Ground Beef and Red Wine Spaghetti Meat Sauce (Bolognese)

Two servings of Spaghetti Meat Sauce (Bolognese) in white bowls on a white bckgrpound with with freshly grated Parmesan and finely chopped basil on the side.

5 from 1 vote

Ground Beef and Red Wine Spaghetti Meat Sauce (Bolognese)

A simple spaghetti meat sauce recipe that's packed with flavor with ground beef, bacon, red wine, and shredded carrot and celery.

Prep Time10

Cook Time40

Course: Main Course, Pasta

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Calories: 554kcal

Author: Helen

Equipment

frying pan

Ingredients

1 large onion
2 carrots
2 sticks celery
3 cloves garlic
4 oz bacon finely chopped
1 lb ground beef (Note 1)
2 tbsp olive oil or butter
¾ cup red wine (Note 2)
1 14 oz can crushed tomatoes (Note 3)
2 cups beef broth (stock) (Note 4)
2 tbsp tomato paste (puree)
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dried oregano (Note 5)
salt and black pepper (to taste)

To serve (optional)

14 oz long pasta (spaghetti, linguine, tagliatelle or parpadelle)
grated Parmesan cheese
finely chopped fresh basil

Instructions

Use a food processor to finely chop the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. (Note 6)
Place a large skillet or saucepan on a medium-low heat. Add the butter or olive oil and cook the finely chopped onion, carrots, celery, and garlic until softened. Then remove from the pan and set aside.
Place a large skillet or saucepan on a medium-high heat and fry the bacon until it gets crispy.
Add the ground beef and brown it over a high heat. Break it apart with a wooden spoon as it cooks, but not too much so it browns properly.
Pour in the red wine and let it simmer for a few minutes until reduced by half.
Add the cooked carrot, celery and onion mixture, crushed tomatoes, beef broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and dried oregano. Simmer for 30 minutes until the sauce thickens and starts to look a little glossy.
Lower the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Combining the sauce with the pasta (optional)

Cook the pasta until al dente in a large pot of generously salted boiling water.
Reserve a cup of pasta water before draining.
Add the cooked pasta to the pan with the meat together with a couple of tablespoons of the reserved pasta water.
Toss the sauce and pasta together on a low heat for a couple of minutes, adding a little more pasta water if the sauce needs extra moisture.
Serve immediately with freshly grated Parmesan and finely chopped basil.

Video

Notes

Ground beef: Opt for one with at least 15% fat. It will give you a more flavorful sauce than a lean ground beef.
Red wine: Choose a full-bodied type like Merlot Chianti, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Sangiovese. For an alcohol-free alternative substitute with beef stock and a little red wine vinegar or balsamic for acidity.
Crushed tomatoes: Use store-bought or make your own crushed tomato sauce by blitzing whole tomatoes in a food processor until finely chopped.
Beef broth: Store-bought powdered varieties are fine. Feel free to use homemade if you have it on hand.
Dried oregano: x3 the amount if you want to use fresh. You can also use Italian seasoning instead.
Shredding the veggies. You can use a grater if you don't have a food processor.

Storage:

Cooked meat sauce can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days and reheated on the stove or microwave.

You can freeze the sauce for up to 3 months. Simply allow it to cool, put it into a freezer-safe container or freezer bags, and store in the freezer. Then allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.

Nutrition