Here’s a totally non-authentic 30 minute bolognese recipe from Mum, Aussie style. This is her weeknight go-to packed with beef mince and BACON – now that’s a combo we can get behind. There’s also hidden veggies, because Mum always likes to keep it healthy!
“Love a good tasty bolognese! Proper comfort food 🙂”
Diana
In this post you’ll learn
The Aussie Mum’s quick version of an Italian classic
While we love cooking a full on traditional Italian beef and pork 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. They’ll be completely distracted by the bacon – let’s be honest! So it’s a great one for kids (and big kids at heart) that don’t like to “see” their vegetables on the plate.
Related: Tuna Mornay / Creamy Sausage Pasta / Carbonara without Cream
Mum’s Spag Bol aka Quick Weeknight Bolognese
While Italian’s would be cringing at this recipe, Aussie Mum’s would be flocking to cook this quick pasta sauce. It was a staple in both our households growing up. Each Mum has their own variation, so today we’re sharing Sarah’s Mum’s version.
Using a good staple like beef mince keeps the cost down and easy enough to feed a crowd of hungry family members.
Ingredients & Substitutes
- Beef Mince – We use 100% beef mince for this recipe. If you want to add pork, use a 2 : 1 ratio of beef and pork – so 500 g / 1 lb beef mince and 250 g / 0.5 lb pork mince.
- Bacon – Middle bacon works well, or you can sub with pancetta or guanciale for that nice salty hit like what we use in our no cream carbonara.
- Pasta – Spaghetti and fettuccine are great, but use whichever pasta you or your family prefers. We usually use just over 80 g / 2.8 oz 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. Our tip is buy boxed wine so you can have it on hand in the pantry when needed, and it works out so much cheaper this way! Sub with beef stock if you need.
- Diced Tomatoes – Mum usually uses two cans (400 g / 14 oz cans) and recommends Mutti, otherwise look to see if it’s made with San Marzano or Roma tomato varieties for that real rich tomato flavour. Sub with passata or in our case, we like to use our fresh tomato pasta sauce at home.
- The Hidden Vegetables – Use white, brown or yellow onion. Mum likes to add in carrot and zucchini for her hidden veg. You can sub these veggies for celery, parsnip, yellow squash – usually any vegetable that grates easy as it’ll cook down in the sauce and “disappear”!
- Mum’s Secret Sauces – She’ll usually add a dollop of tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce, then if she’s doing a smoky version, she’ll also add paprika, BBQ sauce and a few drops of liquid smoke!
Let’s get cooking!
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over a medium high heat. Add the onion and garlic and stir fry for 2-3 minutes until translucent.
- Add the beef mince and bacon and continue to fry for 5 minutes until browned.
- Pour in red wine and cook until liquid evaporates, around 5-10 minutes. Reduce heat to a simmer.
- Add the carrot and zucchini, frying for another minute or two and mixing well.
- Now pour in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce / ketchup and Worcestershire sauce Stir through until well combined and continuing to simmer on medium low for around 10 minutes.
- 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.
Quick Tips
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.
Spezzatino di Manzo – If you’ve got leftovers from the stew, this is perfect for adding to the sauce base for extra flavour!
Make it Smoky – Add 2 tbsp bbq sauce, 2 tsp of smoked paprika and 10 drops of liquid smoke.
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. Keep the sauce and pasta separate if possible.
To reheat, pop in the microwave or heat on low on the stove and add a splash of water if you stored it with the pasta and it’s soaked up the liquid.
FAQs & Troubleshooting
Usually we simmer with the lid off, especially as it’s a quick weeknight meal. This helps to cook down and thicken the sauce. If you leave the lid on, it will retain more moisture.
Watery bolognese 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 it sizzling, 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!
We love serving it with…
- Feed a Crowd – Start with a classic spinach cob loaf dip, then the spag bol and finish it off with a big Aussie trifle for dessert.
- Salad – Light salads are what you want here – we love Eileen’s magic self saucing salad or a quick Australian Greek salad.
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★ Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and a star rating below!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 tsp garlic finely chopped
- 750 g beef mince 1.65 lb
- 5 slices bacon diced, 150 g / 5.29 oz
- 60 ml red wine 2 fl oz, shiraz or cabernet work well
- 800 g chopped tomatoes 1.75 lb, sub with passata
- 1 carrot grated
- 1 zucchini grated
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 4 tbsp tomato sauce / ketchup
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 500 g pasta 1.1 lb
Instructions
- Heat the 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a large frying pan over a medium high heat. Add the 1 onion and 2 tsp garlic and stir fry for 2-3 minutes until translucent.
- Add the 750 g beef mince and 5 slices bacon and continue to fry for 5 minutes until browned.
- Pour in 60 ml red wine and cook until liquid evaporates, around 5-10 minutes. Reduce heat to a simmer.
- Add the 1 carrot and 1 zucchini, frying for another minute or two and mixing well.
- Now pour in the 800 g chopped tomatoes, 3 tbsp tomato paste, 4 tbsp tomato sauce / ketchup and 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce Stir through until well combined and continuing to simmer on medium low for around 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook the 500 g 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.
Video
Recipe Notes
- 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.
- Make it Smoky – Add 2 tbsp bbq sauce, 2 tsp of smoked paprika and 10 drops of liquid smoke.
- Spezzatino di Manzo – If you’ve got leftovers from the stew, this is perfect for adding to the sauce base for extra flavour!
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. 😉