Spaghetti Bolognese Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What makes bolognese different than spaghetti sauce? ›

The key difference here is that bolognese sauce contains meat of some sort – beef, veal or pork are the most popular options. It just so happens that beef is the most popular choice in Italy (and your favourite Italian restaurant Sydney).

Bolognese sauce is a classic Italian sauce for pasta made with ground meat such as beef or pork. It's slow cooked with a soffritto of onions, carrots, and celery, tomatoes, and milk to give it a creamy texture. Pronounced "bow-luh-nez," the sauce comes from the Bologna region of Italy, hence the name.

The best tip for intensifying the flavour of your sauce is just to cook it slowly on a low heat for a long time. This reduces the sauce and intensifies the flavours – four hours is not uncommon for my bolognese.

A pinch of sugar cuts through the acidity of the tomatoes, also slow cooking improves texture and flavors. Sweet cherry, smoked bacon, heaps of basil and a glass or 2 while cooking helps for a great spaghetti bolognese. I love adding a chorizo sausage during the slow simmer also!!!

Even though both are considered meat sauces and are thusly chunky, ragù is more like a thick tomato sauce with recognizable bits of ground beef within it. Bolognese, though, is creamier and thicker because it is made with milk. It is not considered to be a tomato sauce.

The American bolognese is essentially a southern-Italy style ragù with minced meat instead of meat in pieces, which means that it's very rich in tomato, and it has a too short cooking time. Besides, it tends to include a huge number of pointless ingredients and often the wine is used in the wrong way.

For Meat Sauces

Known as Bolognese in Italy, these classic slow-simmered sauces are often a Sunday treat at Nonna's house. If you want to best capture these hearty sauces, serve them with traditional tube-shaped pasta—like Rigatoni and Tortiglioni—or deep scoopable shapes like Shells and Orecchiette.

No, we put sugar in sweets, not in savory dishes. If you happened to buy tomatoes that are acidic you may try to correct that with a pinch of sugar or, better, with some milk. But acidic tomatoes are not common nowadays.

Milk is a magical ingredient when it comes to bolognese. First, the lactic acid and calcium in milk help to tenderize the meat. More than that, though, milk balances the wine and tomato, creates a creamier texture and adds richness (similar to how butter or yogurt add more richness and flavor to dishes).

Should you put sugar in spaghetti bolognese? ›

Some people put sugar in spaghetti sauce. I do not recommend it unless your tomatoes are too acidic, and then you should add just a little sugar to balance the acidity. Normally you should not need any sugar.

Simmer. Bring the sauce to a simmer over medium high heat then reduce to low and simmer uncovered for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir more often towards the end of cooking so the Bolognese sauce doesn't burn.

Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring often, until mixture cooks down into a thick sauce, at least 3 hours but preferably 4 to 6 hours. Skim fat from the top of sauce if desired. Add more water if sauce is too thick. Taste and adjust seasonings before serving.

Yellow Onions

The relatively high starch content of these workhorse onions means they are able to withstand high and long cooking times without falling apart. Yellow onions are ideal for flavorful dishes that have to cook for a while, such as bolognese.

Browning and adding some sausage, turkey, chicken or ground beef will increase your sauce's flavor, incorporate extra texture, infuse a heartier taste and up the protein content. Italian sausage is one of the best meats to add to your canned pasta sauce to achieve that classic Italian taste.

According to our Food Director Amira, not only does milk add a rich flavour to the bolognese, but it also “helps cut through the acidity of the tomatoes and red wine”. She adds: “It also makes the mince meat nice and tender, creating that melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness.”