This rich red wine bolognese sauce made with minced beef and mushrooms is jam packed full of flavour. It’s a deliciously easy weeknight dinner recipe that only requires eight basic ingredients, plus your favourite pasta! Gluten free (with GF pasta) and dairy free.
We are pretty big bolognese fans in our household. It’s one of my favourite simple, comforting dinners to cook, and I love that a big batch of sauce always gives us plenty of leftovers for more meals. This rich red wine bolognese with mushrooms is our current favourite (though I’m still pretty partial to my roast eggplant and kale bolognese sauce, too).
Though you might not think of bolognese as a particularly “healthy” dish, why isn’t it? If you use quality red meat (we happily pay a little extra and buy organic, grassfed beef mince), add some veggies in the sauce and serve it with a whole grain pasta (or over brown rice, quinoa, in a baked sweet potato), then I think you’re doing pretty well. I usually serve it with a bowl of steamed broccoli as a side dish, too. Red meat is such a great source of iron and I always feel so warm and nourished when I eat this.
A basic, economical, super easy to make dinner idea. Red wine bolognese with mushrooms is where it’s at.
I’m especially attached to this recipe because it’s one of the few meals that I’ve been able to cook and share with my brother recently, when he last visited (we live in different cities). It’s gotten a big thumbs up from him and I know he’s made it again at home too 🙂
And speaking of cooking it…it really couldn’t be easier to make! All you need is:
- any old red wine you like;
- beef mince;
- mushrooms (like, a lot of mushies! Love them and they bulk out the sauce with veggie goodness);
- passata (I just use store-bought passata);
- an onion;
- garlic + thyme (can use dried); and
- some pantry basics – olive oil, salt + pepper!
Serve it up with your favourite pasta and that’s about it – and maybe add the side dish of broccoli if you love your greens like I do. This sauce recipe will easily serve 4-6 people and you can freeze leftovers, perfect for meal prep!
Red Wine Bolognese with Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 500 grams beef mince
- 300 grams mushrooms - about 3-4 cups when sliced
- 1 brown onion
- 1 red capsicum (a.k.a. red pepper)
- 2-3 cloves garlic - adjust depending on preference
- 1 tbsp dried Italian herb mix
- 1/2 cup red wine of any variety
- 2 and 1/2 cups passata - about 600mL will do
- olive oil for cooking
- salt and pepper to taste
- your favourite pasta to serve!
Instructions
- Prepare the veggies. Slice mushrooms and capsicum and dice onion. Peel and crush (or finely slice) the garlic.
- Heat a large deep fry pan and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onion and capsicum, and cook for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add the mince, garlic and herb mix, and cook another 2-3 minutes or until mince is mostly browning. Finally, add in the sliced mushrooms, and cook for a further 2-3 minutes until softening.
- Once everything is almost cooked through, pour in the red wine and let it bubble at a high heat for a minute or two, then pour in the passata and stir everything thoroughly.
- Reduce the heat so the sauce is gently simmering and let the sauce cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce will thicken up a little - if it becomes too thick, add a little water. Season it with salt and pepper to taste.
- While the sauce is simmering, you can prepare your favourite pasta, veggies or other accompaniments. Once everything is done, serve and enjoy!
Notes
Having it tonite!
Hope you like it Carrie! 🙂
Just making it now, my wife’s already said how amazing it smells 😁
I love making bolognese with mushrooms! Your recipe sounds wonderful too. Definitely will give it a try!
Thanks so much Jack, I hope you enjoy it!
Oh this bolognese is so beautiful! LOVE all of that mushroom goodness in there. So yummy and perfect for this time of the year!
Thank you so much, Emily! I love mushrooms too, especially cooked into sauces 🙂 So delicious!
I cannot wait to try this! I love everything about it! I’ve printed it for making asap.. and pinned too.
Thank you — Excited to serve this one!
Thank you so much Carol, so happy to hear this! I hope you enjoy it 🙂
wow, this looks amazing! The Frenchman has requested this for our next pasta night!
Aw thanks so much Heather! It’s a real favourite in our house 🙂
Oh my goodness. Can I eat this (right now) for breakfast?! Your photos are beautiful, too!
Haha I am on board with bolognese for breakfast! Honestly I probably would eat it, with a fried egg on top!
That sauce looks amazing. So rich and lovely!
Thank you so much Linda!
Yum yum! Your photos are beautiful as always and flavours are spot on! My husband and boys love a good bolognese <3
Hehe my husband is my main motivation for coming up with good bolognese recipes. It always makes us happy!
Sounds like perfect comfort food and a kid-friendly meal with lots of nutrition! Can’t go wrong with a good bolognese!
Definitely can’t go wrong with a good bolognese and I agree, perfect kids food, it’s so nourishing!
What a gorgeous dish! I love all the vegetables you added and this looks like such a great date night dinner.
Totally a date night dinner – this is what I make for the hubby when I know we are having a night in 🙂
I love mushrooms and pasta, so this is going to be a huge hit! It looks nice and easy to make too, but elegant enough to serve to company – definitely a win win!
Thanks so much Kari! 🙂 I agree, this one is perfect for serving to company – super easy to whip up a big batch but plate it up fancy.