Learn how to make gluten-free spaghetti bolognese sauce with my step-by-step guide. The sweet, sour, salty, and meaty sauce is combined with al dente pasta and served with some freshly grated Parmesan! A delicious and easy meal you can make even during a busy day. Definitely, a must-try!
Jump to:
Secrets to the Best Bolognese Sauce
- Fresh ingredients.
- Meat is made soft and juicy by simmering in wine, milk, and broth.
- The sauce gains natural sweetness and flavor depth from the carrot, celery, and onion base.
- The fat from pork allows for a richer sauce.
What Goes into Spaghetti Bolognese?
Meat – I use half pork and half beef and find that this combination allows for a deeper flavor and a balanced fat content.
Veggie base (mirepox) – carrots, celery, and onions are a traditional base for soups and bolognese sauce. Carrots add that sweetness to your sauce that takes the bolognese sauce to the next level!
Wine – some people will use red wine, but I prefer using white wine like, for example, Sauvignon Blanc.
Milk – generally it is best to use 2.8% (or higher fat content) milk. This ingredient allow the meat to soften, so you really don’t want to skip this step unless you are making a dairy free bolognese! In which case you can use plant based milk.
Broth – you can use any broth or stock for spaghetti bolognese. Chicken broth, beef bone broth, or even a bullion cube broth - all work great!
Tomato paste & puree – you can use canned tomatoes, tomato paste, and/or tomato puree. Feel free to use fresh tomatoes (San Marzano tomatoes are the best for this dish!) if you like, but you will need to cook them down and blend them before adding them to the meat!
Seasoning & Spices – the staple flavors for traditional bolognese sauce come from basil, oregano, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. You can add cayenne pepper for some spicy notes as well!
Ingredients
Meat - I used half ground pork and half ground beef.
Milk - helps soften the meat, it can be skipped or substituted with plant-based milk.
Wine - I used Sauvignon Blanc but red wine is great, too. You can use Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or simple cooking wine.
Mirepoix - some Italian regions don't use mirepoix (celery, carrot, and onion) for bolognese but I find that it adds sweetness and depth of flavor.
Tomatoes - I used a tomato paste plus tomato sauce. Feel free to use canned or pureed tomatoes instead! San Marzano tomatoes are perfect for this dish.
Broth - use either chicken broth, vegetable stock, or bone broth. You can also simply add a bouillon cube to water if you don't have broth.
Substitutes & Variations
Meat - you can also use chicken or any other ground meat if you must! For a vegetarian version check out my Pasta Alla Norma with eggplant recipe!
Wine - to make this dish alcohol-free just omit the wine.
Milk - you can either skip the milk or substitute it with plant-based milk for a dairy-free version. Milk is used to make the meat more tender.
Mirepoix - if you are in a hurry, you can even skip mirepoix (the veggies), although the flavor profile will become sourer and blander.
Tomato paste - use any form of tomato - canned, chopped, fresh, pureed, etc. Tomatoes should not be left out!
Watch How I Make Gluten-Free Bolognese Sauce!
Step by Step Recipe
Step 1 – prep the veggies
Peel your veggies and chop them up into small pieces. Add the onion to a preheated pan with some oil and fry for a few minutes, then add celery and carrot. Fry until the veggies become softer and slightly brown.
Step 2 – brown the meat
Add the ground meat to the pan and continuously stir to break up the meat and prevent lumps from forming. Wait until the meat browns completely and you don’t see any more pink bits. Salt your food as you go as it will bring out the flavors in the best way.
Step 3 – add the wine
Pour 1 cup of wine into the pan with meat and veggies and simmer on medium-high heat until almost all wine has evaporated (about 10 minutes).
Step 4 – add the milk
After the wine has almost completely evaporated, add the milk. Continue simmering for another 10 minutes until the milk evaporates as well.
Step 4 – add the broth
Now add the broth and let the meat simmer until the broth evaporates, about 10 minutes.
Step 5 – add the tomato products
The last step is adding all of your tomato products! Add the tomato paste and puree, stir, and add all of the spices and seasonings along with chopped garlic. Cover with a lid and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Taste your sauce at the end and season to taste! If you would like a thicker sauce, then you might need to simmer the sauce with the lid off so that the steam escapes and the liquids evaporate.
Step 6 – serve and enjoy!
Boil your spaghetti in salty water for 10-11 minutes. Use gluten-free spaghetti if you are gluten intolerant! You can cook the pasta completely and mix it with the sauce after, or boil your pasta for 8-9 minutes until al dente and finish cooking it in the bolognese sauce. The second option allows for riches pasta and the spaghetti gets a chance to absorb some of the sauce as finishes cooking.
Expert Tips
Frequently Asked Questions
What to Serve with Spaghetti Bolognese?
Serve your traditional bolognese pasta with some garlic bread or a fresh salad with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, and some vinegar on top! A simple Caprese salad is a great side for this dish.
Can I Make Spaghetti Bolognese Vegetarian?
You can use Quorn mince instead of meat in order to make vegetarian spaghetti bolognese!
What Pasta Goes with Bolognese?
Tagliatelle and spaghetti. You can also serve bolognese sauce with penne pasta.
How Do You Thicken Bolognese Sauce?
Take the lid off as the sauce simmers and let the liquids evaporate. This method will yield the best results and draw out the flavors!
Other Recipes You Might Like:
📖 Recipe
Gluten-Free Spaghetti Bolognese Sauce
Equipment
- 1 Frying pan
- 1 large pot for boiling
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2lb) ground meat (half pork, half beef)
- 1 cup wine (red or white, I used Sauvignon Blanc)
- 1 cup milk (any type)
- 1 cup broth (chicken, beef, vegetable, or a bullion cube)
- 2 medium carrots
- 2-3 stems of celery
- 1 medium onion
- 6 oz can (170 grams) tomato paste
- 500 ml (17 oz) tomato puree
- 3-4 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 3 bay leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel your veggies and chop them up into small pieces. Add the onion to a preheated pan with some oil and fry for a few minutes, then add celery and carrot. Fry until the veggies become softer and slightly brown.
- Add the ground meat to the pan and continuously stir to break up the meat and prevent lumps from forming. Wait until the meat browns completely and you don’t see any more pink bits. Salt your food as you go as it will bring out the flavors in the best way.
- Pour 1 cup of wine to the pan with meat and veggies and simmer on medium-high heat until almost all wine has evaporated (about 10 minutes).
- After the wine has almost completely evaporated, add the milk. Continue simmering for another 10 minutes until the milk evaporates as well.
- Now add the broth and let the meat simmer until the broth evaporates, about 10 minutes.
- The last step is adding all of your tomato products! Add the tomato paste and puree, stir, and add all of the spices and seasonings along with chopped garlic. Cover with a lid and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Taste your sauce at the end and season to taste! If you would like a thicker sauce, then you might need to simmer the sauce with the lid off so that the steam escapes and the liquids evaporate.
- Boil your spaghetti in salty water for 10-11 minutes. Use gluten free spaghetti if you are gluten intolerant! You can cook the pasta completely and mix it with the sauce after, or boil your pasta for 8-9 minutes until al dente and finish cooking it in the bolognese sauce. The second option allows for riches pasta and the spaghetti gets a chance to absorb some of the sauce as finishes cooking.
Christy Berrio says
How much celery did you use?
Natashashome says
Hi Christy! I use 2-3 celery stems depending on how large they are. With bigger ones, I use 2, with smaller ones 3! Thank you for asking, I added it now to the recipe card.