Pasta Bolognese

5 from 812 votes

Pasta Bolognese is a classic Italian dish made with ground beef, tomatoes and onions. This is a staple delicious dinner recipe that is such a crowd pleaser

Course Entree

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 317kcal

Author Yumna Jawad

Equipment

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound lean ground beef
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 onion diced
2 garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 15-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
16 ounces Spaghetti or penne pasta for serving
Fresh basil for serving

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook al dente according to package instructions; drain. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water
Heat the olive oil in a large deep saute pan. Add the beef and season with salt and pepper. Brown the beef and break it into smaller pieces with the back of a wooden spoon until cooked through.
Add onions and garlic; and season with oregano, basil and crushed red pepper. Saute for about 5 minutes until they soften. Add crushed tomatoes and tomato paste and pasta water. Mix to combine, bring mixture to a boil and then simmer on low covered for 30 minutes.
Toss the pasta with the bolognese sauce and top with fresh basil, if desired.

Video

Notes

Make Ahead Tips: You can make the bolognese sauce up to 3 days in advance, and then cook the pasta when you're ready.

Substitutes: For best results, follow the recipe as is. However here are some common substitutes that would work well in this recipe.

Instead of ground beef, you can use ground turkey or ground chicken
You can change up the seasoning to add other Italian herbs of your choice.
Any kind of pasta will work with this recipe

Serving Size: One serving is about 2 oz of dried pasta.

Nutrition