traditional spaghetti bolognese

  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Total Time: 2 hrs 15 mins
  • Servings: 4-6

    • About This Recipe

    “i got this recipe from an italian friend on a trip to the spanish isle of mallorca quite a few years ago and cannot find another to touch it.”

    Ingredients

  • 1ouncebutter
  • 1tablespoonolive oil
  • 1carrot
  • 2stalkscelery
  • 1onion
  • 4ouncesstreaky bacon
  • 1lb hamburger or 1lbground beef
  • 1 (14ounce) cans chopped tomatoes
  • 2bay leaves
  • salt
  • fresh ground black pepper
  • 2cloveschopped garlic
  • 4ouncesmushrooms
  • 1/4 pintbeef stock
  • 1glassred wine
  • 2tablespoonsdouble cream
  • 3/4 tablespoontomato puree
  • thyme
  • oregano

    • Directions

  • Gently melt the butter & oil in a large pan which can be covered.
  • Add chopped carrot, onion, celery, bacon & bay leaves, gently cook until golden.
  • Add minced steak & garlic, season well with salt & pepper, cook until meat is no longer pink.
  • Add wine,cook until liquid reduces a little, add mushrooms thyme& oregano.
  • Blend the tomato puree with the beef stock,then add to pan along with the tinned tomatoes, stir well then cover and cook on lowest possible heat for a couple of hours. The secret to this dish is long, slow cooking as to allow the flavors to meld.
  • As this dish slowly simmers you will need to add more liquid; use either wine or a little water.I find a little wine does best.
  • After two hours or so remove from heat, remove bay leaves, add 2 tbsp of cream, stir well, serve with hot pasta or spaghetti with fresh baked garlic bread and grated cheese.

    • Reviews

  • “I first had spaghetti bolognese in Brussels at a tiny Italian cafe; I’ve been looking for the perfect recipe to make this ever since. Now I have found it! This is SO tasty! I went and saut?ed the vegetables in the bacon drippings. I pur?ed all the veggies in my food processor. Next time I will probably add some red pepper flakes (personal preference). LOVE this and THANK you for a great recipe!”

  • “This is fantasitc!Great for lasagna too.I have tried other ground meats and like a mix of beef and pork the best.”

  • “I have made this many time now. It is by far the best spaghetti bolognese i have had, Delicious! Thanks for posting.”

  • “only deviation i made was to leave the mushrooms out of the recipe – but saute a batch of button mushrooms in butter,garlic and fresh basil, and serve along side. >br/br/br/br/

  • “After watching Julia Roberts gorge herself on awesome looking Italian morsels in “Eat, Pray, Love” I was on a mission to make something authentic. I did change a few things. I used 2 carrots, 1 celery stalk (both of which I ran through the food processor so I wouldn’t have “chunks”) I also ran my tomatoes through the food processor slightly – again – not a fan of “chunks.” I left out the mushrooms. I used beef bouillon instead of stock. I used 1/2 cup marsala for the wine. I added 1 can of tomato sauce because it didn’t seem to be tomato-y enough for me. I simmered for 2.5 hours – since I had added the tomato sauce, I didn’t have to add any additional liquids and I cooked it uncovered – in a cast iron dutch oven. Not sure how I will ever be able to eat bolognese sauce anywhere else now. This is delizioso!”

  • “I wasn’t particularly fond of this recipe. I think when I increased the serving size the wine was too much. Perhaps it would have been fine just the way as presented.”

  • “Very very good, slooooow is best.I find one can add more tomato puree, but otherwise excellent.”

  • “This is a good spaghetti recipe. I did however add more tomato paste, it didnt seem quite tomatoey enough. Also I didn’t have cream so I put 2Tbsp of milk in.. was still nice. Thanks for this one fireball :)”

  • “My husband is the pasta cook out of the two of us, I just don’t touch italian recipes but he was working late and wanted spag bol so I reluctantly agreed to make it. Came on recipezaar to get the highest rating recipe and here it was – I cooked it without celery (didn’t have it), and didn’t have mushrooms so used a mushroom stock cube. To fireball’s credit I am now chef spag bol maker – my husband said it was the best he had tasted and he was no longer making it, so not sure whether to say thanks or not LOL but it was delicious – cooked it for hours, and it tasted amazing the next day too. Am about to make it now for New years eve, it’s his favourite dish (have cooked it a couple of times). Hearty, flavoursome and well worth the effort. Thank you.”

  • “I’ve cooked this a few times now and it’s the best spag bol recipe I’ve ever used.I tend to fry the mince on it’s own before adding it to the veg.I also add extra tom puree and worcester sauce.I make huge batches, then bag it off and freeze it in portions.That way we just take it out of the freezer in the morning, and heat it up in the evening when we get back from work.”

  • “I have many italian freinds and have enjoyed this dish numerous times over the years and I thought your recipe was very good. I cooked it exact to your recipe and we always add chilli flakes and freshly grated parmesan cheese to serve. It was yummy. Thank you.”

  • “Great recipe. The family loved it. I left out the celery (personal preference) and I didn’t have any mushrooms or red wine so I threw in a dash of Worcestershire sauce & some basil, also, because my kids are so fussy, I use onion flakes & minced garlic and grated the carrot. I added some Tomato Paste but I don’t think it really needed it. Because of time restraints, I simmered the sauce for only 1/2 an hour. This is the kind of recipe that you can throw extras in to suit your taste. I dished this up with some grated cheese &sour cream on top. I’ll keep this recipe for regular use. Thanks Fireball :)”

  • “This smelled fantastic as it cooked, but we felt the flavour was a bit thin. I reckon a bit more tomato puree or even some paste would have given it a bit more body. Also thought the directions regarding what to do with onions, carrots, garlic (how to chop etc) were a bit vague for a first time cook especially.”

  • “This recipe is truley delicious!The flavors mix so nicley and it literally mets in your mouth.Thank you for the recipe!I will be making this again as the cold months approach.”

    •