Spaghetti Bolognese

By
Sharon Hsu
Sharon Hsu wearing a white button-down shirt and holding a skewer of strawberries
Sharon Hsu
Sharon Hsu is an enthusiastic recipe and technique developer best known for her expertise in crafting visually appealing cafe and bakery-style treats. She thrives on exploring new concepts in the culinary world, seamlessly blending traditional baking methods with innovative flavors and techniques to create culturally rich creations. She appreciates how food has consistently been at the heart of countless cherished memories and aims to inspire others to bake and cook for their loved ones as an expression of love.
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and
Elizabeth Mervosh
Elizabeth Mervosh wearing a white chef coat in front of a blue background
Elizabeth Mervosh
Elizabeth Mervosh is a recipe tester and developer for the Dotdash Meredith Food Studios in Birmingham, Alabama and tests and develops recipes for brands including Southern Living, Real Simple, Food & Wine, and People.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Published on 03/12/24
Tested by Ali Ramee
Two bowls of spaghetti bolognese served with red wine

The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

Prep: 35 mins
Cook: 2 hrs 15 mins
Total: 2 hrs 50 mins
Servings: 6
Yield: 6 cups sauce

I've got a friend who's obsessed with pasta. Whenever I come across a new pasta recipe, my mind jumps to her. I’ll think, "Oh, B would go crazy for this!" or "I bet this sauce would be a hit with B, especially on rigatoni." I'm always on the lookout for the ultimate pasta dish to wow her with, since she's my self-proclaimed pasta queen! This spaghetti Bolognese is just that wow-ing recipe with its rich and flavorful meat sauce. If it were up to her, this would be on the menu for every single meal. 

Although Bolognese requires a lengthy cooking time, it’s worth the wait. The foundation of this dish is its hearty tomato sauce, enriched with a trio of meats: ground pork, ground chuck, and the not-so-secret weapon, bacon! This meaty combination combined with milk and parmesan forms an unbeatable savory fusion enhanced by dried Italian seasoning and the aromatic dream team of garlic, onion, celery, and carrots.

Canned tomatoes, supported by dry red wine, play a pivotal role in this sauce, giving a tangy, umami sweetness that counterbalances the meat's richness. And when I’m talking about canned tomatoes, I’m talking about using cream of the crop: canned San Marzano plum tomatoes. It enriches both the sauce's flavor and texture, and gives it a vivid hue. 

Bolognese or Ragù?

While we in the US know this dish as spaghetti Bolognese, in Italy it is called ragù, and it is always served with wider noodles, such as tagliatelle or fettuccine. Feel free to substitute either of those pastas (or pappardelle) for the spaghetti here.

You can’t go wrong with this comforting, hearty spaghetti Bolognese, and it calls for the perfect companion. I recommend serving it with a crisp salad to offset the richness of the dish, toasted garlic bread for sopping up the sauce and maybe an appetizer of deliciously seasoned bruschetta to round out the meal.

Recipe Tips

  • Use two types of meat—Aim for two meat varieties in your Bolognese sauce to achieve a delicious blend of flavors and richness. Avoid lean meat. Ground veal will impart richness and a few chicken livers will impart a depth of flavor in combination with ground beef and pork. 
  • Don’t over-brown the meat—It can lead to dryness. Partially browning is enough and saves time. 
  • Low and slow—Depending on your stovetop, you might need to adjust the position of your Dutch oven over the flame to ensure a gentle simmer for almost two hours.
  • Quick food prep—Feel free to process the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped.

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

  • 4 slices bacon, chopped

  • 1 yellow onion, finely chopped

  • 1 large carrot, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)

  • 1 large celery stalk, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)

  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

  • 2 teaspoons salt-free dried Italian seasoning

  • 1 pound ground chuck

  • 1 pound ground pork

  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste

  • 1 cup dry red wine

  • 2 cups chicken stock

  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk

  • 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled San Marzano plum tomatoes, crushed by hand

  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt, plus more for pasta cooking water

  • 1 cup (4 ounces) parmesan cheese, grated

  • 1 (16-ounce) package spaghetti

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients to make spaghetti bolognese

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Add 4 slices bacon, chopped and cook, stirring often, until most of the fat has rendered and the bacon is starting to brown, about 5 minutes.

    A large dutch oven with chopped bacon cooking in olive oil

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  3. Add 1 yellow onion, finely chopped, 1 large carrot, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup), 1 large celery stalk, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup), 3 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped, and 2 teaspoons salt-free dried Italian seasoning. Cook, stirring often, until softened but not browned, about 8 minutes. Scrape the onion mixture into a small bowl.

    A dutch oven with chopped onion, celery, garlic, and carrots cooking with chopped bacon

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  4. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to the Dutch oven over high heat. Add 1 pound ground chuck and 1 pound ground pork. Using a wooden spoon, break the meat mixture into large chunks to cover the bottom of the Dutch oven. Cook, undisturbed, until deeply browned on the bottom side, 8 to 10 minutes.

    A dutch oven with ground chuck and ground pork

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  5. Reduce the heat to medium-high. Add 3 tablespoons tomato paste and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon, until cooked through, about 3 minutes.

    A dutch oven with cooked ground chuck and ground pork mixed with tomato paste

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  6. Stir the reserved onion mixture into the cooked beef mixture. Add 1 cup dry red wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the wine has evaporated, about 6 minutes.

    A dutch oven of ground meat and chopped vegetables cooking in red wine

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  7. Add 2 cups chicken stock, 1 1/2 cups whole milk, 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled San Marzano plum tomatoes, crushed by hand, and 1/2 teaspoon fine salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high. Reduce heat to its lowest setting, and very gently simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and creamy, 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours, skimming fat from the surface occasionally. Remove from the heat and gradually stir in 1 cup (4 ounces) parmesan cheese, grated.

    A dutch oven of Bolognese sauce being stirred with a wooden spoon

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  8. Remove 3 cups Bolognese from the pot and reserve for another time (it freezes really well). Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high and salt the water generously. Add 1 (16-ounce) package spaghetti, and cook according to package directions for al dente.

    A large pot of spaghetti boiling in salted water

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  9. While the pasta cooks, ladle 1 cup pasta cooking liquid into the Bolognese in the Dutch oven. Transfer the cooked spaghetti to the sauce in the pot. Place over medium-high heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the pasta is coated in the sauce, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt.

    A dutch oven of spaghetti bolognese

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

How To Store

Leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.


To freeze, transfer to an airtight container, label and date it, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw Bolognese in the refrigerator overnight before using.

Feeling Adventurous? Try This:

  • Level up your sauce—Amp up the umami by incorporating anchovies in the softened carrot mixture or stirring a tablespoon or so of fish sauce into your finished Bolognese.
  • No ground meat? No problem!—You can substitute 1 pound ground meat for 1 pound ground Italian sausage. 
  • Jazz it up—Play around with seasonings to your liking: grated nutmeg, fresh or dried hard herbs, bay leaves, fennel seeds, or mushroom powder would all be delicious.
  • Give it more of a kick—One of my favorite Bolognese combinations includes ground cumin and substitutes harissa paste for tomato paste for a Middle Eastern flavor. 
  • Make it even richer—Replace chicken stock with collagen-rich bone broth for added body.