Food & shopping
Bolognese for 4: ingredients and cooking plan
Cook Bolognese for 4 with a complete ingredient list and step-by-step method. Prepare the equipment and plan how to store leftovers.
The checklist
- Olive oil · 1.2 tbsp
- Garlic cloves · 1.6
- Onion · 0.8
+ 29 more explained items
This guide makes 4 portions of a beef and tomato sauce with onion, garlic, herbs and Worcestershire sauce. Start by checking what is already in the fridge and cupboard. The list includes everything used in the sauce, the pasta and optional serving extras, followed by equipment to put on the counter and actions to complete.
The ingredient amounts are scaled from a base batch of 5 servings to 4 using a factor of 4/5. That gives 400 g beef, 640 g canned tomatoes, 100 ml cooking liquid and 320 g pasta. Counts and spoon measures keep their decimal fractions. Use beef and dried thyme, then follow the quicker uncovered simmer below. The optional slow-cooking method needs a different water and timing plan.
Chop first, then fry, reduce the cooking liquid and simmer the sauce. Cook pasta close to serving and clear a safe space for draining it. If you want to save some sauce, set that portion aside before combining the rest with spaghetti.
Who this list is for
Home cooks preparing 4 portions of spaghetti with a beef and tomato sauce. Use the equipment already in your kitchen and decide which portions will be eaten later. The ingredients include wheat, with optional dairy in the garnish. Worcestershire sauce and stock ingredients vary by brand, so check labels when shopping for guests.
Tips
Set out the sauce ingredients before cooking
Measure the beef, tomatoes and chosen cooking liquid before heating the pan. Chop the onion and garlic, then put the herbs and seasoning within reach. Keep pasta separate until the sauce is nearly ready. Choose the wine alternative before measuring so you add only the liquid your version needs.
Measure the fraction before chopping
Decimal counts refer to the portion used, not the number you must buy. For an onion, trim and peel the whole vegetable before dividing it; keep the unused part covered and chilled. A clove fraction is measured from peeled garlic, without inventing a gram weight for cloves of different sizes. Set the measured ingredients apart before you begin cooking.
Keep concentrated stock separate from broth
Use beef stock cubes for this version, crumbled into the tomatoes; liquid broth is a different ingredient form. The wine alternative is water or prepared beef broth in the same listed volume. Choose which liquid you will use before shopping, rather than adding both. Keep the cube quantity unchanged when making that substitution and taste before any final adjustment.
Give the sauce and pasta separate schedules
The sauce is the longer job. Keep the pasta dry until you are close to serving, especially if dinner may be delayed. Tossing the pasta with sauce uses a little reserved cooking water and helps the sauce coat it. Combine only what you will serve now, leaving spare sauce separate when planning another meal.
Use the pan surface to judge the simmer
Look for gentle bubbling rather than a vigorous boil. Stir along the bottom and corners, where thick sauce can catch before the surface looks dry. If it sticks, lower the heat and loosen it with a little water; if it is too loose at the end, simmer briefly uncovered.
Treat browning as a stage, not the final check
Break up the mince so large clumps do not stay hidden under the tomatoes. Continue the full simmer after browning and make sure the finished dish is cooked thoroughly. The Food Standards Agency requires minced meat to be cooked through; colour alone is not the complete cooking plan. Keep utensils that touched raw meat away from the finished garnish, and clean the board before preparing anything you will serve uncooked.
Reserve space for cooled portions
A leftover plan starts before the meal ends. Have clean, shallow containers ready and leave space in the fridge. Divide spare sauce into small portions, cool and refrigerate within 1–2 hours; eat within 48 hours or freeze. Transfer unused canned tomatoes to a covered container rather than keeping them in the opened tin.
The checklist
32 items, grouped like in the Cartdock app.
Print this page to tick items off on paper: the printout keeps only the checklist, with a box before every item.
Buy
Ingredients for sauce and serving
- Olive oil · 1.2 tbsp — For frying onion and garlic.
- Garlic cloves · 1.6 — Peel and mince the measured portion.
- Onion · 0.8 — Brown, yellow or white; peel and finely chop the portion used.
- Beef mince · 400 g — This version uses beef rather than the source’s optional beef-pork mix.
- Dry red wine or water or prepared beef broth · 100 ml — Choose a single liquid; these are source-listed alternatives.
- Beef stock cubes · 1.6 cubes — Crumble the measured fraction; separate from liquid broth.
- Canned crushed tomatoes · 640 g — Weigh with juice; keep unused tomatoes in a covered food container.
- Tomato paste · 1.6 tbsp — Concentrated paste, not ready-made pasta sauce.
- White sugar, only if needed · Up to 1.6 tsp — Add by taste if the tomatoes make the sauce sour; omission is allowed.
- Worcestershire sauce · 1.6 tsp — Part of this sauce; check the ingredient label for guests.
- Dried bay leaves · 1.6 — Use the measured fraction; remove all pieces before serving.
- Dried thyme · 0.4 tsp — The source allows dried thyme instead of fresh sprigs; this guide chooses dried.
- Cooking salt · 0.6 tsp plus to taste — The source specifies kosher cooking salt; taste before final seasoning.
- Ground black pepper · 0.4 tsp — Measure for the sauce.
- Dried spaghetti · 320 g — Scaled from the source’s serving quantity.
- Parmesan and parsley, optional · To serve — The source specifies no weights; grate cheese and finely chop parsley if using.
Take along
Set out your kitchen equipment
- Large saucepan or deep skillet — Use for frying and the uncovered sauce simmer.
- Pasta pot and colander — Prepare a safe place to drain hot pasta.
- Knife and chopping board — Keep raw-meat contact separate from ready-to-eat garnish.
- Scale, measuring jug and measuring spoons — Measure the scaled weights, wine and spoon fractions.
- Wooden spoon, mug and optional cheese grater — Break up mince, reserve pasta water and prepare optional cheese.
- Shallow food containers and labels — Use for unused ingredients and cooled sauce portions.
To do
Cooking day and later mealsCook, serve and manage leftovers
- Set out the scaled batch — Prepare 4 portions using the listed quantities; chop onion and garlic and measure the remaining sauce ingredients before heating.
- Soften onion and garlic — Heat oil over medium-high heat; stir onion and garlic for about 3 minutes until softened and lightly golden.
- Brown and break up the beef — Increase the heat, add mince and stir until browned, breaking apart clumps.
- Add the chosen liquid — Pour in wine or its listed alternative; simmer about 1 minute, scraping the base of the pan.
- Build and simmer the sauce — Add tomatoes, stock cubes, paste, Worcestershire, bay, thyme, salt and pepper; bring to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for 20–30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Taste and finish the sauce — Check that the mince is thoroughly cooked; add sugar only if needed, adjust salt, remove bay pieces and loosen with water if too thick.
- Cook spaghetti and reserve water — Cook in salted boiling water following packet directions minus 1 minute; reserve a mug of cooking water, then drain carefully.
- Toss and serve — Combine pasta and sauce with about 100 ml reserved pasta water over medium heat; toss for 1½–2 minutes until coated. Add optional Parmesan and parsley.
- Cool and store spare sauce — Divide into shallow containers; cool and refrigerate within 1–2 hours. Eat within 48 hours or freeze labelled portions.
- Defrost and reheat a later portion — Thaw in the fridge; use within 24 hours after fully thawed. Reheat once, stirring until steaming hot throughout.
Questions and answers
Why are some ingredient amounts decimal?
The base batch serves 5. For 4 servings, the ingredient amounts use a factor of 4/5, so counts and spoon measures sometimes have decimals. Buy whole vegetables and packages, then use the listed portion. Cooking time does not change in the same proportion as ingredient quantities.
Can I make it without wine?
Water or beef broth can replace the wine at the listed volume. Choose before measuring and add only the selected liquid. Optional serving cheese and parsley can be left out without changing the sauce ingredients.
Is this an official traditional ragù formula?
This is an everyday beef and tomato sauce for spaghetti, with onion, garlic, herbs and Worcestershire sauce. Other Bolognese recipes may use different vegetables or meats. Follow this ingredient list as a whole, and choose a separate complete recipe when you want another style.
How do I serve frozen sauce later?
Freeze sauce separately from pasta in labelled portions. Thaw the portion you need in the fridge, use within 24 hours after it is fully defrosted, and reheat only once. On the hob, stir frequently until it is steaming hot throughout, including the centre. Cook fresh pasta for that meal. Reheat the portion you intend to eat rather than repeatedly warming the full container and returning it to storage.
Make your own list in Cartdock
Save your own copy with the exact items, measures and instructions. Changes stay in your copy.
Open this guide in CartdockInstall Cartdock, then return to this page and tap Open. The store does not automatically restore this guide.
Say or type one phrase, and Rinka suggests items by section. Rinka is an AI, not a person: a language model writes the answers. Rinka needs a connection and your consent to AI processing. Without an account you get fewer questions; the number of questions depends on your plan. You can also add and edit items yourself.
Share your list with a link and tick items off together. People without the app can open the list in a browser.