Every Tuesday after sport I'd come home to a big pot of "spag bol" on the stove. My spaghetti bolognese with vegetables recipe is inspired by what my parents made me growing up with my Dad's secret ingredient. But because I'm a fan of meal prepping, I've also included lots of freezer-friendly tips for batch prepping.
TL;DR
- Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes - 2 hours
- Meal prep: If meal prepping, don't follow packet instructions for cooking pasta.
- Fridge storage: 4-5 days in airtight glass container (plastic will stain)
- Freezer storage: 3-6 months. Freeze pasta separately
- Reheating: 2-4 minutes, make sure sauce covers pasta
- Customise: Add vegetables of choice to bulk it out.
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Ingredients
Recipes with mince are really easy to bulk out with extra legumes and vegetables. What is originally only 4 serves of mince, very easily becomes 8 (in this case, 10).
Beef mince. Go for lean beef mince if you can - it has enough fat for flavour without leaving the sauce greasy.
Legumes. Lentils and kidney beans help stretch the meat further. Once cooked down, they have a similar texture to the mince.
I don't think they're traditional, but Mum always used to throw in a can so now I do too (because it helps make more meal preps!)
Vegetables. You can add anything but the kitchen sink. I regularly use carrots, onion and zucchini. And then add in whatever else is in my fridge.
Tinned tomatoes & passata. The combo gives the best of both worlds: chunky texture from tinned tomatoes and smooth richness from passata. If you only have one, double up, but I find the balance makes the sauce more interesting.
Worcestershire sauce. Just a dash adds umami and a savoury richness that makes the sauce taste like it's been cooking all day (my little trick - well Dad's trick - also used in my beef stroganoff without sour cream).
Please check the recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantity. See below for substitutions and variations.
Substitutions and Variations
Mince. If beef isn't your thing, swap it for a turkey bolognese, or even chicken or pork.
I recently tried a chicken spaghetti bol thinking it might be weird. BUUUUUUT, it was honestly so delicious!
Vegetarian. Double the legumes and mushrooms or use some TVP.
Legumes. Not a fan of kidney beans? Leave them out or swap with chickpeas or cannellini beans for a milder taste.
Tomato base. No passata? Just use more tinned tomatoes, but simmer a little longer so it thickens properly. Crushed tomatoes or even fresh tomatoes (peeled and chopped) will also do the trick.
How to make beef spag bol
Heat olive oil in a large and deep pan (I sometimes use a large wok) and add onions. Sautee until clear and fragrant (approx 3-5 minutes).
Add mince and cook until most of the mince has changed colour.
Prepare the vegetables by grating or chopping very fine. Add prepared vegetables, legumes, tinned tomatoes and passata. Mix well.
Add sauces and herbs and spices. It'll be slightly runny at this stage as all the vegetables start cooking down. Reduce the heat, cover and let it boil off for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours. You could also do this in a slow cooker for 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 on low.
Once the water content has reduced, add any other herbs/spices if desired. Cook for a further 30 minutes and prepare spaghetti according to packet instructions (if meal prepping, decrease time by 2 minutes).
My Top Tips
Caramelise. Allow the meat to caramelise (little longer than browning off) before adding in all the veggies. This will amplify the flavour.
Low and slow. Give the sauce AT LEAST 45 minutes to meld the flavours. I like to cook for about 2 hours.
The longer you cook off the Bolognese sauce for, the more intense the flavour will become. It's what makes this a fantastic meal prep recipe because it actually tastes better Day 2 once the flavours have had time to develop.
Spag bol meal prep
Beef Spag Bol is an amazing dish to meal prep with as it tastes better the next day and beef mince is very affordable. I mean, have you ever tried leftover Spaghetti Bolognese?
Storing
If you're storing, I would suggest keeping it in a glass meal prep container.
Plastic meal prep containers are known to go red after having a tomato based sauce in them which is why glass containers are preferred for these types of dishes.
They will store in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Reheating spaghetti bolognese
Don't move the pasta right away as it'll break. Reheat for 1 minute first, then stir together with the sauce and reheat for a further approx. 2 minutes until heated through.
You can reheat directly in the glass meal prep containers, but not in the plastic meal prep containers as this will cause the sauce to seep into the container and the containers can actually leak plastic into the meal which is not what you want.
How do you freeze spag bol?
If you're planning to freeze your spaghetti Bolognese, I would suggest storing the spaghetti and Bolognese sauce separately or just freezing the sauce.
If cooking spaghetti and then freezing, only cook for half the packet time as it will gain moisture in the freezer and when reheating.
When frozen with heavy sauces, pasta can lose its texture and go quite mushy. By storing it separately, or cooking it fresh when you want it, this is prevented.
However, you could also lightly place the spaghetti on top of the bolognese (like pictured in a souper cube). This makes it easy to grab, but keeps the pasta pretty good!
To re-heat from frozen, take out of the freezer the night before you want to have it and place in the fridge to de-frost. Then reheat the same you would from refrigerated Bolognese
My top tip. Divide your sauce (and pasta up if you're freezing that, too) into serves you'll want to defrost (e.g. one serve, family serves).
If you want more meal prep information, check out my Meal Prep for Beginners post and my Meal Prep Basics E-Book.
FAQ
Yes. When stored correctly in either an airtight container (no bigger than the food contained in it as air allows for freezer burn), vacuum sealed bag, or ziplock bag, Spaghetti Bolognese will keep for 6 months frozen.
To defrost, place in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave on 1 minute intervals. To fast reheat, add to a pot of water and it should defrost within 1 hour.
Literally everything and anything. I don't think anything is off limits. I add quite a bit of extras into mine, but you can definitely mix and match with other legumes and vegetables. It's like the 'everything but the kitchen sink' version of cookies, but as a savoury dish!
Yes, but for best results thaw it overnight in the fridge first. If you're short on time, you can reheat from frozen in a saucepan on low heat with a splash of water or stock, stirring occasionally until hot.
Definitely! This veggie-loaded bolognese makes a great base for lasagna, shepherd's pie, baked pasta dishes, or even as a topping on baked potatoes. It's versatile, which makes it a real win for meal prep.
Other mince meal prep recipes
Or, you can have a browse through my mince meal prep recipes for more delicious eats.
Recipe
Healthy Spaghetti Bolognese with Vegetables
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2 lb) lean beef mince, subs Note 1
- 400 g (14 oz) lentils, approx.1 tin, drained and rinsed
- 400 g (14 oz) kidney beans, approx.1 tin, drained and rinsed
- 800 g (3 cups) tinned tomatoes, see note 2
- 100 g (3 ½ oz) brown onion, approx.1
- 100 g (3 ½ oz) bell pepper / capsicum, approx.1
- 200 g (7 oz) zucchinis, approx.2
- 200 g (7 oz) carrots, approx.2
- 300 g (10 ½ oz) mushrooms
- 100 g (3 ½ oz) celery, approx.6 stalks, leaves removed.
- 400 g (1 ½ cups) passata, see note 2
- 30 g (¼ cups) bbq sauce, optional, highly recommended
- 30 g (¼ cups) Worcestershire sauce , optional, highly recommended
- 60 g (¼ cups) tomato paste
- 15 g (1 tablespoon) olive oil
- 10 g (2 tablespoon) dried basil, optional, adjust for preferences, subs note 3
- 10 g (2 tablespoon) paprika, optional, adjust for preferences
- 5 g (½ tablespoon) chilli flakes, optional, adjust for preferences
- 500 grams (1 lb) spaghetti , dried (See Note 4)
Instructions
Prepare vegetables
- Dice: 100 g (3 ½ oz) brown onion, 100 g (3 ½ oz) bell pepper / capsicum, 100 g (3 ½ oz) celery.Grate: 200 g (7 oz) zucchinis, 200 g (7 oz) carrots. Slice: 300 g (10 ½ oz) mushrooms
Cook Bolognese
- Heat 15 g (1 tablespoon) olive oil in a pan and add 100 g (3 ½ oz) brown onion. Sautee until clear and fragrant (approx 3-5 minutes).
- Add 1 kg (2 lb) lean beef mince and cook until it has turned mostly browned. Add 400 g (14 oz) lentils, 400 g (14 oz) kidney beans, 800 g (3 cups) tinned tomatoes, 100 g (3 ½ oz) bell pepper / capsicum, 200 g (7 oz) zucchinis, 200 g (7 oz) carrots, 300 g (10 ½ oz) mushrooms, 100 g (3 ½ oz) celery, 400 g (1 ½ cups) passata, 30 g (¼ cups) bbq sauce, 30 g (¼ cups) Worcestershire sauce , 60 g (¼ cups) tomato paste. Mix well.
- It'll be slightly runny at this stage. Once bubbling, lower the heat to low and simmer for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours. The longer you leave it, the more intense the flavour will be (highly recommend longer).
Cook Spaghetti
- 15 minutes before serving, cook 500 grams (1 lb) spaghetti according to packet instructions (this will vary depending on brand and type of pasta).If using for meal prep, undercook the pasta by 2 minutes. If freezing, only cook the pasta half of what the packet says.
Taste and adjust
- During the simmer, taste the Bolognese and add herbs/spices if desired (10 g (2 tablespoon) dried basil, 10 g (2 tablespoon) paprika, 5 g (½ tablespoon) chilli flakes). If its slightly acidic (depending on the tomatoes you use), add a tablespoon of sugar, stir, and taste again (repeat if necessary).
Serve
- Serve Bolognese with pasta and top with parsley and parmesan if desired.
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