This 25-minute Pasta with Bolognese Sauce recipe uses only FIVE ingredients!
It has the most authentic, delicious Italian taste and texture, with sauce that clings to every bite of pasta thanks to a few easy tricks (which can be utilized in other pasta recipes, too).
It took me a long time, even as I became a good cook, to realize that the way to cook pasta at home is NOT to simply boil the noodles and throw some sauce on.
Countless times I’ve ended up with a watered down sauce that slides away from the pasta, or mushy noodles, or flavorless pasta that tasted like cardboard.
Since moving to Texas, I’ve been hankering for some good Italian food. I’ve not found anything that compares to that in the Boston area (you can’t get much better than that!), so I’ve resolved to learn how to make Perfect Pasta at home.
I think I’ve finally figured it out, and can’t wait to share these tips and tricks with you in this pasta with bolognese sauce recipe!
The ingredients for pasta with bolognese sauce
First, let’s talk about the ingredients. There are only five, but they are mighty.
For this recipe, I used three main ingredients:
- Boxed pasta. I chose rigatoni so it would be easy for my toddler to eat, but you can use whatever shape you want. I also used white pasta rather than whole wheat- it’s starchier, which will help create that cling-to-every-bite consistency. In addition, the simple taste of white pasta pairs well with the hearty meat sauce.
- Jarred marinara sauce. I recommend spending some money on this one- this is such an inexpensive meal already, it makes it easy to splurge on the sauce. I like Rao’s the best.
- Ground beef. I recommend using lean ground beef for this recipe- the extra fat will make the sauce too greasy and you’ll have to drain a lot of it away. I used 90/10.
The other two ingredients elevate the taste to the next level:
- A drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. This is added after making the whole recipe, when the pasta is off the heat. Heat changes the taste of olive oil, so I like finishing pasta off with it rather than cooking with it. Look for an olive oil that’s unfiltered and cold-pressed- my go to is California Olive Ranch.
- Pecorino Romano cheese. I recommend buying a nice wedge of this and grating it yourself. You can use parmesan cheese if you want, but I love the sharp, tangy flavor of pecorino with bolognese sauce. This is also added at the end, adding a salty flavor and creating a thicker texture to the sauce as it melts in.
Tips and tricks to making pasta bolognese
There are three main steps to this pasta with bolognese sauce recipe- cooking the pasta, cooking the sauce, and combining the two.
Here are some tricks and tips for each part, which will make the taste and texture Italian-restaurant worthy.
When cooking the pasta, there are two things to keep in mind.
- HEAVILY salt the water. Use more than you think. It should be as salty as the ocean- you can taste it if you are unsure if you are using enough. There are two reasons for this. First, it will absorb into the pasta, flavoring each piece. Second, it flavors the water, which you will be using in the sauce later.
- Cook until just BEFORE it’s al dente. You want the pasta to finish cooking when you add it to the sauce- it will continue to absorb delicious flavors during those last few minutes. I cooked mine two minutes under the recommended cooking time on the package and it was perfect.
When cooking the bolognese sauce, you’ll first cook up the ground beef.
Make sure to break the beef up into very small pieces. I used a potato masher as it was cooking to ensure it was broken up. This will ensure it’s small enough to stick to the pasta pieces and be part of the sauce, rather than being in large chunks that have to be eaten separately.
After you finish cooking the beef, scoot it to one side of the skillet and tilt the pan so you can spoon any grease/liquid that has separated from the beef. This will ensure the sauce isn’t too greasy or watered down.
Finally, you’ll combine the sauce and the pasta together.
Before you drain the pasta, be sure to reserve 1-2 cups of the pasta water. It’s full of salty, starchy goodness that is vital in finishing off this recipe and ensuring the sauce thickens enough to stick to every bite of pasta.
You’ll mix the drained pasta with the meat sauce mixture and stir to coat, continuing to cook over medium-low heat, adding 1/4 cup of the pasta water as you do so. This pasta water will thicken the sauce slightly and enable the pasta to finish cooking, since it was drained before it reached al dente.
Keep stirring and adding the water 1/4 up at a time until the pasta fully cooks to al dente perfection and the sauce sticks to every bite. You’ll know when it’s time.
Then, drizzle in some extra-virgin olive oil and mix in the pecorino romano cheese to finish everything off. That’s it! 25 minutes, five ingredients, and the best pasta with bolognese sauce you can make at home EVER.
Other easy pasta recipes
- Spaghetti alla Carbonara
- Bucatini all’Amatriciana
- Pappardelle with Zucchini, Mushrooms, and Marinara
- Linguine Fra Diavolo
- Spaghetti with Arugula and Cherry Tomatoes
- Italian Mac and Cheese
For a low carb alternative to pasta, try mixing the bolognese sauce with cooked spaghetti squash.
For a more authentic, traditional bolognese sauce recipe, try this Authentic Bolognese Sauce from Inside the Rustic Kitchen.
Here’s the printable recipe!
Five-Ingredient Pasta with Bolognese Sauce
Ingredients
- 16 oz. rigatoni or other pasta shape
- 24 oz. marinara sauce I used Rao's
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil I like California Olive Ranch
- 1/4 cup pecorino Romano cheese finely grated, plus more for serving
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- chopped fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil (see notes).
- Cook pasta until just before it's al dente (about 2 minutes before the time designated on the package).
- Meanwhile, cook ground beef in a large deep skillet until fully cooked. As you are cooking it, break it into very small pieces. I used a potato masher to make sure it got broken up enough.
- Move the beef to one side of the skillet and tilt it in order to separate the grease/liquid. Remove the grease with a spoon and discard.
- Add the marinara sauce to the ground beef. Stir, cover, and simmer until heated through.
- When pasta is done just before it's al dente, reserve 1-2 cups of the pasta water and drain the rest. Don't drain too thoroughly- it's OK, and actually a good thing, if it has some of the water clinging to it.
- Add the drained pasta to the skillet with the sauce (you can also move it directly from the water using a slotted spoon). If the skillet is too small, you can add the pasta back into the pot in which it cooked, and add the sauce to it.
- Stir to coat the pasta in the sauce in the skillet or pot and keep heat on medium low. Add 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water, stirring to coat. Add more pasta water as necessary to help the pasta finish cooking to al dente- it will help the sauce thicken and stick to every piece of pasta (I used about 3/4 cup total).
- Turn off the heat. Stir in olive oil (2 tablespoons) and pecorino romano cheese (1/4 cup). Taste and add salt if necessary.
- Serve immediately with extra pecorino romano and garnished with fresh parsley, seasoned with fresh ground black pepper.
Notes
- Salting the pasta water: I always err on the side of a lot of salt here, but you should add salt according to your taste preference. A good guideline from America's Test Kitchen is 1 tablespoon table salt per 4 quarter of water. This will be more if you use kosher (see this post all about salt for more info!).
- You can use parmesan as a substitute for pecorino Romano, if you prefer.
- If you choose to use whole wheat pasta, be aware that because it is less starchy, it will be more difficult to get the sauce to cling to the pasta as well.
- The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Holly
Very yummy!! Thank you. Loved the extra tips it definitely made a difference.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Chantelle
This was way too salty. Inedible.
Elizabeth Lindemann
This recipe requires “salt to taste” so I’m afraid this is on you, friend. Better luck next time!
Chantelle
I didn’t add any salt “to taste”. The over saltiness was from the recommended “ocean water” level of salted water used to cook the pasta. As I said, inedible.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Ah, gotcha. I got that line from some Food Network show once, I forget which one, and I loved it because I find that often times people don’t season pasta water enough and end up with a bland result. Now, this isn’t a specific measurement, so it was intended to guide users to err on the side of more salt than the average cook may think they need, but I can definitely see how this is confusing! I’m going to go in and edit the recipe card now to be more specific. Hope that helps!
Elizabeth Lindemann
One more thing! I came across this guide to salting pasta water you may want to check out. I loved this funny paragraph about the “salty as the sea” adage-
“Chances are, when it comes to pasta water, you’ve heard the age-old adage “It should taste like the sea.” I personally like to imagine it declared, not spoken, by a wizened Italian matriarch while she gesticulates wildly, flinging salt haphazardly around her rustic kitchen. When it comes to cooking pasta, this fuzzy measure seems to be most chef’s rule of thumb.”
They also quote a famous Italian chef who said 1.5 tablespoons for every pound of pasta, but the article basically says there is no hard and fast rule here. Here’s the guide from Food52! https://food52.com/blog/9991-how-to-properly-salt-your-pasta-water
Carl Stensel
Nothing wrong with this recipe, but without the milk and white wine, and without the long cooking time, it is not Ragu Bolognese. There is just a world of difference.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thank you for this! My recipes definitely take shortcuts that sometimes veer away from true authenticity (with an understanding that “authentic” can mean different things to different people). I’m going to edit this post with a link to a more traditional bolognese recipe that’s made with milk and white wine from an Italian blogger that I love!
Melissa
I made this two weeks ago and it was fantastic. My husband asked for it again for tonight. I was amazed at the flavor of the Rao’s jar sauce. I always make my sauce from scratch but this brand is a close second.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you and your husband liked it, and also so glad you discovered the glory of Rao’s sauce!
Maggie
For vegetarian and/or gluten-,free brethren, this came out excellent with Impossible Burger “meat” (using a masher was a great idea) and Tinkyada Pasta Joy brown rice spaghetti. I added in sauteed onions and spinach for color. Thanks!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks so much for letting us know how it worked with a vegetarian and gluten-free option! I’m actually doing a 30 day gluten-free experiment myself and two days in I’m already wanting pasta haha… I’ll have to check out that brand!
Nancy
Delicious! Made it last night and loved it; the secret is the pasta and breaking the beef info very small pieces!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Vee
Can you make this recipe in the crock pot? If so, how would you modify it?
Elizabeth Lindemann
I’ve never made it in the crockpot and am not experienced with cooking pasta in a slow cooker. BUT I just checked my favorite slow cooker website and there is a taco pasta on there that gave me some ideas (https://slowcookergourmet.net/slow-cooker-taco-pasta/). I’d try adding the uncooked ground beef (I’d use lean for this) and marinara sauce to the slow cooker and cooking on low for 4 hours or high for 2 until beef is cooked. Then once the sauce is ready, add the pasta and 3 cups water and some salt and cook for 30-40 minutes on high until noodles have softened. Then, stir in romano cheese and olive oil and serve. Hope that works and if you try it I’d love to know how it comes out!
Jessy
I loved this! My boyfriend even loved it and he never gets excited about anything I make.
I sauteed onions and a little garlic before adding the beef. I forgot to drain and with th sauce ( raos) it was a little greasy. But it was still great, pretty foolproof.
Loved th thickness with the pasta water added.
Elizabeth
Oh I’m so happy you liked it!
Nancy
I’ve heard & read amazing things about Rao’s. It was on sale at my local market so I grabbed a jar – this recipe sounds yummy and easy! Trying it tonight!
Elizabeth
Hope you liked it!
Nancy
Added a teensy bit of sugar and some fresh garlic and sweet onions.
It was magnificent! Thank you!
Toms
I pretty much do the same thing. I get the frozen 91-9 ground beef from costco (5 x1 lb pack), rao’s (2 x 24 oz pack…so much cheaper at costco!) and the organic 6 pack of variety noodles. So easy and delicious. Going to Costco it costs me about $10 to make (compared to $15 from local grocery store) and it makes more!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Great tip about Costco! That have such a great selection.
Melanie
Absolutely delicious and super easy to make!
Bob
Try Victoria Brand marinara sauce. Slightly better than Rao’s and 40% less expensive.
Elizabeth
Ooo can’t wait to try! Thanks for the suggestion!