One Pot Pasta Bolognese is the quick version of Spaghetti Bolognese using two nifty shortcuts: cooking spaghetti IN the meat sauce, plus an instant thick, rich sauce using tomato passata / puree instead of the usual crushed tomatoes.
For those of you who are doubtful about this one-pot pasta method of cooking, see below for why this one works!
Before I start on the recipe, I have a message for the purists out there who are doubtful (and some even offended!) by this one-pot method of cooking pasta:
When the bolognese is nearly finished, cook 400g spaghetti following the pack instructions. Drain the spaghetti and either stir into the bolognese sauce, or serve the sauce on top. Serve with more grated parmesan, the remaining basil leaves and crusty bread, if you like.
How to make One Pot Pasta Bolognese
It starts off just like your everyday Bolognese – until you get to the part when you add the beef stock when the meat sauce appears to become alarmingly watery. But that’s exactly what you want – so we can cook the spaghetti like you do in a pot of boiling water!
- Cook the garlic, onion and beef, just like you ordinarily do;
- Add the tomato passata, beef stock and all the flavours;
- Give it a good mix – the meat sauce WILL look watery, and that’s exactly what you want!
- Bring the sauce to a boil, then add the pasta just like you would in a pot of boiling water;
- Leave it for 30 seconds so it can start to soften, then you can push it down under the liquid;
- Cook it for 12 minutes, tossing well toward the end, until you end up with a big pot of perfectly cooked spaghetti in saucy bolognese sauce!
Use this One Pot Vegetable Pasta recipe instead. Veggies can’t hold up to the rapid boiling required in this recipe so it’s better to use short pasta which can be cooked at a more gently simmer.
I really love how saucy this One Pot Pasta is, and how the Bolognese is so rich and thick, and clings to the pasta rather than ending up as a watery pool at the bottom of the bowl.
Experienced cooks will recognise that this cooking method emulsifies the pasta sauce and spaghetti, an essential step in pasta recipes which is usually done at the end by adding cooked pasta into a pan with the pasta sauce. I do this for all my pasta recipes that aren’t quick ‘n easy one pot recipes like this one (and so do Italians and respectable restaurants!).
For those of you who are wondering – if this one pot pasta is so good, why aren’t all pastas cooked this way?
The answer is because this method of pasta cooking relies on a certain level of exactness for the ratio of liquid to pasta, a minimum batch size, and certain types of pasta sauces that can hold up to the required cook time as well as the vigorous tossing required.
Also, this method of cooking means ALL the starch from the pasta end up in the pasta sauce which isn’t ideal for many types of pasta sauces because they end up too sticky.
Here are some examples of pastas that cannot be made using this one pot method:
The lesson to learn here is that one pot pasta recipes can yield terrific results, but it needs to be used selectively for the right recipes. I’ve shared a few over the years – here are some reader favourites:
A Message for the One-Pot-Pasta Cynics!
I don’t blame you for being unsure about this recipe. I’ve tried my share of total one-pot-pasta duds, with the two biggest offenders being an unpleasantly sticky sauce from all the starch from the pasta, and unevenly cooked pasta.
But here’s why this one works and tastes damn good:
- Passata – thicker than the usual crushed tomato used in classic Spaghetti Bolognese so it can take the extra starch without tasting “sticky”; and
- It’s saucier than traditional Bolognese, and that extra liquid is because we need to start off with a watery meat sauce in order to allow the spaghetti to cook through evenly, plus there’s more sauce through which the starch is dispersed (again, for a less starchy sauce). Note: I said SAUCIER. Not watery!
No, this is not the traditional way to make Bolognese, and while some people would declare that their Nona’s would roll over in their grave if they saw this recipe, there are in fact pasta dishes in Italy that are cooked in one pot (Orzo/risoni is common).
Is it as good as classic Bolognese, simmered for hours to let the flavours meld, the tomato to breakdown into a smooth sauce, and the meat to become meltingly tender, then tossed in spaghetti that’s cooked to exact al dente in a pot of salted water?
But for the sheer convenience and speed, the marginal loss in quality is a very small price to pay. And it’s still delicious.
So purists – get off your high horse, and give this a go! I would never publish a recipe I wouldn’t stand behind proudly and publicly! – Nagi x
British Colmans Spaghetti Bolognese mix Taste Test Will It Work?
FAQ
Should you mix pasta into bolognese?
Are you supposed to mix spaghetti with sauce?
Do Italians use spaghetti with bolognese?
What is the correct way to serve spaghetti bolognese?