Spaghetti Bolognese
The weeknight standard, and it freezes in portions.
Ingredients
- Beef mince500 g
- Spaghetti400 g
- Tinned chopped tomatoes800 g
- Brown onion150 g
- Carrot120 g
- Celery80 g
- Garlic15 g
- Tomato paste70 g
- Olive oil20 ml
- Dried oregano2 g
Method
- Finely dice the onion, carrot and celery and cook in the oil over medium heat for 8 minutes until soft.
- Add the crushed garlic and cook for 1 minute, then add the mince and brown it well, breaking up any lumps.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, then add the tinned tomatoes, oregano and a splash of water.
- Simmer uncovered for 25-30 minutes, stirring now and then, until thick. Season to taste.
- Meanwhile cook the spaghetti in well-salted water until al dente, then toss through the sauce.
Cooking for a different diet?
Swaps that keep this dish what it is. The prices on this page are for the recipe as written.
Vegetarian
- 440 g Tinned brown lentils instead of Beef mince
No browning: add the drained lentils with the tinned tomatoes and simmer for 15-20 minutes until thick.
Vegan
- 440 g Tinned brown lentils instead of Beef mince
No browning: add the drained lentils with the tinned tomatoes and simmer for 15-20 minutes until thick.
Gluten-free
- 400 g Gluten-free spaghetti instead of Spaghetti
Cook the gluten-free spaghetti a minute short of the packet time and toss it with the sauce straight away.
Swaps are suggestions — check labels if you are cooking for an allergy.
What it costs, and where to buy it
Shops to compare
List price at each shop
Pak'nSaveBest choiceyou pay $36.77 · 48% spare
$19.13
no items missing
New Worldyou pay $49.40 · 57% spare
$21.08
no items missing · $1.95 more
Woolworths NZyou pay $54.10 · 58% spare
$22.67
no items missing · $3.54 more
$4.78a serve
$4.78 a serve, cheapest at Pak'nSave
About $19.13 of ingredients used for 4 serves.
$40.63 across 3 shops · all 10 items priced · $3.90 more for bigger packs, 55% spare for later
Pak'nSaveBest choice$19.13
no items missing
you'll pay $36.77 · 48% of it spare
New World$21.08
no items missing · $1.95 more
you'll pay $49.40 · 57% of it spare
Woolworths NZ$22.67
no items missing · $3.54 more
you'll pay $54.10 · 58% of it spare
Buy at Pak'nSave$22.71
Beef mince
$23.98/kg
need 500 gAffco Beef Mince 500g$11.99closest match
Pak'nSave$23.98/kg$11.99·New World$27.91/kg$9.49·Woolworths NZ$10.00
Tinned chopped tomatoes
$2.08/kg
need 800 g2 × Pams Value Chopped Tomatoes in Juice 400g$0.83closest match
Pak'nSave$2.08/kg$0.83·Woolworths NZ$0.94·New World$2.43/kg$0.97
Brown onion
$3.29/kg
need 150 gPams Brown Onions 1kg$3.29
Pak'nSave$3.29/kg$3.29·New World$3.59/kg$3.59·Woolworths NZ$4.99
Carrot
$1.99/kg
need 120 gCarrots 1kg$1.99closest match
Pak'nSave$1.99/kg$1.99·New World$2.19/kg$2.19·Woolworths NZ$3.50
Garlic
~$41.50/kg
need 15 gGarlic ea$2.49
Pak'nSave~$41.50/kg$2.49·New World~$49.83/kg$2.99·Woolworths NZ$3.20
Tomato paste
$0.76/100g
need 70 gPams Tomato Paste 170g$1.29
Pak'nSave$0.76/100g$1.29·New World$0.88/100g$1.49·Woolworths NZ$1.70
Buy at New World$16.43
Olive oil
$2.00/100ml
need 20 mlPams Pure Olive Oil 100ml$9.99
New World$2.00/100ml$9.99·Woolworths NZ$8.95·Pak'nSave$1.80/100ml$8.99
Dried oregano
$1.63/10g
need 2 gPams Oregano 10g$2.45
New World$1.63/10g$2.45·Pak'nSave$2.29/10g$2.29·Woolworths NZ$2.70
Buy at Woolworths NZ$1.49
Spaghetti
$1.49
need 400 gEssentials pasta spaghetti 500gclosest match
Woolworths NZ$1.49·Pak'nSave$0.32/100g$1.29·New World$0.36/100g$1.79