Spaghetti Bolognese - A Bachelor's Meal
Ahh, good ol' spag bol... below I'll highlight a couple ways of preparing this old stand-by. The quickest (but still delicious) and slightly pre-prepared way and the recommended date night recipe.
Photo from Flickr (FotoosVanRobin)
Some of the Ingredients
You can find some of the ingredients on Amazon
Cento, Tomato Crushed Org, 28-Ounce (3 Pack)
Amazon Price: $10.54 (as of 12/11/2009) 
Grass Fed Organic Ground Beef - 85% Lean
Amazon Price: (as of 12/11/2009)
McCormick Oregano, Mediterranean Style, 5-Ounce Units (Pack of 3)
Amazon Price: $18.00 (as of 12/11/2009)
Nueske Thick Sliced Applewood Smoked Bacon, Family: 5 lbs
Amazon Price: $44.45 (as of 12/11/2009)
Cento, Sauce Marinara Passata, 24-Ounce (6 Pack)
Amazon Price: $38.38 (as of 12/11/2009)
The Basic Utensils
To eat it you ask? Well that's up to you... personally I use a fork and a soup spoon since I like to twirl!
Mario Batali 13-Inch Flat End Spoon, Solid Beechwood
Amazon Price: $5.99 (as of 12/11/2009)
Oxo Good Grips Nylon Spaghetti Server
Amazon Price: $7.95 (as of 12/11/2009)
Piazza 9-Inch Long Spaghetti Tong, Stainless Steel
Amazon Price: $13.95 (as of 12/11/2009)
Nylon Solid Spoon, Oxo Good Grips
Amazon Price: $14.99 (as of 12/11/2009)
J.A. Henckels International Classic 8-Inch Stainless-Steel Chef's Knife
Amazon Price: $48.00 (as of 12/11/2009)
Easy Peasy Spag Bol
The lazy (or busy) bachelor way to make Spaghetti Bolognese
This still uses pretty basic ingredients. But... I can't quite bring myself to recommend using tomato sauce with spices already in it!Sauce:
1 lb ground beef
4 strips of bacon
1 tbsp vegetable oil
16 oz can of crushed or diced tomatoes, or passata (I prefer passata myself because of my recent battle with diverticulitis)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1-2 onions (depending on size and preference)
pinch of dried basil (actually a bit of fresh chopped basil is better but dried works just fine when you're in a hurry!)
1 tsp dried oregano (same comment as above about dried vs fresh!)
1 clove of garlic (or more - to taste! You can use dried garlic but really fresh is best)
salt and black pepper to taste
1 stalk celery (optional)
Mushrooms (canned if you must)
Red wine (if you don't have one already open, open it already and have the rest of it with your meal ;-)) (optional)
Parmesan cheese (optional, fresh preferable, pre-grated if you must!)
Peel and crush the garlic. Peel and finely chop onion.
Cut the bacon into small pieces. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over low heat.
Gently fry the garlic and onion (and celery if you are using it) until they are soft. Then add the bacon. Once the bacon has started to cook, add the ground beef. Break up the ground beef with a wooden spoon. Add the mushrooms. Keep stirring until the mixture is brown all over.
Add in the tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, and oregano, along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir the mixture and put a lid on the pan and simmer it for 10 minutes.
Taste test time! Add garlic, basil, oregano, salt, pepper as necessary. It's your sauce - make it the way you like it! Stir in a dollop or two of red wine, and cover/simmer for another 10 minutes.
While all this simmering is going on... prepare the pasta!
Pasta:
16 oz package dry pasta - spaghetti of course...
Water
Salt
Vegetable oil
Fill a larger pot one half to two thirds full of water, salt the water and add a dollop of vegetable oil (helps the pasta from sticking). Bring the water to a boil. Add however much pasta you've got a craving for (but don't overflow the pot of water!!). Turn the heat down slightly on the pot of spaghetti and cook for approximately 10 minutes. That should give you al dente spaghetti... Drain it and let it sit a minute before you pile it on your plate... There's nothing worse than having water still left in it... ruins the whole look of the dish when water coloured with tomato sauce is leaking out on the bottom of the plate - even if it is just a meal for yourself ;-)
Pile some of the bolognese sauce on top and voila, Spaghetti Bolognese!
Oh yeah, sprinkle on some grated parmesan cheese if you'd like!
Photo from Flickr (wickenden)
Spaghetti Bolognese on YouTube
Here are few videos showing how to make spaghetti bolognese
Utensils you don't necessarily need...
but which can be useful
Danesco Spaghetti Measure
Amazon Price: $7.00 (as of 12/11/2009)
Tupperware Spaghetti Dispenser. Brillant Blue Seal
Amazon Price: $11.25 (as of 12/11/2009)
8 1/2" Stainless Steel Spaghetti Cooker/Strainer (13-0665) Category: Strainers
Amazon Price: $46.55 (as of 12/11/2009)
MIU Stainless-Steel 7-Piece Measuring Cup Set
Amazon Price: $26.70 (as of 12/11/2009)
MIU 4-Piece Polished Stainless-Steel Measuring Spoon Set
Amazon Price: $5.99 (as of 12/11/2009)
A Variation
Some people aren't fond of the smoked flavour of classic spaghetti bolognese
Don't be afraid to add in a new ingredient or play around with seasonings. For example, my wife is one of those people I mention above, and in order to make her happy, there is a simple fix - I just don't put in the bacon. And it tastes very nice without it!Photo from Flickr (naotakem)
Dress the part
And if you have a budding young chef, i.e. you're past bachelorhood, but still don't know how to cook (which is why you're here checking out this lens), there are a few items as well
Classic White Chef Hat
Amazon Price: (as of 12/11/2009)
Cotton Euro-Style Chef Coat
Amazon Price: (as of 12/11/2009)
White Swan Chalkstripe Unisex Zip Front Chef Pant
Amazon Price: (as of 12/11/2009)
Reversible Short Bistro Apron
Amazon Price: (as of 12/11/2009)
Small Miracles Let's Pretend Chef
Amazon Price: $27.00 (as of 12/11/2009)
Another Variation
Use a different pasta
Just because it's a spaghetti bolognese recipe, doesn't mean you can't use a different pasta. In fact, sometimes something more like a rotini or fusilli, or other shorter thicker pasta actually soaks up the sauce better. So go ahead and use a different pasta!Photo from Flickr (roger.karlsson)
Different Types of Pasta
Rustichella d'Abruzzo Fusilli Col Buco
Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 12/11/2009)
Roseli Rigatoni 1 Lb.
Amazon Price: $2.09 (as of 12/11/2009)
12 oz. Spinach Basil Garlic Fettuccini Pasta
Amazon Price: $6.00 (as of 12/11/2009)
Misura whole wheat pasta - Pene Lisce 1lb.
Amazon Price: $3.99 (as of 12/11/2009)
Di Martino Ditalini Rigate Pasta 2/ 1lb
Amazon Price: $4.59 (as of 12/11/2009)
Want to make your own pasta? Or maybe grind your own beef?
The KitchenAid is a great kitchen gadget
KitchenAid KSM150PSER Artisan Series 5-Quart Mixer, Empire Red
Amazon Price: $269.99 (as of 12/11/2009)
KitchenAid FGA Food Grinder Attachment for Stand Mixers
Amazon Price: $40.47 (as of 12/11/2009)
K.AID PASTA ROLLER
Amazon Price: $52.00 (as of 12/11/2009)
Now to set your table and serve your spaghetti bolognese
Pasta bowls, flatware, napkins, etc
Mikasa Italian Countryside Pasta Bowls S/4
Amazon Price: $29.99 (as of 12/11/2009)
Zwilling J.A. Henckels Vintage 1876 23-Piece Flatware Set, Service for 8
Amazon Price: $57.20 (as of 12/11/2009)
Riviera - 4 Pack of Fabric Napkins (Dark Green) - Soil Release
Amazon Price: (as of 12/11/2009)
Bamboo Place Mats - Set of 4 (natural color Placemats)
Amazon Price: $11.95 (as of 12/11/2009)
Libbey Vina 18-1/4-Ounce Round Red-Wine Goblets, Set of 6
Amazon Price: $17.98 (as of 12/11/2009)
Yes, people blog about spaghetti bolognese...
Yum Pasta...
Some book recommendations
The Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles
If you want to know a bit more about the types of pasta out there, this is a good book to have as a reference
Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 12/11/2009)
Everyday Pasta
This cookbook has simple recipes with fresh ingredients, and gives you background about the different types of pasta, and hints on pairing pastas with sauces for a lighter or heavier meal.
Amazon Price: $21.45 (as of 12/11/2009)
Love This Lens?
Maybe you missed the ratings at the top? You can rate it here as well :)
- Rate this lens:
- Email it
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- Lensroll it
Have you got another variation that you'd like to share?
Please do :)
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Reply
- hayleylou hayleylou Oct 6, 2009 @ 6:22 am
- I love spag bol, it is one of my favourites. You have a couple of extra ingredients on here though, so I will experiment a bit with my next spag bol. Great lens, 5 stars
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Reply
- jaja23 jaja23 Oct 6, 2009 @ 6:00 am
- Wonderful lens well done! I think you can also add a poll like what's your best pasta recipe for fun ^_^ 5*
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Reply
- prosperity66 prosperity66 Oct 6, 2009 @ 2:57 am
- While I never add bacon to a bolognese (?!?) I enjoyed your lens and liked it a lot!
Follow the instructions given in the forum and you'll have a really GREAT one!
Dom.
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Reply
- mylifemychoice mylifemychoice Oct 6, 2009 @ 12:30 am
- I too am just starting out. I love the topic! I loved looking at all the kitchen tools, etc. thumbs up! keep it coming!
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Reply
- luvmyludwig luvmyludwig Oct 6, 2009 @ 12:14 am
- This sounds wonderful and is a very good second lens.
by Chef_Stevo
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