Everyone needs a quick and easy bolognese recipe for a busy day! This hearty bolognese sauce is full of flavour and can be made in just 20 minutes. I know that’s hard to believe, but put down that jar of ready-made sauce and give this speedy recipe a try instead!
simple spaghetti bolognese recipe
If there’s one recipe that’s a fail safe crowd pleaser, it’s got to be good old spaghetti Bolognese. It’s requested at least 3-4 times a month in my house. You really can’t go wrong with it.
perfect for busy week nights
I have a delicious slow cooked bolognese sauce recipe that I often make on a Saturday afternoon, but it needs at least 2 hours cooking time. Not much use when you’ve been busy with work during the week and you have no clue what to cook for dinner!
That’s where this quick and easy bolognese sauce recipe comes in handy! It’s one of my regular easy mid week dinners. I hope it will become a regular in your house too!
quick bolognese sauce recipe
This bolognese sauce is a breeze to make. And no, it’s certainly not an authentic recipe, but it’s not trying to be. This is a recipe to turn to when you need to put dinner on the table NOW but you don’t want to simply open a jar of ready made sauce.
Don’t get me wrong – I’m not against using jarred sauces every now and then. They definitely have their place! But once you’ve tasted this recipe, hopefully you will agree that it’s much nicer – and for very little extra effort.
variations
- Fry finely chopped onion, celery, carrot, mushrooms or peppers before browning the mince. Just bear in mind this will add about 15 minutes to the cooking time.
- Add some dried basil or oregano
- Add a glass of red wine for an extra layer of flavour
make it vegetarian
This recipe can easily be made vegetarian friendly by swapping the minced beef for Quorn or soya mince.
using leftover bolognese
- Want to know one of my favourite ways to use up leftover bolognese sauce? Serve it over a baked potato. Lots of grated cheddar cheese is a must!
- Make a Bolognese toastie! Make a sandwich with leftover bolognese and a good melty cheese, such as Red Leicester or Mozzarella. Toast until golden and crisp in a sandwich maker or in the air fryer. Let me tell you, it’s a NEXT LEVEL lunch.
more quick and easy pasta dishes
- easy marmite pasta
- leftover roast chicken pasta (with cream)
- pasta with bacon, peas, cream and parmesan
- pepperoni pizza pasta
Quick and easy Bolognese recipe
A quick and easy Bolognese recipe for those busy nights when you're against the clock. This simple minced beef Bolognese takes just 20 minutes to make. Serve with your favourite pasta, freshly grated parmesan cheese and garlic bread.
Ingredients
- 450g lean minced beef (ideally with a fat content of 5-10%)
- 2 teaspoons garlic paste
- 2 tablespoons tomato puree
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian mixed herbs (optional)
- 2 tablespoons sun dried tomatoes, roughly chopped (optional but good!)
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes (I love the Mutti brand)
- 100ml beef stock (I use a stock pot), or you can use red wine or water
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 400g dried spaghetti (or any other pasta of your choice)
- freshly grated parmesan cheese, to serve
Instructions
- Brown the minced beef in a large frying pan or skillet. Stir in the garlic puree and tomato puree and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the dried herbs, sun dried tomatoes, chopped tomatoes and the beef stock.
- Bring to the boil, then simmer on a low-medium heat for 20 minutes.
- While the sauce is cooking, cook the pasta as per packet instructions. Drain, the pasta, season the bolognese sauce to your liking, then serve with the bolognese sauce and parmesan cheese.
Notes
If you want to add some vegetables and have a little extra time, you can add chopped onion, diced celery and carrot. Cook them in one tablespoon of olive oil for about 10-12 minutes (or until softened) before you brown the mince.
Mushrooms or chopped diced red pepper are also good additions!
Adding a beef stock pot will add extra flavour and richness to the sauce, but you can use red wine or water instead. In the case of using water, I fill the empty can of tomatoes and swirl it around.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 504Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 101mgSodium: 349mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 3gSugar: 5gProtein: 38g
Calories and nutritional information are provided by a third party application and should be viewed as indicative figures only.