Spaghetti bolognese
Works in the UK and the US. This version uses UK words and measures (hob, grams, gas marks); the US version uses stove, cups and °F. · US version of this page
A family favourite: browning mince safely, building a slow-simmered tomato sauce and cooking spaghetti.
- Serves 4
- About 1 hr
- Hob
- Best for: KS3 (ages 11–14)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion
- 1 carrot
- 1 celery stick – contains celery
- 2 garlic cloves
- 500 g lean beef mince
- 1 tin of chopped tomatoes (400 g)
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 150 ml vegetable stock (from a cube or pot) – contains celery
- 1 tsp dried mixed herbs or oregano
- 300 g dried spaghetti – contains gluten
- 30 g Italian-style hard cheese, finely grated, to serve (optional) – contains milk
Need a different amount? Use the recipe finder to change the servings.
Equipment
- chopping board
- red (raw meat) chopping board
- cook's knife
- large frying pan or saucepan
- large saucepan for the pasta
- wooden spoon
- tin opener
- colander
- food thermometer
Safety first
- Wash your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds, tie back long hair and put on a clean apron.
- Ask about allergies before anyone cooks or tastes. This recipe contains: celery, gluten, milk.
- Keep raw meat away from ready-to-eat food: use a separate board and knife, and wash hands, boards and knives in hot soapy water after touching it.
- Carry knives pointing down, put them down flat, and never leave one in the washing-up water.
- Turn pan handles inwards and keep the area around the hob clear.
Allergens: Celery, Cereals containing gluten, Milk. Some brands may also contain eggs. Always read every label and ask about allergies before anyone cooks or tastes.
Method
- Finely chop the onion, carrot and celery with the claw grip. Crush the garlic.
- Teacher-led: Heat the oil over a medium heat and soften the vegetables. (8 min)
- Teacher-led: Add the mince straight from its pack (do not rinse it) and break it up with the spoon. Cook, stirring, until there is no pink left. Wash your hands after touching the pack. (8 min)
- Teacher-led: Add the garlic, tomatoes, tomato purée, stock and herbs. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer gently, stirring now and then. (25 min)
- Teacher-led: Meanwhile cook the spaghetti in a large pan of boiling water as the packet says, then drain carefully. (10 min)
- Teacher-led: Check the sauce: it must be bubbling and the meat cooked until no pink is left in the middle, the juices run clear and it is steaming hot all the way through (at least 75 °C on a food thermometer).
- Serve the sauce on the spaghetti with a little grated cheese. Cool leftovers quickly, keep them in the fridge and eat within 2 days.
What this recipe teaches
Knife skills: the claw grip, Shallow frying and stir-frying, Handling raw meat and fish safely, Boiling and simmering, Checking food is cooked safely, Storing food safely. Steps marked “Adult” are always done by an adult; steps marked “Teacher-led” are done by an adult for primary-age children and closely supervised for older pupils.
Nutrition per serving
| Energy | 2067 kJ / 494 kcal |
|---|---|
| Fat | 10.1 g |
| of which saturates | 3.3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 65.7 g |
| of which sugars | 9.6 g |
| Fibre | 5.1 g |
| Protein | 37.9 g |
| Salt | 0.59 g |
Worked out from the raw ingredients (optional ones and pinches not counted) using CoFID 2021 (McCance and Widdowson’s Composition of Foods Integrated Dataset, Public Health England). Brands vary – check labels. Figures for lean beef mince (the recipe finder shows the other choices).
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0: McCance and Widdowson’s The Composition of Foods Integrated Dataset 2021, Public Health England.
Eatwell Guide groups in this recipe: Fruit and vegetables; Potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy carbohydrates; Beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins; Oil and spreads. Learn about the Eatwell Guide.
Curriculum links
- KS3 D&T – Cooking and nutrition: “cook a repertoire of predominantly savoury dishes so that they are able to feed themselves and others a healthy and varied diet”
- KS3 D&T – Cooking and nutrition: “become competent in a range of cooking techniques [for example, selecting and preparing ingredients; using utensils and electrical equipment; applying heat in different ways; using awareness of taste, texture and smell to decide how to season dishes and combine ingredients; adapting and using their own recipes]”
Try the interactive lesson
Step by step: a quick safety check, questions marked by Classfern, timers for each cooking step, then an honest look at how it went – a teacher or parent judges the cooking, and learners rate their own work. Photos of the finished dish stay at home.
Use the code your teacher gave you – never your name. Progress is kept on this device.