This quick and easy version of spaghetti bolognese can be made in around 20 minutes with pantry staples.
Craving spaghetti bolognese but don’t have all afternoon to let it simmer low and slow?
Make this easy 20-minute version.
I’m so excited for you guys to try this one. It’s adapted from the NYT’s Fast Spaghetti Bolognese, and when we were all first stuck at home, this was one of my go-to recipe for days I was craving comfort food but didn’t really have the bandwidth for anything too complicated or time-consuming.
And before we go on, let’s be real, is this as good as your nonna’s bolognese recipe that she learned from her nonna and spent all Sunday afternoon cooking? No.
Is this some ultra good, packed-with-flavor, super filling pasta you can make in 20 minutes with bare-pantry ingredients?
You betcha.
Why You’re Going to Love This Recipe
- Minimal chopping and prep. The only thing you’re going to have to cut here is an onion.
- There’s only a half-pound of ground beef in the recipe, so it’s extremely economical to make, and perfect for using up any leftover hamburger you might have in your freezer.
- It uses tomato paste for an ultra-concentrated tomato flavor, so you don’t even need to have a can of tomatoes in your pantry to make this.
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Tomato paste: This recipe won’t use a full can of tomato paste. Check out my post What to Do With Leftover Tomato Paste for storage tips and recipe ideas for the rest of the can.
- Ground beef: Use whatever ground beef you keep on hand. I’ve made this recipe with everything from 75% to 95% lean ground beef.
- Dry red wine: I like to use Cabernet Sauvignon here, but Merlot and Pinot Noir are also good options. You can replace the wine with the same amount of water, but the flavor of the sauce will be much more mild.
- Finely diced onions: The sauce has a pretty short cooking time, so make sure so give your onions a fine dice so they cook quickly.
How to Make Fast Bolognese Sauce
1. Start water for the pasta: Bring a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. Once at a boil, salt generously.
2. Prep your ingredients: This recipe comes together fast, so prep and measure out all of your ingredients so they’re ready to go.
3. Soften onions: In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add garlic, onion, and ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Cook until the onions are softened and beginning to turn translucent around the edges, 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Lightly brown ground beef: Add ground beef and remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to break the beef into crumbles as it cooks. Cook just until the beef is no longer pink on the outside, but is not yet cooked through.
5. Start cooking your pasta: Add your pasta to the pasta water and cook until the pasta is just shy of al dente. The pasta will cook for another couple minutes in the sauce, so you don’t want it too soft at this point or it will end up overcooked.
6. Add tomato paste: Stir the tomato paste into the beef mixture, and cook until it begins to caramelize and stick to the the bottom of the pan, 2 to 3 minutes.
7. Add remaining ingredients: Add red wine and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring frequently until the mixture reduces down and most of the liquid has evaporated, 4 to 6 minutes. If your sauce finishes before the pasta is ready, turn off the heat and let it sit.
8. Add pasta and pasta water: Use a heat-proof measuring cup to scoop out 1 cup of the pasta water and set it aside. Drain or use tongs to scoop the pasta out of the water. Add pasta to the sauce along with the reserved 1 cup of pasta water.
9. Finish the sauce: Bring the sauce back to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid has been cooked out of the sauce, and it clings to the pasta, 2 to 3 minutes.
10. Serve: Add salt if needed, top with Parmesan if desired, and enjoy!
Variations
- Turkey/sausage bolognese: You can also replace the ground beef with ground sausage, ground pork, or ground turkey. This recipe is extremely flexible.
FAQ
Can I make this dish ahead of time?
You can, but reheated leftovers aren’t quite as good as fresh. I’ll happily eat leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day, but I wouldn’t specifically make this as a make-ahead meal.
Can I halve this recipe?
Yes! I often make a half-batch of this, especially when I have a bit of ground beef I want to use up. To change the recipe yield, hover over the number of servings in the recipe card (or click if you’re on mobile) and slide the slider.
No cooking changes are needed when reducing the recipe size except the liquids will take less time to reduce.
What should I serve with spaghetti bolognese?
Serve your pasta with a slice of garlic bread and a simple green side like:
More Easy Dinner Recipes
20-Minute Spaghetti Bolognese
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced or pressed
- ½ teaspoon salt divided
- 8 ounces ground beef *
- 12 ounces spaghetti noodles
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons tomato paste (99g)
- 1 cup dry red wine *
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- Parmesan cheese optional for topping
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. Once at a boil, salt generously.
- While your water comes to a boil, prep and measure out the rest of your ingredients so they’re ready to go.
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add onion, garlic, and ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Cook until the onions are softened and beginning to turn translucent around the edges, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add ground beef and remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to break the beef into crumbles as it cooks. Cook just until the beef is no longer pink on the outside, but is not yet cooked through.
- Add your pasta to the pasta water and cook until the pasta is just shy of al dente.
- While your pasta cooks, stir the tomato paste into the beef mixture, and cook until it begins to caramelize on the bottom of the pan, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add red wine and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring frequently until the mixture reduces down most of the liquid has evaporated, 4 to 6 minutes. If your sauce finishes before the pasta is ready, turn off the heat and let it sit.
- Use a heat proof measuring cup to scoop out 1 cup of the pasta water and set aside. Drain pasta or use tongs to scoop the pasta out of the water. Add pasta to the sauce along with the reserved 1 cup of pasta water.
- Bring the sauce back to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid has been cooked out of the sauce, and it clings to the pasta, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add salt if needed, top with parmesan if desired, and enjoy!
Notes
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