Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese

Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese is a rich and satisfying meat and pasta dish. Super quick and easy to make this tagliatelle with bolognese sauce combination is perfect any night of the week for a fuss free meal. Saucy beef in a juicy sauce garnished with cheese and basil, combined with al dente pasta is an easy choice. This tagliatelle bolognese will soon be your loved by the whole family.

Recipes like the Linguine Bolognese, Macaroni Bolognese and Fusilli Bolognese are all about non spaghetti pasta options for bolognese.

The Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese let's us set and forget in making a bolognese in the crockpot that can be paired with freshly cooked pasta.

🤍 Recipe Highlights

I have summarised everything that you will come to know and love (LOVE ❤) about the recipe in the points below:

• No chopping involved: this is an easy bolognese recipe with a meat-based sauce that intentionally does not require you to peel and chop vegetables or peel and dice an onion. Using specific ingredients like dried onion and dried Italian herbs, we make this dish more convenient with less effort involved.
• Fast cook time: many recipes for bolognese call for simmering the sauce on the stove for hours. This is time, I and in my belief, you don't have. One of the goals of this recipe is to have a quick cook time. The recipe will be done in 20 minutes max. To achieve that, doesn't compromise the flavour and maximum yummo nature of the dish 😉👍.
• Family friendly: a batch of this tagliatelle bolognese will feed a family of 4 easily. 6 if serving smaller portion sizes or having bread and or salad to go with it. The flavour is there but it is not one which is too intense or refined that eaters of all ages will devour it.
• Freezer friendly: you can whip up this bolognese on the weekend, freeze, then take out of the freezer during the week when you know you won't have time to start from scratch. You have both the option of freezing the sauce separately and making fresh pasta as needed or portioning the full dish into individual meals that simply have to be thawed and reheated.

🥗 Ingredients

The photo below is to show you everything you need to make the recipe. Please refer to the printable recipe card for specific ingredient measurements as well as detailed instructions.

As you can see the recipe calls for:

• Tagliatelle: this is a pasta that you will likely find in both the fresh and dried pasta section of the supermarket. It has a wider width to it than fettuccine or linguine but not as wide as pappardelle.
• Ground beef mince: an economical and always available ingredient that you can purchase from any grocery store. It is also freezer friendly. So you can purchase it in advance or when on special and pop it in the freezer till when you come to need it.
• Passata (tomato puree): smooth and full of robust tomato flavour, this tomato puree forms the basis of the bolognese sauce.
• Diced tomatoes: purchase plain with no additional herbs or 'Italian style' to them so that we can create the yum ourselves (and know exactly what has gone into the dish).
• Tomato paste: often used as a fast pizza sauce, this ingredient is thick, rich and flavoursome.
• Worcestershire sauce: adds a little oomph to recipes and a great ingredient to use as opposed to adding broth or wine to the sauce.
• Beef stock cubes (bouillon cubes): like the above, I like to add these for flavour when I am not using red wine, white wine or broth of some kind in the bolognese sauce.
• Italian herbs: dried from the pantry makes things convenient! And you know that they are always going to be ready to use.
• Dried onion: my trusty go to instead of peeling and chopping an onion. It too has a long shelf life so you can always have it on hand as needed.
• Garnish (optional): basil leaves, pecorino romano and cracked black pepper. Fresh and bright pops of green from the herb make an excellent garnish in addition to the black pepper and cheese of your preference.

Tasty Tip: I like to offer a number of substitutions and variations to give you options when making the recipe. If in doubt of any of the above ingredients, or wanting alternatives, read this section before diving into the instructions on how to make the recipe below 👍😉.

🍳 Instructions

Here are the step by step instructions to make the recipe. We start by browning the ground beef mince in a large sauté pan with the olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.

• Add oil, beef, garlic, salt and pepper to pan (Photo 1)
• Brown the beef mince (Photo 2)
• Add the sauce ingredients (Photo 3)
• Scoop out some of the pasta water (Photo 4)

👩‍🍳 How to Make Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese

Starting by adding the oil to a large skillet on the stove. Using high heat add the beef mince, season with salt and pepper then add the garlic.

Cook the beef until it browns, stirring as you go.

It will take between 8 to 10 minutes to cook. Use a wooden spoon to break up any clumps of meat as it cooks.

Once done, we want to add the ingredients to make the sauce.

Pour in the passata, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, dried onion, Italian herbs and sprinkle the beef bouillon cubes over the top.

Stir to combine and then reduce the heat to low. We want to simmer the combined beef and tomato sauce for 15 minutes on low heat.

During this time add a large pot of water to another element on the stove, add a little bit of salt and then turn to high heat.

Cook the tagliatelle according to the package instructions. Taste a bit and ensure it is 'al dente' which means a little bit chewy. Next use a heatproof jug to scoop out some of the starchy pasta water and reserve this.

Then use a colander and drain the rest of the water, shaking the excess out of the cooked pasta.

• Drain the pasta using a colander (Photo 5)
• Add cooked pasta to the bolognese sauce (Photo 6)
• Pour in ½ cup of the reserved pasta water (Photo 7)
• Stir to combine the dish and then garnish (Photo 8)

Once the pasta has been drained, you can add it to the bolognese sauce.

Then pour in ½ cup of the reserved pasta water and use 2 pairs of kitchen tongs or 1 with a wooden spoon in the other hand to stir and combine.

Once the pasta and sauce is thoroughly mixed in together, generously garnish with pecorino romano cheese (or parmesan cheese), freshly cracked black pepper and basil leaves.

🍽 Serving Suggestions

This pasta goes down exceptionally well with the Turkish Garlic Bread, Garlic Ciabatta or Garlic Pizza Bread.

For light and bright salad pairings try the Healthy Panzanella Salad, Herb Salad or Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad.

If you are having an Italian feast to feed a crowd and want to stick to a theme the Ciabatta Pizza and Bruschetta Pizza will pair well.

If you want some variation the Baked Meatball Subs offer a non pasta, bread recipe with similar flavours.

When it comes to serving the tagliatelle, be generous with a sprinkle of freshly cracked black pepper, grated pecorino romano or parmesan cheese and some bright, fresh basil leaves.

A fork and spoon combo is great for this dish so the eaters can get their twirl on and have less juices running down their chin from perfecting their twirl.

👍 How to Guide

How to Store

Store leftovers in the fridge in a sealed, airtight container for 2 days. Reheat prior to consuming.

How to Freeze

Allow the dish to fully cool. Once cooled, transfer to a large zip lock bag (or smaller bags for individual portions), squeeze the air out, then seal. These can be laid flat in the freezer and frozen for up to 3 months.

Note: you can freeze just the bolognese sauce on its own or the bolognese with tagliatelle combined. Freezing just the sauce will take up less room in the freezer. If freezing just the sauce, you can cook fresh pasta on the night you want to serve it.

How to Reheat

Reheat leftovers in the microwave either on a plate or in a bowl with cling wrap over the top. For frozen bolognese, remove from the freezer, allow to thaw completely (in the fridge overnight or during the day), then reheat by adding back to a pan on the stove. Stir till heated through. You will need a small amount of oil (1 teaspoon) if you are not using a non stick pan.

😉 Substitutions and Variations

Here are my sub ins and outs that you might be thinking about as you read the post and I will tell you if I think they will work or why they won't:

• You can use fresh parsley (curly or flat) finely chopped to garnish the dish in place of the basil leaves.
• You can add in some peeled and finely chopped carrot, diced onion and or celery ribs if you want vegetables in the bolognese and have the extra time to prepare these. They can be added towards the end of the cooking time for the beef and fried off.
• There are many types of pasta that will work for the recipe. Pappardelle pasta or fettuccine are good alternatives for the tagliatelle.
• Fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, thyme or oregano are all herbs that compliment the flavour pairing of the recipe and can be added or substituted for another.
• Pancetta is a great additional ingredient that can be added to provide further texture and unique flavour.
• You can use a combination of beef mince and pork mince (half equivalent of each) if you want alternatives to simply using beef mince.
• Mushrooms and bell peppers are extra vegetables that you might like to consider if you want to add them to bulk up the recipe or make it stretch even further.

💡 Tasty Tips

Here are my top tips and tricks that I want to share with you so that you master the recipe from the get go:

• Fresh tagliatelle will be found in the cold fridge section of the supermarket. You can use this in place of the dried pasta if you prefer.
• The stock cubes whilst in solid form are actually quite quick to crumble when being handled. So hold them over the sauté pan and crush them in your fingers when you come to use them.
• When tossing the pasta in the sauce, you will find it easiest if you use a utensil in each hand. Be a little gentle but keep going until it is consistently combined.
• This goes down a treat with a glass or 2 of pinto noir red wine 😉🍷. For white wine, try pinto gris.

🤓 Frequently Asked Questions

What is the meaning of alla bolognese?

The term 'alla bolognese' means 'with ground meat'.

What is tagliatelle pasta made from?

Tagliatelle pasta is made from durum wheat semolina and eggs.

Can I use tagliatelle instead of spaghetti?

Yes, absolutely you can interchange tagliatelle in place of spaghetti for many recipes.

😍 More Easy Dinner Recipes

If you love being a master at creating various and interesting dinner recipes, then I have some more ideas I know you will love. These recipes are full of flavour and yum!

• Greek Lamb Shanks
• Pesto Fettuccine
• Meatball Bolognese
• Spaghetti Al Pesto
• BBQ Lamb Ribs
• Tagliatelle Pesto
• Pork Osso Bucco
• Linguine Al Pesto
• Beef Osso Bucco
• Lamb Osso Bucco

Its time to get our spagh bol on my friend but in a tagliatelle alla bolognese kind of way! You can also find all of my pasta recipes in the one spot.

Adrianne

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