Comfort food that can be easily made for lunch or dinner. With a twist to the original Bolognese, here I went for a curry flavor to give the dish a kick of spice and a more robust taste. Spaghetti Bolognese is a great meal for the family to enjoy. Here I will be sharing my easy to follow recipe which anyone can make with no fuss!!
I’m sure everyone has their own way of making Spaghetti Bolognese. We all like to add our own flavors and change things around to most dishes. Well this rich thick meat sauce is packed full of flavors and you will be craving for more! The addition of Indian spices really bring out so much more of the flavor with the meat and tomatoes. It really is a great flavor combination. A delicious dish for the family to sit together and enjoy. The kids will love this dish as well as the adults.
Let’s make weekday dinners easier with easy cooking and planning ahead. This Spaghetti Bolognese is definitely a great dish for those busy weekday dinners. This easy recipe can be made in less than an hour and you could also make extra meat sauce and freeze it so you will have it ready for another meal another day. Perfect for us busy families.
More about this recipe
What is Spaghetti Bolognese ?
Well Spaghetti Bolognese is a classic Italian dish made with a meat based tomato sauce which is simmered usually for a long time and served with spaghetti.
What kind of meat is used?
Minced ground meat is used, this is usually a mix of beef and pork meat for a classic Italian dish. Here in my recipe I will be using only ground beef.
The tomato sauce
In most classic Bolognese dishes canned plum tomatoes are used with extra herbs and seasoning. This sauce is then simmered down with the meat for a pretty long time, sometimes hours. Here in my recipe I’m going for quick and easy cooking, something you can whiz up with not much fuss which is less time consuming. So I’m using store bought marinara sauce. Yes store bought!! Trust me it’s going to work. There is nothing wrong with using store bought sauce and adding some extra ingredients like I will be with the addition of Indian spices. It taste amazingly great, a plate of deliciously yummy food.
Onions
Freshly chopped onions. These onions are cooked until soft and lightly golden in color. Onions add to the flavor as well as a great base to the meat sauce.
Spices and seasoning
Salt and pepper for seasoning, adding the salt when the meat is cooking is important to help speed up the cooking process. Also a good idea to check the salt once the meat sauce is cooked. Just so the salt is perfectly right and adjust if needed by adding more. Salt brings out all the flavors of the dish. Also remember that the marinara sauce will have some salt added too.
Indian spices
A mix of Indian spices to give it a curry flavor and Indian taste to the overall dish. So in this recipe I use turmeric, chili, coriander, cumin, garam masala and curry powder. These spices will really give the dish a whole new flavor. Especially with the meat you want spices to make it taste even better and have that real boost of flavors. Cook the spices down with the meat just before adding the marinara sauce.
Fresh cilantro
After the meat sauce is simmered down for 30 minutes then add a handful of freshly chopped cilantro. This bolognese sauce is packed full of flavors and absolutely mouth watering.
To serve
Boil up some spaghetti and serve with the meat sauce. Most pasta packages come with directions on how to cook the spaghetti. Usually you would boil up water in a heavy bottom pot add some salt and add in the spaghetti. Simmer for 15 minutes and then drain.
When the meat sauce and spaghetti is cooked I like to mix them both up by adding the freshly cooked spaghetti into the meat sauce and then serve straight away.
Storing
You can make this meat sauce ahead of time if you want and it will store for up to 3 days in a airtight container in the refrigerator. You can also make this meat sauce and store in ziplock freezer bags and freeze for up to 3 months. Just take it out and defrost then heat up in a saucepan.
Quick and easy curry flavored spaghetti bolognese
Course: MainCuisine: Italian, IndianDifficulty: Easy6
servings5
minutes40
minutesDelicious and easy Indian style spaghetti bolognese
Ingredients
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 large onion diced/chopped
1 lb/500 grams ground/minced beef
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoons chili powder (adjust to preference)
2 teaspoons coriander powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 jar marinara sauce 25 ounce
Handful of freshly chopped cilantro
400 grams freshly cooked spaghetti
Directions
- Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a large saucepan on a medium heat
- Add in the chopped onion and cook on medium flame until the onions soften and turn to a golden color
- Turn the flame to medium high and add in the ground/minced beef. Cook the beef for 8-10 minutes, until the meat is browned all over, stirring occasionally
- Add in the spices one by one, turmeric, chili, coriander, cumin, garam masala and curry powder. Salt and pepper. Stir well and cook these spices for another 2 minutes on medium flame
- Add in the jar of marinara sauce, with 1/4 cup of water rinsed from the jar
- Bring to the boil, reduce to a gentle simmer. Cover with a lid and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally
- Add in the freshly chopped cilantro and stir. Check the seasoning, here you can add any extra salt if needed
- When the Bolognese is close to being done you can cook the spaghetti following the instructions on the packet
- Once the spaghetti is cooked, drain the spaghetti and stir into the Bolognese sauce. Serve with grated parmesan cheese and crusty bread.
Notes
- Best served hot right away. The sauce can be made ahead of time and can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
