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Spaghetti Bolognese

Brock's go-to Bolognese — ground beef and pork with cremini mushrooms, garlic, and a triple-tomato sauce. Low and slow wins this one. Better the next day.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Meat
  • 454 g (1 lb) ground beef and pork, mixed 80/20 blend
  • 30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil divided
  • 30 g (2 tbsp) butter divided
  • 1 tsp sugar
Mushrooms
  • 300 g (10 oz) cremini mushrooms sliced
  • 5 garlic cloves crushed or finely chopped
Aromatics
  • 1 large onion diced
  • 1 large carrot finely diced (optional)
  • 1-2 celery stalks finely diced (optional)
Tomatoes
  • 796 ml can (28 oz) diced tomatoes
  • 540 ml can (19 oz) tomato purée (passata)
  • 156 ml can (5.5 oz) tomato paste
To Serve
  • 400 g (14 oz) spaghetti
  • salt and black pepper to taste
  • Parmigiano-Reggiano freshly grated, to serve

Method
 

  1. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large heavy skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
  2. Add the ground meat. Break it up with a spoon and cook until browned, stirring occasionally. Add the sugar halfway through cooking. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
  3. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside.
  4. Add another tbsp of olive oil. Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes. Add 1 tbsp butter and the garlic, continue cooking until mushrooms are browned. Remove and set aside.
  5. Add the remaining olive oil to the pan. Add the diced onion (and carrot, celery if using). Add the remaining butter. Sauté over medium heat until softened and lightly browned, about 8 minutes.
  6. Lower the heat to medium. Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato purée, and tomato paste. Mix well.
  7. Add the cooked meat and mushrooms back into the pan. Stir to combine.
  8. Season generously with salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle boil, then lower heat to maintain a lazy simmer.
  9. Simmer uncovered for at least 20–30 minutes, or up to 1 hour. Add a splash of water if it gets too thick.
  10. Cook spaghetti in heavily salted boiling water until al dente. Drain — do not rinse.
  11. Serve the ragù over hot spaghetti. Top generously with freshly grated Parmesan.

Notes

This recipe makes a lot of sauce — freeze in small bags for easy weeknight dinners.
The sauce is noticeably better after it has cooled and been reheated. Make it the day before if you can.
Carrot and celery are traditional (soffritto) but Brock usually skips them. If you reduce the meat, add them.
A splash of whipping cream stirred in at the end is traditional and very tasty — Brock usually skips this and uses more butter instead.
You can add fresh tomatoes instead of or in addition to canned.
Pasta tip: Do not overcook the pasta — it should still be firm (al dente). The sauce will finish it in the bowl.