Hamdi Saidani This Gordon Ramsay Spaghetti Bolognese recipe creates a deep, rich, and savory meat sauce. Made with tenderized ground beef, crispy pancetta, red wine, and a touch of cream, this sauce clings perfectly to pasta for the ultimate comforting family meal. This is a classic dish that gets its incredible flavor from a slow simmer, ready in about 2 hours.
Gordon Ramsay Spaghetti Bolognese Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 115g (4 oz) diced pancetta
- 450g (1 lb) lean ground beef
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 carrot, finely diced
- 1 celery stalk, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 175ml (¾ cup) dry red wine
- 1 (800g / 28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup beef stock
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 450g (1 lb) dried spaghetti or tagliatelle
- 30g (1 oz) freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- Fresh basil or parsley, for garnish
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
How To Make Gordon Ramsay Spaghetti Bolognese
- Tenderize the Beef: In a medium bowl, combine the ground beef with ½ teaspoon of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of water. Mix with your hands and let it rest for at least 15 minutes. This is a key step for tender meat.
- Build the Flavor Base: Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until it is crispy. Add the diced onion, carrot, and celery (the soffritto) and cook for 8-10 minutes, until the vegetables are very soft and sweet. Add the minced garlic and cook for one more minute until fragrant.
- Brown the Beef and Deglaze: Add the tenderized ground beef to the pot. Increase the heat and cook, breaking the meat up with a spoon, until it is deeply browned. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the red wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up all the flavorful browned bits (fond) from the bottom. Let the wine bubble and reduce by about half.
- Simmer the Sauce: Stir in the crushed tomatoes, beef stock, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Let the sauce cook, partially covered, for at least 1.5 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. The longer it simmers, the richer the flavor will be.
- Finish and Serve: Stir the heavy cream into the sauce. While the sauce has its final simmer, cook the spaghetti in a large pot of salted water until it is very al dente (about 2 minutes less than the package directions). Reserve about 1 cup of the starchy pasta water.
- Combine and Serve: Drain the spaghetti and add it directly to the pot with the Bolognese sauce. Add a good splash of the reserved pasta water and the grated Parmesan cheese. Toss everything together over a medium heat for 1-2 minutes until the pasta is perfectly cooked and coated in a glossy, rich sauce. Serve immediately with extra Parmesan and fresh basil.
Recipe Tips
- How to get incredibly tender beef? The baking soda trick is a non-negotiable secret. A short rest in a baking soda and water solution helps to tenderize the proteins in the ground beef, ensuring it stays moist and soft even after a long simmer.
- Why cook the vegetables for so long? Slowly cooking the onion, carrot, and celery (the soffritto) until they are very soft is a classic Italian technique. It builds a deep, sweet, and savory flavor foundation for the entire sauce.
- How to get a restaurant-quality sauce? Don’t rush the simmer. The long, slow cooking time is what allows all the flavors to meld together and the meat to become incredibly tender, resulting in a rich, complex sauce.
- Why finish the pasta in the sauce? This is the most important step for a perfect final dish. Finishing the al dente pasta in the sauce with a splash of the starchy pasta water allows the pasta to absorb the flavor of the sauce and helps the sauce to emulsify and cling perfectly to every strand.
What To Serve With Spaghetti Bolognese
This is a classic, hearty Italian meal that is a complete dish on its own. It is traditionally served with:
- A generous topping of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
- A side of warm, crusty garlic bread for sopping up any extra sauce.
- A simple green salad with a vinaigrette.
- A glass of a robust Italian red wine, like a Chianti.
How To Store Spaghetti Bolognese
- Refrigerate: Let the sauce cool completely, then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The flavor is often even better the next day. It is best to store the sauce separately from the pasta.
- Freeze: The Bolognese sauce freezes beautifully. Let it cool completely, then transfer it to a freezer-safe container. It can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Spaghetti Bolognese Nutrition Facts
- Serving: 1/6th of recipe
- Calories: 780 kcal
- Carbohydrates: 85g
- Protein: 42g
- Fat: 35g
- Saturated Fat: 15g
- Sodium: 1350mg
Nutrition information is estimated and may vary based on ingredients and cooking methods used.
FAQs
Can I make this ahead of time?
Yes, this is the perfect make-ahead sauce. The flavor deepens and improves overnight in the refrigerator. Just cook your pasta fresh when you’re ready to serve.
Can I use a different meat?
Yes. For a classic Bolognese, a mix of ground beef and ground pork is fantastic. You can also use all beef. For a different flavor profile, ground veal can also be added to the mix.
Is the cream necessary?
The small amount of heavy cream at the end is a classic addition to a rich Bolognese. It adds a final touch of richness and helps to round out the acidity of the tomatoes, creating a more balanced, velvety sauce. You can omit it, but the final texture will be different.
Try More Gordon Ramsay Recipes:
- Gordon Ramsay Beef Wellington Recipe
- Gordon Ramsay Beef Stroganoff Recipe
- Gordon Ramsay Steak Au Poivre Recipe
Gordon Ramsay Spaghetti Bolognese Recipe
Description
A classic and deeply flavorful Bolognese sauce featuring tenderized ground beef and crispy pancetta, all slow-simmered with red wine and a touch of cream for a rich, restaurant-quality finish.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Tenderize the ground beef in a mixture of baking soda and water for 15 minutes.
- In a large pot, crisp the pancetta, then add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook until very soft.
- Add the beef and brown it thoroughly. Stir in tomato paste.
- Deglaze the pan with red wine and reduce.
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes, beef stock, and seasonings. Simmer, partially covered, for at least 1.5 to 2 hours.
- Stir in the heavy cream.
- Cook the spaghetti until very al dente and transfer it directly to the sauce with a splash of the starchy pasta water. Toss for 1-2 minutes until perfectly coated.
- Serve immediately with a generous
Notes
- u003cliu003eu003cstrongu003eTenderize the Beef:u003c/strongu003e The most important tip for this recipe is the baking soda trick. It is a non-negotiable step that guarantees incredibly tender, not grainy, ground beef in your sauce.u003c/liu003eu003cliu003eu003cstrongu003eSlowu003c/strongu003e u003cstrongu003eSimmer for Flavor:u003c/strongu003e Do not rush the simmer time. The long, slow cook of at least 1.5 hours is the secret to developing a deep, rich, and complex flavor.u003c/liu003eu003cliu003eu003cstrongu003eUse the Pancetta Fat:u003c/strongu003e Don’t drain the fat after crisping the pancetta. Use that flavorful rendered fat to cook your soffritto (the vegetables) for an extra layer of savory depth.u003c/liu003eu003cliu003eu003cstrongu003eFinish Pasta in the Sauce:u003c/strongu003e Always finish cooking your al dente pasta for the final 1-2 minutes directly in the sauce with a splash of pasta water. This is the key to a perfectly coated, restaurant-quality dish.u003c/liu003e
Gordon Ramsay Spaghetti Bolognese Recipe
