Spaghetti bolognese, one of the most popular pasta meals from the Italian cuisine. Let’s prepare it together with Hana’s Recipes, a food portal advising you on the most exquisite recipes from all corners of the world!
Spaghetti bolognese: Its history and popularity these days
The history of spaghetti bolognese is quite complex to describe, as its origins are highly debated over. However, it is widely believed that “spaghetti alla bolognese” (as known in Italian) originated in the city of Bologna.
One of many theories suggests that this pasta classic evolved from the traditional Italian sauce called “ragù alla bolognese“, which is documented back to the 18th century. Ragù alla bolognese is a slow-cooked meat sauce from the Bologna region and over time, it had become commonly served with pasta, particularly spaghetti. This undoubtedly led to the creation of popular spaghetti bolognese.
Regardless of different versions of its possible origins, spaghetti bolognese is an inspirational Italian dish enjoyed today by the people from various cultures and backgrounds. The meal typically consists of pasta served with a meat-based sauce, which often includes ground beef or pork, tomatoes, onions, carrots, celery, garlic and different herbs as well as spices. The sauce is always slowly cooked to allow diverse strong flavours to meld together.
However, it’s certainly worth mentioning that the version of spaghetti bolognese served outside of Italy may significantly differ from the traditional recipe. The original dish has already been modified to suit different local tastes as well as dietary preferences and allergies, commonly occurring these days.
What is interesting though is that in 1982, the Italian Academy of Cuisine (originally known as “Accademia Italiana della Cucina”) deposited the official recipe for the bolognese sauce with the Bologna Chamber of Commerce. This was done to preserve the authenticity of the sauce, as it had been predicted before that the bolognese sauce is likely to spread worldwide and its true originality could be forgotten or too adjusted to various cultures, far more different from the Italians.
Despite many well-known versions in the world, Hana’s Recipes has put together photo steps to prepare the traditional spaghetti bolognese, as if it was being served in a cozy Italian restaurant in Bologna. Let’s get started!
Ingredients
- 500 g of spaghetti,
- 500 g of minced meat,
- 2 carrots,
- 2 pieces of parsley,
- 1 piece of celery,
- 1 onion,
- 4 cloves of garlic,
- 1 tablespoon of fat, eg. ointment,
- 1 can of tomato puree,
- Salt,
- Oregano,
- Ground black pepper,
- Edam cheese (based on your preference),
- Herbs
Preparation of classic spaghetti bolognese
1At first, cook spaghetti according to the instructions on the packaging and drain. Leave alone for now.
2Secondly, finely chop the onion and fry.
3After that, chop the garlic, grate root vegetables and add to the frying onion. Fry for another 3 minutes.
4
Add minced meat to the onion and vegetables and fry for another 7 minutes.
5
Once the step before is completed, add tomato puree, cover with water and let it simmer for 20 minutes under the lid.
6
Season the meat with salt and pepper, then add oregano.
7
As for the last step, put the created mixture on cooked spaghetti. You can also add cheese and herbs, all depending on your preference and limitations (if there are any). And time to serve! Enjoy your traditional spaghetti bolognese!
Unsure what to serve with spaghetti for the next time? How about creamy pasta sauce or Italian meatballs, all from our verified food blog Hana’s Recipes? Both meals will bring a piece of Italy to your lovely home, wherever located. Good luck with further cooking!
Similar videorecipe: How to make traditional spaghetti bolognese
FAQ 1: Can I use different types of pasta with bolognese sauce?
Of course! This is a huge advantage when preparing the bolognese sauce itself: its versatility. While spaghetti remains to be a traditional, most common choice, you can definitely utilise other types of pasta such as fettuccine, penne or rigatoni.
FAQ 2: Can spaghetti bolognese be prepared either vegan or vegetarian?
It sounds almost impossible in today’s world not to have an alternative version to traditional meat dishes. Spaghetti bolognese is no exception. Although its classic version does contain meat, you can easily replace it with other protein sources such as crumbled tofu, mushrooms or lentils. To mimic the savoury meat flavours, it is also advised to add ingredients such as soy sauce, miso paste, nutritional yeast or vegan version of the Worcestershire sauce. Alternative bolognese sauce can be certainly enriched with more vegetables as well, namely bell peppers, zucchini, eggplant or spinach. Not to mention more fresh tomatoes to emphasise the origin of the sauce. To substitute any dairy products in the recipe such as milk or the cheese addition on the top of pasta, do not hesitate to utilise almond milk, coconut milk or cashew cream. Vegan Parmesan cheese on the top of pasta will suit ideally as well.
