Spaghetti Bolognese Pasta Bake

Rich and cheesy, this simple spaghetti bolognese bake is a deliciously comforting family meal that everyone will enjoy. A rich meat sauce is tossed with spaghetti, loaded with cheese and baked to perfection.

Course dinner, Main Course

Cuisine American, Canadian

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 20

Servings servings

Calories 605kcal

Author Slow The Cook Down

Equipment

13 inch casserole dish

Ingredients

For the bolognese sauce

1 teaspoon oil
2 carrots (diced)
1 onion (diced)
2 large garlic cloves (minced)
pinch salt and pepper
1 pound ground beef (lean or medium) (450g)
⅓ cup beef stock with red wine you can use just beef stock, just red wine, or, a mix of both! (80ml)
1 can pureed tomatoes (27oz / 796ml)
¼ cup tomato paste (4 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
½ tablespoon Italian herbs
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

For the spaghetti bake

16 ounces spaghetti (454g)
2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan
1 cup shredded mozzarella (225g)

Instructions

To make the bolognese

Heat the oil in a skillet on the stovetop on a medium heat. Once hot, add in the diced carrots, onion and garlic, along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook til softened, stirring occasionally.
Push the veggies to one side of the skillet and place the ground beef in the half that's empty. Brown the beef and break it down with a spatula. Combine the beef and the veggies in the skillet.
Stir in the beef stock with red wine, and let it bubble and cook for 5 minutes.
Add in the rest of the ingredients for the bolognese and stir everything together.
Turn the heat to low and let the bolognese simmer while you make the spaghetti. Stir occassionally.

Make the spaghetti bake

Preheat the oven to 360F / 180c.
Fill a large pot with cold water and add a generous few pinches of salt. Place on a high heat on the stovetop.
When the water comes to a rolling boil, add in the spaghetti and cook as per the directions on the box til the pasta is al dente (around 10 minutes)
When ready, drain the water from the spaghetti and place the spaghetti back in the large pot.
Taste the bolognese sauce and season to taste if needed.
Add the bolognese sauce to the spaghetti and stir so that the pasta is well coated.
Transfer the spaghetti bolognese to a large casserole dish.
Sprinkle the parmesan over the top, then the shredded mozzerella.
Cover the dish with foil and cook in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes.
Remove the dish from the oven and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

- I like to cook the meat sauce first, then let it simmer while the pasta water comes to a boil and the spaghetti gets cooked. If you are in a hurry you can prep the spaghetti at the same time as making the sauce (start boiling the water ASAP).

- Dice the vegetables fairly small so that they combine well with the pasta and sauce.

- Taste the bolognese sauce before tossing it with the spaghetti. Adjust salt, pepper and sugar to suit your tastes if needed.

- Cook the spaghetti al dente. It will continue to cook with the sauce in the oven, so don't over do it when you boil it.

- If making as a freezer meal, assemble the bake, let cool, then freeze. Cook from frozen for 50 minutes with foil and 10 minutes uncovered.
- Nutritional values are an estimate.

Nutrition