
Everyone needs a great everyday spaghetti bolognese recipe and this is mine! Bolognese sauce is rich, thick and full of flavor. It’s perfect for a quick mid-week meal, but it’s even better if you can simmer it for hours! Serve it over pasta, stuff it into coated potatoes, and make an epic lasagna or baked spaghetti pie!
This is a reader favorite and was included by popular demand in my first cookbook, Dinner!

Spaghetti Bolognese
We Australians like to shorten words. A good day is a good day. Pavlova is pav, noon is arvo, and mosquitoes are mozzies. Sharon is Shazz and Nagisa is Nagi (your heart).
So shortening Spaghetti Bolognese to Spag Bol is totally Australian!
Here it is – my Spag Bowl. Rich, thick and incredibly flavorful in a sauce, even if you only have time for a quick simmer for 20 minutes. But if you can slow cook it for hours, it really takes it to the next level!
What goes in Spaghetti Bolognese
I’ve been faithful to this bolognese recipe since I learned to make it as a teenager. There are 3 little things in this recipe that might be slightly different from the Bolognese recipes you see around:
- Worcestershire Sauce: It just adds something extra. I get upset when I find myself in a situation where I have to give it up;
- Beef Bouillon Cubes (Beef Bouillon Cubes) to add flavor to the sauce to compensate for it being a daily mid-week version rather than the traditional Started With soffrito (onions, celery, carrots sautéed slowly) and bacon.
- Sugar, if desired: If you’re not using good canned sweet plum tomatoes, adding a little sugar can change the sauce. Canned tomatoes from Australian supermarkets are notoriously sour. Especially Australians – it pains me to say this, but it’s true.
How to make Bolognese Sauce
Quick and easy to make:
- Saute garlic and onion – about 3 minutes;
- Brown beef – about 2 minutes; hours (delicious on weekends!). The slow cooking makes the beef incredibly tender and the sauce adds extra flavor.
Difference between bolognese and sauce? Chapter Another Name For The Same Thing! You’ll find bolognese made in different ways in Italy and around the world, but mostly ground meat (usually beef, sometimes mixed with pork or veal) in a herb-scented tomato sauce.
The “proper” way to serve pasta: toss with the sauce
As with all my pasta recipes, I’ve included a step of tossing the pasta into the sauce instead of just putting the pasta in a bowl and pouring the sauce over it.
This emulsifies the bologna sauce, making it thick, shiny and sticky to the spaghetti. No more sauce running down the bottom of your bowl of pasta! This is how chefs and Italians make pasta. Try it once and you will change!
But this is an optional step. Sometimes you just don’t have the energy to clean another pan. I hear you
What to serve with Spaghetti Bolognese
For a classic Italian feast, serve with:
Garlic Bread – or go more indulgent with Cheese Garlic Bread (or go overboard with crackers). Or, for a more traditional starter, a real Italian focaccia.
Garden Salad with Italian Dressing (a must for a fresh and crunchy salad!)
Tiramisu with an Espresso Martini
For a super quick side salad, make this Parmesan Arugula Salad with Balsamic Salad. Probably the biggest side salad I’ve made since it’s literally a 2 minute unchopped salad!
This recipe is the way I’ve made spaghetti bolognese for decades (omg that’s horrible to say!!). I like it a lot, and I find that the sauce is full of flavors, especially the Bolognese recipe in 30 minutes.
But if you have time, cook it gently for a few hours.
The flavors gradually develop and the meat becomes very tender.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!