RecipesDinner
Dinner
Classic Beef Bolognese
Beef ragu built on a slow-cooked onion, carrot and celery base, simmered for 45 minutes and served over spaghetti or tagliatelle. Cook extra on Sunday for two or three dinners.
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 15min
- Cook
- 50min
- Total
- 65min
Programs: Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, Lean Bulk and Recomp, Maintenance, Blood Sugar, Blood Pressure, Cholesterol, Cardiometabolic
Per serving
- Calories
- 599kcal
- Protein
- 38.1g
- Carbs
- 67.1g
- Fat
- 18.5g
- Fibre
- 3.7g
Ingredients
For 4 servings · MetricUS
- 500gbeef mince, 5% fat
- 1onion, finely diced
- 1carrot, finely diced
- 1 stalkcelery, finely diced
- 3 clovesgarlic, minced
- 2 tbsptomato puree
- 400gchopped tomatoes
- 100mlwhole milksplash, softens the sauce
- 150mlbeef stock
- 1 tspdried oregano
- 2bay leaves
- 1 tbspolive oil
- 300gdried spaghetti or tagliatelle75 g dry per serving
- salt and black pepperto taste
- 1 lbbeef mince, 5% fat
- 1onion, finely diced
- 1carrot, finely diced
- 1 stalkcelery, finely diced
- 3 clovesgarlic, minced
- 2 tbsptomato paste
- 15 ozcrushed tomatoes
- ½ cupwhole milksplash, softens the sauce
- 2/3 cupbeef stock
- 1 tspdried oregano
- 2bay leaves
- 1 tbspolive oil
- 10½ ozdried spaghetti or tagliatelleabout 2.5 oz dry per serving
- salt and black pepperto taste
Method
Build the base.
Heat the olive oil in a large, deep pan or Dutch oven over medium heat.
Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until soft and starting to turn golden. This is the base flavour, don't rush it.
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
Brown the beef.
Turn the heat up to medium-high, add the beef mince and break it apart with a spoon.
Brown it thoroughly for 6 to 8 minutes, until no pink remains and it's picked up some colour.
Build the sauce.
Stir in the tomato puree and cook for 1 minute to deepen its colour.
Pour in the milk and let it bubble and mostly reduce, about 3 minutes. This takes the edge off the tomatoes later.
Add the chopped tomatoes, beef stock, oregano and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper.
Stir well and bring to a gentle simmer.
Simmer.
Reduce the heat to low, partially cover, and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and the oil sits in small pools on the surface.
Top up with a splash of water if it looks like it's catching.
Finish.
Remove the bay leaves.
Taste and adjust seasoning.
Serve.
Cook the spaghetti or tagliatelle according to pack instructions and serve a quarter of the ragu per person over the pasta.