Easy Spaghetti Bolognese with no wine added , the best comfort food no matter the season. A fabulous homemade bolognese sauce full of big flavours, and the nation's favourite pasta make the best combo for a healthy and nutritious dinner. A big hit with the whole family, this spaghetti bolognese is my absolute favourite food.
If there was one dish I would gladly eat at any time of the day or night, this has to be spaghetti bolognese. It just screams comfort food to me, and that's what it does best - soothes and comforts you like no other food. For me, this is the mother of all dishes.
The Italian spaghetti alla bolognese, or spag bol has to be one of the best recipes one can ever make at home. If you go for the ready-made version that the stores have to offer, then be prepared to be disappointed.
So, why not make it at home with a few simple ingredients? It's really cheap too, and with less than £6 you get to feed the whole family.
While some traditional bolognese recipes might not use any vegetables in it, I think they are a fantastic addition, especially if you cook it for kids. It makes the sauce even more nutritious and delicious.
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Ingredients
- ground beef / minced beef
- chopped tomatoes
- carrot
- large onion
- celery sticks
- vegetable oil
- grated parmesan
- salt & black pepper
- Italian herbs
- chopped parsley
- spaghetti
- beef stock
- cloves of garlic
Step-by-step photos and instructions
The traditional spaghetti bolognese uses red wine, and no veggies, but I adapted this recipe for my kids, and I can say it's the best bolognese sauce you can get.
- Start by sauteeing the onion. Once it's soft, add the garlic, carrots and celery, and let them sweat for about one minute or so
- Add the minced beef, and keep stirring until the meat in no longer pink
Now, some people might no cook the beef bolognese for so long, but I like the meat super tender, so I like adding beef stock first, let it cook until it's all absorbed, then add the chopped tomatoes.
- Once the chopped tomatoes are added, leave it to cook until it thickens into a nice sauce
- My herbs of choice for bolognese are Italian or mixed herbs, but you can only use thyme or oregano if you wish
- Add the cook spaghetti together with the parmesan and parsley, and give it a good stir, then remove from the heat.
And that's my bolognese done!
Can you freeze the bolognese sauce?
Absolutely! I actually always cook a double batch, just so I can freeze some. It helps if you freeze it in smaller plastic containers, so that you can only defrost the amount needed for one meal.
Note! I usually put the bolognese sauce that goes in the freezer aside, and add the spaghetti to the remaining sauce. I prefer cooking fresh pasta every whenever we need, rather than freeze it with the sauce. That the texture of the pasta is not as nice once defrosted.
Can you cook bolognese sauce without red wine?
Some people like adding red wine to the sauce, I personally don't cook with wine, even if it evaporates, I still don't like the idea of adding it when I cook for kids.
Now, I absolutely love the wine-free version of the bolognese sauce, but if you want to add wine to the sauce, add it after the onion has softened and let it cook until it evaporated, before adding the remaining ingredients.
More bolognese recipes
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Easy Spaghetti Bolognese (No Wine)
Ingredients
- 500 g ground beef / minced beef
- 1 tin chopped tomatoes (400 g, 13oz)
- 1 carrot
- 1 large onion
- 2 celery sticks
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoon grated parmesan
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian herbs
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- ¼ packet spaghetti (125 g, 4 oz)
- 1 cup beef stock
- 3 cloves of garlic
Instructions
- Heat up the oil in a large pan, the chop the onion and add it to it, leaving to cook for about 3-4 minutes until translucent.
- Add the ground beef, and stir continuosly, until the beef is browned all over.
- Chop the carrot, garlic and celery sticks, and add them to the pan together with the beef stock.
- Leave to cook with the lid on until the liquid is reduced, then add the chopped tomatoes and leave to cook until the sauce is reduced again.
- Season with salt, pepper, add the parmesan, Italian herbs, and parsley, and turn off the heat for now.
- Separately, cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions, then drain the water, and add the spagetti to the pan.
- Turn the heat on again, and mix everything well, stiring for about 1-2 minutes so that the sauce can coat the spaghetti well. When ready, remove from the heat and serve hot.
Notes
- If you'd like to see the ingredients listed in cups and ounces, please check the US Customary Link.
- Also, the amount of ingredients changes depending on the servings, so click on the number listed to change it to the number you prefer.
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