My all-rounder bolognese
There’s nothing quite like a comforting bowl of homemade bolognese. Rich, hearty, and full of flavour, this classic pasta sauce brings together tender mince, aromatic herbs, and a slow-simmered tomato base to create something truly satisfying. It’s the kind of dish that fills your kitchen with warmth and your plate with comfort, perfect for weeknight dinners or sharing with family and friends.
I love this bolognese recipe because it’s a bolognese that is a true all-rounder, using everyday ingredients, where it can be used in multiple recipes. I use it to top pasta, make lasagna or baked ziti. It’s also a recipe that makes a really big batch of bolognese, so you can cook once and eat twice. I like to freeze a few portions for when I want a home cooked meal and don’t feel like cooking.
Ingredients
Beef mince, passata, diced/crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, cream, onion, garlic, beef stock, vegemite, herbs and spices – salt + pepper, Italian herbs, sugar, chilli powder, bay leaves
What makes this bolognese special?
Cream – I feel that the cream really takes it to another level and makes it really delicious. Don’t swap for milk, it doesn’t quite give the same result.
Italian herbs – your typical Italian herbs: parsley, thyme, rosemary, oregano, basil, sage.
Umami – I use Vegemite to add some umami to my bolognese sauce. Otherwise you could use soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce.
Passata and canned tomatoes – Mutti is my favourite brand of tomato products and I like using a combination of canned tomatoes and passata for a good balance of silkiness from passata and the chunkiness of the canned tomatoes.
Sugar – I feel as though adding sugar to a tomato based sauce is very controversial, even when using good quality tomato products from Mutti. Yes, the carrot in the soffrito can add the sweetness to a sauce but I don’t use a soffrito/mirepoix since I’m not a fan of celery. It does seem like I add a lot, however it’s around 60 grams of sugar for 1kg+ of tomatoes. I like my sauce on the sweeter side so that’s why it seems like a lot but I recommend starting out with a little bit, tasting it, and adding more if you want too.
Tomato paste – I add it in to help thicken the sauce and intensify the tomato flavour of the sauce. I buy a big jar of tomato paste because it’s cheaper and it’s something I use all the time, freeze it in portions and put it in sauces.
Storage
Bolognese freezes perfectly, great for busy weeknights. Store portions in airtight containers; they can stay in the fridge up to 4 days before being put in the freezer. When heating them up, I put in a splash of water into the container because after cooking, the sauce thickens as it cools and it becomes thick so the extra water helps the bolognese from becoming too thick while it’s being heated up.
My Best Tips
You can absolutely use a soffrito and sneak in some grated vegetables if you’d like.
I rarely drink alcohol, but you can add some wine in before the canned tomatoes and passata if you’d like to.
Reheating – add a splash of water into the container of the bolognese. This helps it reheat back into a smooth sauce, rather than it drying out.
All-rounder bolognese
Ingredients
- 1 kg 5 star beef mince
- 3-4 tbsps olive oil
- 1 brown onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic core removed, finely diced
- 700 g bottle of passata
- 400 g can of crushed/diced tomatoes
- 50 g tomato paste
- 250 ml beef stock
- 3 tbsp white sugar Note 1
- 2 tbsp Italian herbs
- 1 tsp salt + pepper
- ½ tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp vegemite or 2 tsp of worcestershire sauce
- 3 small or 2 large bay leaves
- 150 ml of thickened cream heavy cream/whipping cream
Instructions
- Prepare your ingredients – dicing your onion and garlic and prepare your seasonings.
- Heat up a pot on medium heat and add in the oil. Add in the onion and cook until it’s soft and lightly golden. Then add in the garlic and cook for up to 1 minute – be careful not to burn it, it’ll cook quickly.
- Add in the beef mince, breaking it up into smaller pieces, cooking the meat through.
- Pour in the can of tomatoes and the bottle of passata. Put the beef stock into the tomato can and passata bottle to soak up the leftover tomatoes and pour into the pot.
- Add in the herbs, spices and seasonings – tomato paste, sugar, salt, pepper, chilli powder, vegemite and bay leaves – stir everything together and simmer until it reduces into a luscious sauce.
- Once the sauce is at your desired consistency, add in the cream, stir and bring back up to simmer. Adjust seasonings to taste and simmer a little longer if the cream thinned your sauce out too much.
- Serve atop your favourite pasta or use in a pasta bake.
