you season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Fresh basil – To serve on top, if you like
How to make Bolognese Sauce
1. Fry the chopped pancetta in a little oil until starting to brown.
2. Add the mince and cook until browned all over, then remove the meat and set aside.
3. Add more oil into the pan and fry the onions and garlic until soft.
4. Add the remaining vegetables until starting to soften.
5. Add the meat back in and add the stock, herbs, salt and bay leaves, then stir.
6. Add the wine, tomatoes, tomato puree, sugar, Worcestershire sauce and pepper, then simmer on the hob or cook in the oven, as per the recipe below.
NOTE: You may need to add an extra splash of water to the sauce if you’re cooking this in the oven.
Leftovers & Storing
In the fridge You can keep this recipe in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat fully in the microwave or on the hob before serving. Add a splash of water if it needs it.
In the freezer Like most beef mince recipes, this is a fantastic make-ahead freezer recipe! Making a few batches at once is always a good idea if you have space.
Just wait until it’s totally cold and then portion into freezer-proof containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost thoroughly before reheating.
Alternative serving suggestions
✅ Any pasta – If you want to swap out the spaghetti, you could use tagliatelle instead, or pappardelle or fettuccine. Penne or stuffing into cannelloni is also great!
✅ The base for a lasagne – Use another batch for layering up for a completely different dish
✅ Top jacket potatoes – This is perfect for a quick meal to fill everyone up, and gives another variation dinner
✅ To serve – Top with plenty of parmesan. A side salad and garlic bread make this recipe go further too!
More classic beef mince recipes…
Beef Mince Recipes
Chilli Con Carne {Easiest EVER Recipe!}
Under 15 minutes
Sticky Beef Mince Stir Fry {15 Minute Meal}
Family Dinner Ideas
The BEST Meatballs with Rich Tomato Sauce
FAQs
Yes! Follow my specific Spag Bol Slow Cooker recipe here to find out how.
Sure! Add whatever you like in. Mushrooms and courgettes work really well in bolognese, for example. You can also swap some of the meat out for lentils if you prefer.
A classic Italian bolognese is made up of beef and pork, and isn’t even called ‘bolognese’ at all. It’s known simply as ragu. In Italy, it’s also served with tagliatelle instead of spaghetti!
Read more about its origins in this article – ‘Five interesting things you didn’t know about Spaghetti Bolognese’ by Delicious Bologna.
Let me know how you got on and what you thought of these recipes. Please rate the recipe using the ⭐️ below.
Also I’d LOVE to see your cooking creations. If you’d like to share yours with me, you can tag me on Instagram (@tamingtwins).
BEST EVER Spaghetti Bolognese {Oven or Hob}
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Oil
- 100 g Pancetta , The thinly sliced type
- 1 Onion, Finely chopped
- 4 Garlic cloves, Crushed
- 1 Carrot, Large | Finely diced
- 1 Celery stick, Finely diced
- 1/2 tsp Dried rosemary
- 1/2 tsp Dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp Dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp Sea salt
- 3 Bay leaves
- 500 g Beef mince, See notes
- 1 Beef stock cube
- 150 ml Red wine
- 400 g Tinned chopped tomatoes (1 x tin), Plus 1/2 tin of water
- 2 tbsp Tomato puree
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 15 g Fresh basil, Very finely chopped
To Serve:
- Spaghetti or your choice of pasta
- Parmesan cheese, Grated over the top
Instructions
- Heat 1 tbsp of oil in large pan. Very thinly slice the pancetta. Add it to the pan and fry over a medium heat for 5 minutes until it's starting to colour and brown.
- Add the mince and cook for a further 5-10 minutes, breaking up as it cooks, until it's browned all over.
- Remove the mince and pancetta into a bowl and set aside.
- Put the remaining oil in the pan and add onions and garlic. Cook for 5 mins until they're starting to soften.
- Add the remaining veg and cook for a further 5-10 minutes until it's starting to soften.
- Add the mince and pancetta back to the pan. Add the crumbled stock cube, dried herbs, salt, bay leaves, and stir well. Add the wine, tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, sugar, Worcestershire sauce and plenty of pepper.
- Bring to a simmer. Then:
To cook on the Hob:
- Cooked for 1hr-1.5 hours on hob at a gentle simmer until thick and rich. Stir in the fresh basil before serving (or before freezing).
To cook in the Oven:
- Cook in the oven for 1.5-2 hours at 150℃ fan/170℃/Gas Mark 2. Stir in the fresh basil before serving (or before freezing).
- (You may need to add a little more water during cooking if it gets too thick.)
To Serve:
- Cook your spaghetti before serving, or your chosen accompaniment.
- Add a generous sprinkling of grated parmesan (optional).
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Delicious. I also add 2 heaped tablespoons of milled/ ground flaxseeds (linseeds) at the same time as the herbs. It adds even more fibre and loads of nutrients.
This is amazing, my children don’t realize how much “Vegetables” they’re eating. Although I slightly “altered” the recipe it still turned out “yummy in my tummy”.
The best Spag Bol recipe I have come across and my children don’t even know there’s veg in it!!! This makes enough for us 5 and a batch to go in the freezer.
A great dish and my husband doesn’t even realise how many vegetables he is eating!
I’ve always used jar’s as I thought they were easier but never again this recipe was so easy an soooooooo much nicer. I’m converted thank you
Oh so pleased to hear this Nikki! 🙂
Thanks for sharing, this looks a lovely family supper 🙂
Could you move this to the slow cooker after step five rather than the oven? And if so would the timings need to be adjusted?
You could, but I would reduce the amount of red wine/stock/tomatoes as none will evaporate.
Ooh how much would you reduce these to please? As I would like to slow cook mine.
I’d use just one can of tomatoes and maybe 150ml stock and then check it during cooking. You may need to add more. You might also need to add an additional stock cube and/or tomato puree to add in additional flavour that doesn’t come from reducing it down. I’ll add it to my list to test over the coming weeks 🙂
I add a splash of cream in mine at the end!
Oooh yummy!
Great dinner and I feel guilt free with all the veg in it 👍
The kids love this. 🙂