Originating from Imola, a city west of Bologna, Spaghetti bolognese recipe is an Italian dish that includes spaghetti, the sauce and the meatballs though some people do not add meatballs. Today, we would be cooking our very own spaghetti bolognese in two ways. The first would be for the non-vegetarian and the second recipe is the vegetarian style. I would also love to add that you can use any pasta of your choice if you do not have spaghetti available. Now, lets get cooking.
Recipe 1
Prepared in just 10 minutes, this delicious spaghetti Bolognese is the perfect midweek dinner for a family of four. This traditional Bolognese is flavored with garlic, oregano, and a hint of Worcestershire sauce. You can decide to either prepare your sauce from scratch or get it at any supermarket close by. For this recipe, you need to get the Worcestershire sauce. Also, this recipe does not have meatballs but you can add some if you want.
Ingredients
- 2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
- 1tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
- 500g lean minced beef
- 90g mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tsp dried oregano or mixed herbs
- 400g can tomatoes or chopped tomatoes
- 300ml hot beef stock
- 1tbsp tomato ketchup or purée
- 1tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- salt and ground black pepper
- 350g spaghetti
- freshly grated Parmesan, to sprinkle
Method
- Put the onion and oil in a large pan and fry over fairly high heat for 3-4 mins. Add the garlic and mince and fry until they are both brown. Add the mushrooms and herbs, and cook for another couple of mins.
- Stir in the tomatoes, beef stock, tomato ketchup or purée, Worcestershire sauce, and seasoning. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 mins.
- Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in a large pan of boiling, salted water according to packet instructions.
- Drain well, run hot water through it, put it back in the pan, and add a dash of olive oil, if you like, then stir in the meat sauce. Serve in hot bowls and hand Parmesan cheese round for sprinkling on top of the dish.
Now that we are done with that, let’s move on to the vegetarian recipe
Recipe 2
This recipe is for vegetarians but if you are a non-vegetarian and you feel like it, this recipe is okay for you.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion , finely chopped
- 2 carrots , very finely chopped
- 2 celery sticks , very finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove , crushed
- 350g frozen Quorn mince
- 1 bay leaf
- 500ml passata
- 1 good-quality vegetable stock cube
- 100ml milk
- small bunch basil , chopped
- 600g cooked spaghetti or other pasta shape (about 250g dried)
- vegetarian hard cheese , to serve
Method
- Heat the oil in a saucepan and gently fry the onion, carrots and celery until the onion is starting to soften.
- Stir in the garlic and the Quorn (there’s no need to defrost it) and fry for a couple of mins.
- Add the bay leaf, passata, vegetable stock cube and 200ml water, then bring everything to the boil.
- Turn down the heat and simmer for 30 mins or until all the pieces of veg are tender and disappear into the tomato sauce.
- Add the milk, then cover with a lid and cook for 10 mins.
- Season to taste. If the sauce is a bit thin, keep bubbling until it thickens. Stir through the basil.
- Serve with the spaghetti and grate the cheese over the top, if you like. In case you cannot finish it, it can be frozen into portions and reheated.
If you want to make your spaghetti Bolognese healthier for your family, you can swap the beef mince for a lower-fat option like turkey mince. Turkey mince is much leaner meat which means that it is lower in fat and calories than beef, lamb, and pork.
What can you serve with spaghetti Bolognese?
I would recommend serving your favorite spaghetti Bolognese dish with a slice or two of homemade garlic bread or a homemade loaf.
Traditionally prepared spaghetti Bolognese is topped with a generous amount of Parmesan cheese. If you don’t have Parmesan cheese available in the fridge, you could opt for cheddar or mozzarella instead.
What can I use instead of spaghetti?
Like I said before, if you’ve run out of spaghetti or your kids don’t like spaghetti, you could swap it for a different type of pasta instead. Tagliatelle, penne, spirals, or bows would work just as well. You could also decide to swap your sauce for any other type of your choice.
Is Spaghetti Bolognese Healthy?
Yes, spaghetti Bolognese is healthy. While ground beef and bacon are traditional in spaghetti Bolognese, they are high in fat and calories. You can make your spaghetti Bolognese healthier by using lean meats because of excess intake of fat which can lead to weight gain, obesity or chronic diseases.
Can I eat spaghetti Bolognese while pregnant?
Yes, you can. Most kinds of meat are safe to be eaten when pregnant. Whether it is beef, mutton, pork, chicken or turkey. Pretty much all of them. If the meat used in preparing the spaghetti Bolognese is well cooked, then there’s no problem.
Conclusion
In conclusion, spaghetti Bolognese is a meal for every family. Vegetarian or not, it’s a dish you and your family can enjoy. One more amazing thing is that you can cook it according to your preference. If you have kids who don’t like vegetables, you can use the vegetarian recipe to ensure that they subtly eat them. Stay healthy.