Foodedo recipe

Beef Bolognese

Name: Beef Bolognese
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 onion (finely diced); 1 carrot (finely diced); 1 stalk celery (finely diced); 2 garlic (minced); 500 g minced beef; 2 tbsp tomato purée; 100 ml red wine; 400 g canned tomatoes; 1 tsp dried oregano; 300 g spaghetti

60 min ·

This classic Beef Bolognese is a rich, slow-simmered Italian meat sauce built on a soffritto base of onion, carrot, and celery, deepened with red wine and tomatoes. It's hearty, comforting, and just as good — if not better — the next day. Toss it with spaghetti for a weeknight dinner that feels like a proper Sunday meal.

Ingredients

11 items

2 tbspolive oil
1onionfinely diced
1carrotfinely diced
1 stalkceleryfinely diced
2garlicminced
500 gminced beef
2 tbsptomato purée
100 mlred wine
400 gcanned tomatoes
1 tspdried oregano
300 gspaghetti

Method

5 steps

Step 1. Build the soffritto: Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8–10 minutes until softened and just starting to turn golden. Add the garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
Step 2. Brown the beef: Increase the heat to medium-high and add the minced beef, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the meat is well browned with no pink remaining — don't rush this step, as the browning builds deep flavour. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Step 3. Add the tomato purée and wine: Stir in the tomato purée and cook for 1–2 minutes to caramelise it slightly. Pour in the red wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, and let it bubble for 2–3 minutes until mostly reduced.
Step 4. Simmer the sauce: Add the canned tomatoes and dried oregano, crushing the tomatoes with the back of your spoon. Stir everything together, reduce the heat to low, and simmer uncovered for 25–30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick, rich, and deeply flavoured. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Step 5. Cook the pasta and serve: While the sauce finishes, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti until al dente according to package instructions. Reserve a cup of pasta water before draining. Toss the drained spaghetti with the Bolognese, adding a splash of pasta water to help the sauce coat the pasta evenly. Serve immediately.