I never make Spaghetti Bolognese any other way! Why? This is so good and tasty there’s no need to try anything else. Flavored with pancetta or bacon and slowly cooked in red wine this Spaghetti with Bolognese Sauce comes out yummy every time!

The Filipinos have their version of Pasta sauce. Sweet and spicy meat sauce using tomato sauce or ketchup and some chopped hotdogs thrown in – think Jollibee Spaghetti. It may sound weird to some but Filipinos love it.

I do like it, too to be honest. It is flavorful after all. I grew up with this since this was often our snack for recess during our elementary years. I say this for a fact since my mom was the Home Economics teacher who helped managed the canteen in the public school I attended.

I was content with this version of meat sauce (Filipino style for sure!) until I tasted the real thing – I am saying the real Italian Bolognese.

You see, a few years ago my husband and I were walking down our street and then we chanced upon a Garage Sale and saw this lovely book “The Ultimate Italian Cookbook” by Carla Capalbo being sold for a whopping $2. I thought then that it was expensive for a garage sale but the book looked like new and I loved the pictures [hahaha :-)]  so I said, why not? Now it has become one of my priceless treasures and I was surely glad it was a $2 well-spent!

One of the many recipes in this book was this beautiful Bolognese Sauce. I was very intimidated at first because it recommended nearly 2 hours of cooking and then some red wine. I haven’t cooked with wine yet at this point (nearly 10 years ago….) and I wasn’t sure if I could do this. Oh well, I am one to try a recipe at least once and then see how it goes.

I have never turned my back on this Bolognese Sauce Recipe ever since! Yes, it does take a long time to reach that perfect flavor – but that’s a small sacrifice to make to achieve the most wonderful meat sauce that I have ever tasted. I have shared this recipe with a few friends, they’ve made this and came back to me with a big thank you! They loved it.

I served this to some of our guests who came to our house for a visit and to no surprise – they loved it, too. Now, thanks to this bolognese sauce, I love cooking with wine. I don’t drink alcohol but I sure love to cook with it. Makes a huge difference in taste – so from stews to pasta sauces or even Asian dishes I sure love wine in them!

Try this bolognese sauce – it may take a little more effort than a stir-fry and some waiting time – but trust me – a dish this good is worth all the time and effort in the world! Enjoy!

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FOR FULL RECIPE & INSTRUCTIONS and to PRINT, SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW.

WHAT ARE THE INGREDIENTS FOR SPAGHETTI WITH BOLOGNESE SAUCE?

• 2 Tablespoons Olive oil

• 2 Tbsp Butter

• 4 garlic cloves, finely minced

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped

• 4 pancetta (Italian bacon) or regular streaky bacon strips, finely chopped or cut (I use kitchen scissors to cut them)

• 1 cup carrots, finely minced

• 1 cup celery, finely minced

• 1 lb / ½ a kilo ground beef

• ¾ cup red wine

• ½ cup milk

• 3 roma or plum tomatoes, pureed or diced or used 1 (14 oz) can diced or pureed tomatoes

• 2 bay leaves

• ½ teaspoon each –  dried thyme and oregano

• salt and pepper, to taste

• 1 lb spaghetti or your favorite pasta, cooked al dente                                                                 

• chopped fresh parsley to garnish (optional)

HOW DO YOU MAKE SPAGHETTI WITH BOLOGNESE SAUCE?

Heat the olive oil and butter in a deep saucepan. When the butter has melted, sauté the onions and garlic just until aromatic, about a minute.

Add the chopped bacon and cook until it begins to render its fat between 3-5 mins.

Stir in the veggies (carrots and celery) and cook for a further 2 mins. Add the ground beef and crumble with a fork to separate. Cook until it is no longer red. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Pour in the red wine. Raise the heat slightly and cook until most of the wine has evaporated. Add the milk and continue to cook until it evaporates, too.

Stir in the tomatoes with their juices (if using canned) plus the herbs including the bay leaves. Bring the sauce to a boil and then simmer uncovered on the lowest setting, stirring occasionally, for at least an hour (pref. 1 ½ hours). Don’t worry, it’s meant to be a little drier than other pasta sauces.

Taste and adjust the seasoning with a little salt and pepper if necessary.

Garnish with fresh chopped parsley (if desired). Serve with parmesan cheese on the side. This recipe is indispensable for lasagna or Baked Bolognese. Enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from “The Ultimate Italian Cookbook” by Carla Capalbo.

If you like what you see and would like to receive new recipe updates, we’d love you to subscribe to our posts or join our site. Needless to say, we’d love you to like us on Facebook and Instagram, too where you can get more recipes and updates. Thanks and happy browsing!

Spaghetti with Bolognese Sauce

Manila Spoon

I never make Spaghetti Bolognese any other way! Why? This is so good and tasty there’s no need to try anything else. Flavored with pancetta or bacon and slowly cooked in red wine this Spaghetti with Bolognese Sauce comes out yummy every time!

5 from 10 votes

Print Recipe Save Saved!

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Servings 6

Calories 554 kcal

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• 2 tbsp Butter
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 4 pieces pancetta or streaky bacon, chopped
• 1 cup carrot, finely minced
• 1 cup celery, finely minced
• 1 lb (½ a kilo) ground beef
• ¾ cup red wine
• ½ cup milk
• 3 roma or plum tomatoes, pureed or diced (you can use a 14 oz can of diced or pureed tomatoes)
• 2 bay leaves
• ½ tsp each of – dried thyme and oregano
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 lb spaghetti or any favorite pasta, cooked al dente
• chopped fresh parsley to garnish, optional

Instructions

 

• Heat the olive oil and butter in a deep saucepan. When the butter has melted, sauté the onions and garlic just until aromatic, about a minute.
• Add the chopped bacon and cook until it begins to render its fat between 3-5 mins.
• Stir in the veggies (carrots and celery) and cook for a further couple of minutes. Add the ground beef and crumble with a fork to separate. Cook until it is no longer red. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Pour in the red wine. Raise the heat slightly and cook until most of the wine has evaporated. Add the milk and continue to cook until it evaporates, too.
• Stir in the tomatoes with their juices (if using canned) plus the herbs including the bay leaves. Bring the sauce to a boil and then simmer uncovered on the lowest setting, stirring occasionally, for at least an hour (pref. 1 ½ hours). Taste and adjust the seasoning with a little salt and pepper if necessary.
• Garnish with fresh chopped parsley (if desired). Serve with parmesan cheese on the side. This recipe is indispensable for lasagna or for Baked Bolognese. Enjoy!

Notes

TIPS & TRICKS

For convenience, I use pre-shredded carrots for this that I quickly pulse or process in a small food processor to make them look finely minced.

For a shortcut, I use the food processor to mince the celery, too. That way prep time is quicker.

This recipe is indispensable for lasagna or Baked Bolognese so make this meat sauce ahead, freeze and use it when needed. Enjoy!

 

Nutrition

Calories: 554kcalCarbohydrates: 64gProtein: 27gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 116mgPotassium: 661mgFiber: 4gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 3980IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 74mgIron: 3mg

Keyword how to make bolognese sauce

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Last updated on April 1st, 2023 at 08:13 pm