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Try this classic spaghetti bolognese recipe for the ultimate hearty midweek comfort food. Also check out our vegetarian bolognese, vegan bolognese, healthy spaghetti bolognese, spaghetti carbonara and plenty more spaghetti recipes. Mop up all the sauces with our garlic bread.


There are loads of different ways to make a bolognese sauce (including our healthier baked bolognese here) but we think this is our best-ever spaghetti bolognese recipe. Traditionally you’d use beef mince with pancetta (which adds fat and richness when the beef is quite lean) but we’ve also added pork sausages for an extra-juicy sauce. This benefits from low, slow cooking so we’ve also included instructions to make this in a slow cooker below. Follow our expert step-by-step tips to make the perfect bolognese ragu.

  • olive oil
  • 150g pancetta
    diced
  • 500g beef mince
  • 6 pork sausages
    skinned (look for ones with high meat content)
  • 2 onions
    chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic
    crushed
  • 2 sticks celery
    finely diced
  • 2 carrots
    grated
  • 2 x 400g tins cherry tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp tomato purée
  • 300ml chicken stock
  • a small bunch basil
    chopped
  • 500g spaghetti
  • grated to serve parmesan

Nutrition: per serving

  • kcal858
  • fat41.6g
  • saturates14.5g
  • carbs74.7g
  • fibre7g
  • protein42.9g
  • salt2.4g

Method

  • step 1

    Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a large, wide pan with a lid.

  • step 2

    Add the pancetta and cook until golden. Add the mince and cook until browned, breaking it up in the pan with a spatula or wooden spoon.

  • step 3

    Add the sausage in pieces and keep cooking until it is opaque – try to break up the sausage into smaller pieces as it cooks so it’s a similar size to the mince.

  • step 4

    Add the onions, garlic, celery and carrots and give everything a good stir. Cover and cook on a low heat until the veg softens, stirring now and then. This will take about 10 minutes.

  • step 5

    Add the tomatoes, purée and stock, and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 1 hour. Add the basil and cook for another 5 minutes.

  • step 6

    Cook the spaghetti, then drain and toss with the sauce. Spoon into warm bowls and serve with parmesan, if you like.

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Authors

Janine Ratcliffe Portrait
Janine RatcliffeFood director
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