Pasta Bolognese
Updated Apr 25, 2026
This easy Pasta Bolognese recipe features a hearty ground beef sauce served over long pasta. The sauce is simple to make in one pot!
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Easy-prep Pasta Bolognese
If you thought dishes like Pasta Bolognese were weekend projects, think again. My recipe for pasta bolognese takes just 10 minutes to prep the rest of the work is done by the stovetop.
I keep the dish classic and straightforward. You start by cooking onion, celery and onions until softened, then add the ground beef, tomatoes and seasonings. After that, just let it simmer away until the Bolognese sauce develops a rich, deep flavor.
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Pasta Bolognese Ingredients
- Aromatics: I’m using onions, celery and carrots and this combination of ingredients, called soffritto, forms the base of flavor for Bolognese sauce. If you don’t have them on hand, you can swap in other vegetables like shallots (for onion), cauliflower (for celery), bell peppers (for carrots), and mushrooms (for all three). You’ll also need olive oil and garlic.
- Ground beef: I prefer lean ground beef (83% lean or higher) to keep the sauce from being too greasy. For an even lighter Bolognese, use an equal amount of ground turkey.
- Milk: I recommend sticking with whole milk rather than swapping in a low-fat or plant-based version. If you can’t have dairy, skip this ingredient entirely.
- Tomatoes: Crushed tomatoes and tomato paste together give the sauce its texture, but canned tomato sauce or diced tomatoes will also work.
- Seasoning: Bay leave, salt, black pepper, oregano and nutmeg.
- Pasta: Bolognese is traditionally served with tagliatelle or other flat ribbon pastas, like pappardelle or tripoline. I also often serve this recipe with tube pasta like penne or rigatoni. I love how the meat sauce gets stuck in the pasta when tossed!
How to Make Pasta Bolognese
Pasta Bolognese Recipe
This easy Pasta Bolognese recipe features a hearty ground beef sauce served over long pasta. The sauce is simple to make in one pot!
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 3 celery sticks small diced
- 2 carrot sticks peeled and small diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 16 ounces Tagliatelle pasta or any pasta of choice
- Chopped parsley for serving
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, carrots and garlic, and sauté for 10 minutes until the vegetables soften.
- Add the beef and season with salt and pepper. Break up the ground beef and cook for 5 minutes, until it's browned and crumbled. stirring occasionally.
- Add the milk and allow it to simmer for 10 minutes, until it has mostly evaporated, stirring occasionally, in order to help tenderize the beef.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaf, oregano and nutmeg. Mix to combine, bring mixture to a boil and then simmer on low uncovered for at least 30 minutes, or up to 1 hour. Remove from heat and discard the bay leaf.
- When ready to serve, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta and add to individual bowls. Spoon the Bolognese sauce over it. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Notes
Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat with a splash of water or milk, or warm up the pasta in the microwave.
Freezing Instructions: It’s best to freeze the sauce without the pasta; the Bolognese sauce will last up to 3 months in the freezer. Thaw it in the refrigerator before reheating and adding pasta.
Nutrition
Calories: 392kcal, Carbohydrates: 46g, Protein: 20g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 90mg, Sodium: 396mg, Potassium: 476mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 2711IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 86mg, Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
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Recipe Tips
- Let it simmer for at least 30 minutes but preferably one hour. In Italy, Bolognese traditionally cooks for around two hours. That’s because Bolognese gets better the longer it’s cooked, allowing it to deepen in flavor.
- Stir occasionally. To make sure the sauce cooks evenly, be sure to stir it every 10 minutes or so during the simmering time.
- Toss the pasta with the Bolognese sauce instead of serving it on top. This may seem like just a preference, but there’s actually a scientific reason behind it. When you toss the pasta with the sauce, it allows the sauce to emulsify and thicken, which means it sticks better to the pasta. And that means every bite of pasta is is coated in the sauce!
- Use fresh herbs. While you can start with dried herbs, I highly recommend also adding fresh herbs. You can do this before you start the simmering process and/or after you finish cooking the sauce. This will liven up the pasta dish and add a fresh pop of flavor.
Serving Ideas
- Salads: Fresh Garden Salad, Caesar Kale Salad, Strawberry Caprese Salad
- Bread: Cheesy Garlic Bread, Garlic Knots, Rosemary Focaccia
- Vegetables: Air Fryer Vegetables, Roasted Broccoli, Sauteed Kale
Comments
This sauce was easy to make and was a quick prep time although it did not reach my expectations. It was tasteless and bland, like it was missing something. Me and my family did not enjoy this as much as we though we could. There are better recipes than this one.
Bummer, I’m sorry to hear it wasn’t as flavorful as you hoped. Thank you for the feedback.
It was so yummy 😋, my kids said this was the best pasta bolognese I have ever made 😂. Your recipe is far delicious than the original 👏👏, keep it up
I’m so glad it was a hit with the kids! That’s the highest compliment!
Can I freeze this?
Hi Veronica, yes, you can freeze it! It’s best to freeze the Bolognese sauce without the pasta. The sauce will last up to 3 months in the freezer. Thaw it in the refrigerator before reheating and adding pasta. Hope this helps!
Easy to recreate yet so good
So glad you liked it, Merari! Thank you!!
This is an absolutely great recipe!! Full of flavor! Is the first time I made this recipe. I am saving this one and for sure I will be making it again!! Love everything about it!!
Aww, that makes me so happy to hear! Thank you, Eliana!!
Perfect recipe to hand out to my single male friends online. It’s a perfect base for lasagne, pizza, and bolognese for one. Four meals in one for them, you can add chili and cumin on the last day and you can do chili baked potato or chili con carne.
Aww, I love that you have used the sauce in so many different recipes! That’s awesome!! Thanks for sharing with your friends, Gillian!
I only have 2% milk or half & half. Will either of those work equally as well in place of whole milk?
Yes, either of those will work! The half & half will be a lot creamier while the 2% will make it lighter. Hope that helps!
I just made this today and it was delicious. Thank you!
Yay, I’m so glad you liked it!! Thanks!
Hi! When I added the milk, there was some of the fat from the ground beef (93% lean) that made it look soupy and took longer than 10 min to almost dry up. Should I have drained that fat before adding milk? Thank you.
Hi there! I don’t typically drain the fat when I’m using lean beef (83% or higher) so I wouldn’t have drained 93% lean beef either. I’m not sure why it took longer than 10 minutes for the milk to absorb. Did you still have the stovetop on medium high heat when you added it?
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