This spaghetti bolognese sauce is a traditional dish made with a rich and hearty bolognese meat sauce. Simple enough for a weeknight dinner and ready in under an hour!
Easy Spaghetti Bolognese Recipe
This spaghetti bolognese sauce is a traditional Italian recipe with rich and hearty flavor. It’s one of my favorite easy pasta recipes, as well as spaghetti and meatballs and lasagna.
The best part about making this weeknight spaghetti bolognese sauce is that it’s made in one pot and ready in under an hour. If you have time, simmer the homemade sauce even longer, though, and it will make the spag bol even more flavorful.
Why I Love This Bolognese Sauce
- Easy bolognese recipe: This meaty bolognese sauce recipe only needs to be simmered for 20 minutes! Compared to the classic, it’s perfect for busy weeknights.
- Meaty tomato sauce: Hearty meat simmered in a homemade pasta sauce made from scratch with sweet tomatoes and fragrant herbs is satisfying comfort food!
Ingredient Notes
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Sweet onion and garlic: Both aromatics flavor to the marinara sauce.
- Ground meat: I like to use a mixture of ground beef and ground pork to add more savory flavor to the spaghetti bolognese sauce.
- Seasonings: Salt, pepper, dried basil, dried oregano, and red pepper flakes. Brown sugar brings out the sweetness in the tomatoes.
- Half-and-half: This adds a richness and creaminess to the spaghetti bolognese sauce. Heavy cream or whole milk can be used, or omit it for a spaghetti sauce.
- Parmesan: Finely shredded fresh Parmesan cheese melts into the sauce and balances the acidity of the tomatoes. Use a Parmesan rind instead if you like.
- Dry red wine: Adds complexity to the sauce and balances the other flavors.
- Tomatoes: I used San Marzano crushed tomatoes, fire-roasted diced tomatoes and tomato paste which gives the quick bolognese sauce depth of flavor.
- Spaghetti: Our go to when making this easy bolognese recipe although a classic Italian dish would use flat and wide pasta noodle like tagliatelle or pappardelle.
How to Make Spaghetti Bolognese Sauce
Melt butter over medium-low heat in large skillet or pot. Add onion with pinch of salt and cook until translucent. Stir in garlic.
Turn heat to medium-high heat then add the meat. Drain any excess grease. Using a wooden spoon, stir in pepper, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes and remaining teaspoon salt. Cook until meat has browned.
Add in brown sugar, half-and-half, wine, diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and parmesan. Stir and then simmer for 10 minutes. Cover and cook additional 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Toss the meaty sauce with spaghetti, garnish with fresh herbs and enjoy!
Tips and Variations
- Simmer time. While this is a quick and easy spaghetti bolognese sauce ready in 45 minutes, the longer it simmers the better the flavors meld together for an amazing sauce. Simmer it for hours on low heat or transfer it to a slow cooker if you have time.
- Thickening the sauce. The longer spaghetti bolognese sauce simmers, the thicker it will be. If you are short on time, try adding in a teaspoon or two of tomato paste or tomato puree, as a thickening agent.
- Thinning the sauce: Reserve some pasta water when draining the pasta to thin out the consistency of the pasta bolognese sauce.
- Ragu: Finely chopped celery and carrot would make this more like a thick ragu. Dice vegetables small and saute with the onion.
- Flavor boost: A splash of Worcestershire sauce and beef bouillon cube are not authentic but perfect to add flavor since we are cutting down on simmering time.
- Without wine: Traditional homemade spaghetti bolognese sauce is made with red wine. I have used pomegranate juice or grape juice for a non-alcoholic substitute.
- Toss pasta with sauce for serving: You can serve the bolognese sauce and pasta separately or you can mix them together before serving which is traditional!
Storing and Freezing Leftovers
- Store: Cool easy bolognese sauce then store separately from spaghetti pasta in an airtight container for up to three days.
- Freeze: Place the leftover sauce in a zip-top bag or airtight container and then let it cool. Press flat and then store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Thaw: When ready to eat, thaw overnight in the fridge and then reheat on low on the stove top or in the slow cooker. Serve over spaghetti, it’s perfect for a busy night!
Flavorful authentic Italian recipes are approved by even my picky eaters including easy this spaghetti recipe to creamy rigatoni and baked ziti.
More Italian Sauce Recipes
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Spaghetti Bolognese Sauce
Video
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup diced sweet onion
- 1 ½ teaspoons + pinch Kosher salt , or 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork , or pork Italian sausage
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
- 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
- ½ cup half-and-half , or heavy cream
- 1 cup dry red wine , grape or pomegranate juice
- 1 (14-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup tomato paste
- ⅓ cup finely grated parmesan
For serving: Pasta
Instructions
- In a large pot, melt 2 Tablespoons butter over medium-low heat. Stir in 1 cup diced onion and a pinch of salt. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. Stir in 4 cloves of garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Brown meat. Increase the heat to medium and add 1 pound beef and 1 pound pork. Break up the meat and cook until lightly browned. Drain any excess grease (I like to use a paper towel to absorb any excess). Add the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 2 teaspoons basil, 2 teaspoons oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Cook 1 minute more.
- Simmer. Stir in 2 Tablespoons brown sugar, 1/2 cup half-and-half, 1 cup wine, 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 can crushed tomatoes, and 1/2 cup tomato paste. Simmer 10 minutes. Stir in 1/3 cup parmesan cheese. Cover and simmer an additional 20 to 45 minutes, or until thickened and flavorful. Season to taste.
- Serve over your favorite pasta.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
Do you think this sauce taste better with the pork sausage or the Italian sausage?
Hi Eileen! I love it both ways, it just depends on your preference :)
Everything about this sauce was perfection. It had the perfect flavor, chunkiness and texture. I loved that it was thick because I don’t like thin sauces.
So glad you enjoyed the bolognese!
This bolognese sauce using beef and pork is absolutely delicious. So much flavor and it was easy to make, too!
This bolognese sauce is a family favorite. I’ve made this recipe for years and I just love that it’s so easy to make too.
“best I’ve ever had” from my picky husband
Yay! Love that it’s picky husband approved :)
Yah, finally a sauce my very picky daughter will eat! I tried so many different recipes and this is the one!!!😋
Yay! I am so happy to hear that :)
Crowd pleaser!
Yay! Thanks for the comment, Holly!
This is really delicious!! Quickly became a favorite at my house!
This is so yummy and delicious! My family loves this!