Italian · Main · Medium
Spaghetti Bolognese
A slow-simmered meat sauce, rich with beef, tomatoes, and a splash of milk, clinging to every strand of spaghetti. The kind of comfort food that tastes like it took all day, even when it does not.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Spaghetti Bolognese, in 5 ideas
- The milk is not optional tradition trivia, it mellows the tomato acidity and gives the sauce a velvety finish.
- A long, low simmer is what turns this from meat in tomato sauce into real bolognese, do not rush it.
- Use an 80/20 beef blend, leaner meat dries out over the long cook.
- Finely dice the vegetables, big chunks never melt into the sauce properly.
- If the sauce looks thin, simmer longer with the lid off instead of adding a thickener.
What you need
Ingredients
- 1 lb spaghetti
- 1 lb ground beef (80/20)
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 carrots and 2 celery stalks, finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving
How to make it
Directions
- Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 8 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Raise the heat to medium-high, add the ground beef, and break it apart with a spoon. Cook until browned, about 8 minutes, then pour off any excess fat.
- Pour in the red wine and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom. Let it simmer for 2 minutes until the alcohol smell cooks off.
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes, oregano, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat to low and cook uncovered for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the milk and simmer 5 more minutes. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile, boil the spaghetti in well-salted water until just shy of al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain.
- Toss the spaghetti with the sauce in the pot, adding splashes of pasta water until it coats the noodles glossily. Serve with Parmesan on top.
Ground beef on sale freezes beautifully, so buy the family pack, portion it into 1-lb bags, and you will always have bolognese on standby.