Spaghetti Bolognese - Pinch Of Nom (2024)

• 10MINS
• 40MINS
• Serves 8
• 409KCAL

For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card at the end of this post. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff to know in the blurb!

Everyone has their own version, but this is ours. We’ve adapted it over the years, and more recently to include some extra veg.

Not only does it bulk it out, making the meat go further (gotta love a thrifty meal!) but it’s also an excellent way of sneaking some extra veggies into your meal, and into your kids!

If you love a pasta dish, why not try some of our other classic pasta recipes?

• Spaghetti Carbonara
• Beef Ragu Fettuccine (Also in our Cookbook)
• Creamy Tomato Pasta
• Seafood Pasta

What diets is this Spaghetti Bolognese suitable for?

This recipe is suitable if you’re gluten free as long as you swap out the following ingredients for gluten free versions;

• Stock cubes
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Spaghetti

You could also enjoy this Spaghetti Bolognese if you’re dairy free.

Please make sure to double or triple check all of your ingredients if you’re cooking for people with allergies.

Do you need any special ingredients to make Spaghetti Bolognese?

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You don’t need any special ingredients to make this recipe. In fact, you can pack it full of loads of spare veggies you’ve got lurking around!

When making anything with spaghetti, a proper pasta pan is really useful. The pasta needs loads of space to move and cook properly rather than being crammed in a small pan!

Hints & Tips

Below we added some of our communities most common hints and tips. We hope you find them useful.

How many calories are in this Spaghetti Bolognese?

You might think Italian food is high in calories, but not our Spaghetti Bolognese!

It has 409 calories per portion, and is packed full of flavour! This means it falls into our Weekly Indulgence recipe category.

This recipe is perfect if you’re following a calorie controlled diet, and fits well with any one of the major diet plans such as Weight Watchers.

As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. Obviously, if your goal is to lose weight then you might want to adjust these slightly! You can read more about these recommendations on the NHS website.

What should you should serve with Spaghetti Bolognese?

This dish really doesn’t need an accompaniment, but there are a few classics to serve with this tasty meal:

Whatever accompaniment you choose, don’t forget to account for the extra calories and/or other nutritional values.

Can you cook Spaghetti Bolognese another way?

Yes…well, you can cook the bolognese part a different way. The spaghetti is best cooked using the traditional hob method.

Pressure Cooker:Brown off the mince using the sauté function, add the other ingredients and mix. Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes, then quick release the pressure. You may need to use the sauté function to bring the bolognese to the boil and reduce to thicken.

Slow Cooker: Brown off the mince in a frying pan. Add to the slow cooker along with the other ingredients and cook on high for 4 hours. Leave the lid off (but temperature still on!) to reduce and thicken the sauce at the end of the fours hours

How do you know when the Spaghetti Bolognese is cooked?

When the sauce has reduced and is thick and rich, and the mince is tender then your bolognese is ready! Your pasta should be slightly al dente (just a little bite).

Standard advice here in the UK is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and stayed at that temperature for 2 minutes. This is to keep your family safe.

How long can you keep Spaghetti Bolognese in the fridge?

Once you’ve cooked this, you should ideally eat it immediately.

If you allow any left overs to cool, make sure to refrigerate in a container with a lid and chill. You can keep leftovers of Spaghetti Bolognese in the fridge for approximately 3 days or so.

Why not top the left over bolognese with mashed potato and carrot, top with some cheese or mozzarella and have an Italian Cottage Pie? It’s one of our favourite leftover meals!

Can I freeze Spaghetti Bolognese?

Yes you can – but we’d recommend to just freeze the bolognese and cook the pasta fresh! This recipe can be frozen, but please remember to do the following;

• Freeze it as soon as it is cold enough.
• Use a container or bag that is suitable for freezing.

Don’t forget to add a label with what it is, and on what date you put it in the freezer!

How do I reheat Spaghetti Bolognese?

From chilled: Place in a microwave proof container with loosely fitting lid and heat for 4-7 minutes until piping hot.

From frozen: Allow to defrost, and heat covered in the microwave for 3-5 minutes then stir. Cook for a further 5-7 minutes until piping hot.

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Spaghetti Bolognese

When it comes to pasta, there is nothing that beats this classic slimming friendly Spaghetti Bolognese – whether you’re following Weight Watchers, calorie counting or other diets!

• Freezable
• Dairy Free

• Prep Time

  10 MINS

• Cook Time

  40 MINS

• KCals 409
• Carbs 61G