Here’s the quick Aussie style Weeknight Bolognese you’ve been looking for. Ready in 30 minutes and complete with hidden vegetables and bacon to crank it up a notch.
Why We Love This
While we love cooking a ragu for hours on the weekend, sometimes we just want a quick pasta dish during the week. Hello weeknight Bolognese!
It’s filled with sneaky carrot and zucchini that no one will notice, for an extra little kick of healthy vegetables.
Related: Chicken Pasta Bake / Tuna Mornay
What is Bolognese?
Bolognese is based on the traditional meat and tomato based pasta dish from Bologna, Italy known as tagliatelle al ragu.
This Aussie version is how Mum makes it. It’s beef only, with vegetables (hidden of course) and a few shortcuts to turn it into a weeknight favourite.
What You’ll Need
- Beef Mince – We use 100% beef mince for this recipe. If you want to add pork, use 500g / 1lb beef mince and 250g / 0.5lb pork mince.
- Bacon – Middle bacon works well, or you can sub with pancetta.
- Pasta – Spaghetti and fettuccine work well, but use whichever pasta you prefer. We usually use just over 80g / 2.8oz of dried pasta per person. This recipe is for 6 serves.
- Red Wine – Dry red wine is great – grab a cheap shiraz or cabernet and pop it right in. Sub with beef stock.
- Diced Tomatoes – Essentially you need two cans (400g / 14oz cans) and if you can find them San Marzano variety.
Wandercook’s Tips
- Storage – Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days, or portion out and pop into the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Leftover Bolognese – Use the sauce to make a moussaka, pasta al forno or even turn it into toasties for lunch!
- Add Herbs – Add your favourite fresh herbs for an extra depth of flavour. Basil, oregano or rosemary would work really well, but they’re not essential.
FAQs
Simmering bolognese sauce with the lid off works well, especially for a quick weeknight meal. This helps to cook down and thicken the sauce. If you leave the lid on, it retains more moisture.
Watery spaghetti can sometimes be a result of not completely draining your pasta. If this is the case, try draining more and adding it directly to your sauce, stirring it through before plating up.
Another reason can be not cooking your meat long enough to cook off any excess moisture. Once you brown the meat and hear the sizzles, that’s when you add the red wine and continue on with the recipe.
Bolognese is the traditional Italian spelling of the pasta dish, whereas sometimes you will see the French variation of bolognaise used instead – especially in Australia. Of course, your can always just call the dish by it’s nickname of Spag Bol!
More quick and easy pasta dishes:
★ Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and a star rating below!
Ingredients
- 750 g beef mince
- 4 slices bacon diced
- 500 g pasta cooked according to packet directions, spaghetti and fettuccine work great
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 tsp garlic finely chopped
- 60 ml red wine dry red wine such as shiraz or cabernet work well
- 800 g diced tomatoes sub with passata
- 1 carrot grated
- 1 zucchini grated
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 4 tbsp tomato sauce / ketchup
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil for cooking
Optional: Make it smoky
- 2 tbsp BBQ sauce sub with okonomiyaki sauce for an extra kick
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 10 drops liquid smoke
Instructions
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over a medium high heat. Add the onions and garlic and stir fry for 2-3 minutes until translucent.1 onion, 2 tbsp vegetable oil, 2 tsp garlic
- Add the beef mince and diced bacon and continue to fry for 5 minutes until browned.750 g beef mince, 4 slices bacon
- Pour in red wine and cook until liquid evaporates, around 5-10 minutes. Reduce heat to a simmer.60 ml red wine
- Add the grated carrot, grated zucchini, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce / ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and optional BBQ sauce, liquid smoke and smoked paprika. Stir through until well combined, continuing to simmer on low.800 g diced tomatoes, 1 carrot, 1 zucchini, 3 tbsp tomato paste, 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 2 tbsp BBQ sauce, 2 tsp smoked paprika, 10 drops liquid smoke, 4 tbsp tomato sauce / ketchup
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to packet directions. Drain and either add to the sauce and stir through or place into serving dishes and top with the Bolognese sauce.500 g pasta
Recipe Notes
- Beef Mince – We use 100% beef mince for this recipe. If you want to add pork, use 500g / 1lb beef mince and 250g / 0.5lb pork mince.
- Bacon – Middle bacon works well, or sub with pancetta.
- Pasta – Spaghetti and fettuccine work well, but use whichever pasta you prefer. We usually use just over 80g / 2.8oz of dried pasta per person. This recipe is for 6 serves.
- Red Wine – Dry red wine is great – grab a cheap shiraz or cabernet. Sub with beef stock.
- Diced Tomatoes – If you can find them, use San Marzano variety.
- Storage – Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days, or portion out and pop into the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Leftover Bolognese – Use the sauce to make a moussaka, pasta al forno or even turn it into toasties for lunch!
- Add Herbs – Add your favourite fresh herbs for an extra depth of flavour. Basil, oregano or rosemary would work really well, but they’re not essential.
Nutrition
20 Comments
Ilona @ Ilona's Passion
05/04/2016 at 10:54 amGreat dinner idea. I usually make my bolognese with pork. I need to try yours 🙂
Wandercooks
05/04/2016 at 12:58 pmOooh pork would be delicious too. We usually make bolognese with beef in Australia but definitely trying it with pork next time!
Karly Campbell
11/03/2016 at 4:01 amHoly SMOKES is right, this looks amazing! And the bacon! Agh!
Wandercooks
11/03/2016 at 9:01 amOooh we baaaaad. 😉 Hahaha
Muna Kenny
09/03/2016 at 10:35 pmImpressive! I like how you added few more flavors to this classic dish 🙂
Wandercooks
11/03/2016 at 9:00 amExperimenting with the classics is too fun to pass up! 😀
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way
08/03/2016 at 10:53 pmYour Bolognese looks amazing and what a different take on the classic!! Now lets get down to business and talk corn — here in the States, especially Indiana, we have lots and lots of corn and we do grill it a LOT!! You want a great topping — all of my kids love it — it is maple chipotle butter. OMG it transforms everything to a different level. We even put it on our pork chops!! Yes indeed our barbie gets lots of use. Hey! Are you going to post pictures of your adventures?? Would love to see them. A dopo!
Wandercooks
09/03/2016 at 9:12 amOh. My. God. That flavour combination sounds incredible Marisa! We are SO going to do this at our next BBQ. Oooh and I wonder if you could use this instead of garlic butter and make spicy maple chipotle ‘Garlic Bread’? What do you think?
Emma @ Supper in the Suburbs
08/03/2016 at 8:10 pmI’ve heard a few times that bolognase is best made with a mix of pork and beef but never tried it myself. (Though I do make meatballs this way. ..) Your recipe is very tempting!
Wandercooks
09/03/2016 at 9:07 amHey Emma, yep it’s amazing with an even mix of pork and beef mince. Sarah’s experiment used bacon instead and it went really great with the smoky BBQ flavours in this version. We haven’t made meatballs in ages though, must do that soon!
Martin @ The Why Chef
08/03/2016 at 7:29 pmWas dosing up on liquid smoke just last night for some BBQ wings! I love the stuff, but I posted about liquid smoke in a British BBQ Facebook group and got torn a new behind! I didn’t realise how controversial it could be!
My better half loves all things BBQ so I’ll be cooking this up for her! And she’s very much a won’t-go-near-carrots-or-courgette either, so it’ll be worthwhile if I can slip them in!
Wandercooks
09/03/2016 at 9:02 amOh really? We never realised it could be so controversial. Serious Eats have done an amazing article on liquid smoke which I think you might enjoy reading! The key is definitely to use it sparingly to avoid overpowering the dish. We’ll definitely keep using it though. (Hint hint: Oysters Kilpatrick with a drop of liquid smoke. Do it. We’ll be sharing this one on the blog soon!)
Diana
08/03/2016 at 7:18 pmLove a good tasty bolognese! Proper comfort food 🙂 I never tried making my own bolognese sauce, but I will have to try this!
Wandercooks
09/03/2016 at 8:45 amOoooh you definitely should! It always tastes better homemade, especially because you can tweak the flavours and make it just how you like it. Hope you enjoy, and let us know how you go!
Barely Vegan
08/03/2016 at 6:58 pmBacon, BBQ, and Wine?!?! This sounds very decadent and tasty! Great recipe. 🙂
Wandercooks
09/03/2016 at 8:44 amYep, Yep, and Yep! It’s got all of the good stuff in there!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme
08/03/2016 at 6:01 pmI have to go to bed but this bolognese has got me feeling hungry! Looks delicious!
Wandercooks
09/03/2016 at 8:41 amThis one’s worth staying up for. 😉 😛
Sandra - The Foodie Affair
08/03/2016 at 4:05 pmMy husband was just saying he was craving a pasta dish! He’ll love the bacon in this bolognese and I love all the veggies!
Wandercooks
09/03/2016 at 8:41 amIt’s like the best of both worlds! And at least you don’t have to tell him about the veggies haha. 😉