Spaghetti Bolognese might sound fancy, but it just means spaghetti with meat sauce; and it’s a classic Italian favorite that anyone can make and enjoy. This fun and informative guide gives you all the equipment, ingredients, and steps you need to make a great dish for date night, family spaghetti night, or even just eating alone. The best part is that this recipe gives an easy method for making your Bolognese sauce almost from scratch; so you can have the chef’s pride of knowing you’re not just using ready-made jarred pasta sauce!
Here’s What You Will Need.
Equipment
- A good sharp knife.
- Medium stock pot or dutch oven to cook the sauce.
- Large stock pot to cook the pasta.
- Cutting board.
- Wooden spoon.
- Colander.
- Potato masher (optional).
Ingredients
- 8 ounces each of ground pork and beef.
- 2 stalks of celery.
- 2 carrots.
- 1 medium onion.
- 4 cloves of garlic.
- 1 16 ounce can of Italian tomato sauce or peeled tomatoes (not a ready-made brand, although you can use this in a pinch).
- 1 6 ounce can of tomato paste.
- 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 tablespoon of basil
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- 1 pound of pasta, preferably spaghetti.
- 1 cup of red wine.
Preparatory Steps.
First, you will need to peel and cut the carrots, celery, onions, and garlic. This method requires fine dicing to maximize flavor. Then gather together all the other ingredients and equipment for ease of access during the cooking process.
Cooking Spaghetti Bolognese
1. Heat the olive over medium heat for about five minutes. You can put some of the carrot in and if it gently sizzles you know the oil is ready.
2. Slow cook vegetables for about 20 minutes in olive oil over medium heat and then lower temperature for best flavoring.
3. Put the meat in a little bit at a time, almost stir frying, until it is brown and crumbly with no more red. For really fine meat use a potato masher; this gives it that authentic Italian texture. However if you prefer bigger pieces of meat you can certainly just leave it as is.
4. Add a little salt and pepper, as well as the oregano and basil. Feel free to add in any of your other favorite Italian herbs and spices.
5. Now, add the cup of red wine. This completes your flavor base and you are ready to introduce the tomatoes.
6. Add the tomato sauce and the tomato paste. A couple of important notes about the tomatoes: first, you do not want to use a jar of prepared sauce since it would overpower the flavors you’ve already worked to bring out. You might have to look in the canned vegetable aisle instead of the Italian food section of your grocery to find a basic tomato sauce. Second, the tomato paste is actually optional for if you feel like your sauce needs thickening, or if you just prefer a thicker sauce.