Weeknight Bolognese
A proper bolognese doesn’t need to take all day, but it does need a few things done right. Grating the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic instead of dicing them means everything melts down into the sauce instead of sitting there in chunks.
Bacon adds a savoury base under the two minces, and sun-dried tomatoes bring a concentrated sweetness that a lot of bolognese recipes miss out on. Let the mince properly brown and the liquid evaporate before the wine goes in — that’s where a lot of the depth comes from.
It’s a great one to batch cook too. Make a big pot, freeze what you don’t need, and you’ve got a proper dinner ready to go on a night you don’t feel like cooking.
Weeknight Bolognese
BEEF · PORK · DINNER
Real depth of flavour, built the proper way
Grating the vegetables instead of dicing them lets them melt into the sauce and cook down faster, giving you a smoother, richer base than chopped veg ever will.
Letting the mince properly brown and the liquid evaporate before adding the wine concentrates the flavour, rather than leaving the sauce tasting watery or thin.
And it freezes beautifully, so it's worth making a full batch even on a weeknight. Keep the sauce and pasta separate for leftovers and it'll taste just as good the second time around.
Weeknight Bolognese
Ingredients
- 200 g Streaky Bacon Diced
- 2 Brown (Yellow) Onions Grated
- 2 Carrots Grated
- 2 ribs Celery Grated
- 4 Garlic Cloves Minced
- 10 g Fresh Oregano Chopped
- 10 g Fresh Rosemary Chopped
- 500 g Beef Mince 10% Fat
- 500 g Pork Mince 18% Fat
- 250 ml Dry Red Wine
- 200 g Sun-Dried Tomatoes Chopped
- 10 g Fresh Basil Torn
- 800 g Diced Tomatoes Canned
- 150 g Spaghetti Per Portion
- Salt & Pepper To Taste
- Parmigiano Reggiano Grated
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil Drizzle
- Cracked Black Pepper To Serve
- Fresh Basil Garnish
Method
- Place a large pot over high heat, add the diced bacon, and fry for 3 minutes, or until golden and the fat has started to render. Add the onion, carrot, celery, rosemary, and oregano, and sauté for 6 minutes, or until golden.
- Add the beef and pork mince, and fry for 10 minutes, or until browned all over and the water content has evaporated (it'll continue cooking through fully over the long simmer ahead). Pour in the red wine, bring to a boil, and reduce for 3 minutes, stirring regularly. Season to taste.
- Add the sun-dried tomatoes, basil, diced tomatoes, and a splash of water to rinse out the cans. Mix to combine, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover with a lid, and cook for 30 minutes, undisturbed.
- In the meantime, bring a large saucepan of well-salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta as per the packet instructions, stirring regularly to prevent sticking.
- Carefully remove the lid, mix to combine, check and adjust the seasoning, and continue simmering uncovered for 15 minutes, mixing regularly, until the mince is fully cooked through. Remove from the heat.
- To serve, either add the cooked pasta straight into the sauce, bringing along some pasta water, or transfer the pasta to a mixing bowl with some pasta water and spoon over as much sauce as you'd like (this second method is best if you want to save leftover sauce for another day). Add reserved pasta water as needed to help the sauce cling to the pasta, and mix well.
- Serve into bowls, garnished with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, cracked black pepper, and fresh basil leaves. Dig in!
Stunning recipes, stunning website! I made the Korma Curry tonight, it was so delicious, I had never cooked anything so wonderful, the flavour lingered, the smell when it was cooking, ahhhh.. I sent the recipe to my daughter,
Next week I will make your everyday Curry.
I just want to cook Everything, I am Hooked and HAPPY, thank you, Jack!!!!
I really do appreciate the kind words, Heather. I’ve given my all to create this website and I’m super proud of the progress that’s been made. The korma recipe will be added to the website soon as will the rest of my recipes, Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you!
I tried this tonight and it tastes delicious. I feel, it has very authentic flavour. Sun dried tomatoes make such a difference. Thanks Jack!
That’s awesome to hear. Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks, Nick.
Your recipes never fail. I only skipped the sun-dried tomatoes and wine (replacing it with broth as per instructions) and it was absolutely delicious. The combination of meats made a very flavorful dish. From now on I will be using this bolognese recipe.
Fantastic to hear! So glad you enjoyed it with the substitutions. Thank you.