20

This quick and easy version of spaghetti bolognese can be made in around 20 minutes with pantry staples.

Craving spaghetti bolognese but don’t have all afternoon to let it simmer low and slow?

Make this easy 20-minute version.

I’m so excited for you guys to try this one. It’s adapted from the NYT’s Fast Spaghetti Bolognese , and when we were all first stuck at home, this was one of my go-to recipe for days I was craving comfort food but didn’t really have the bandwidth for anything too complicated or time-consuming.

And before we go on, let’s be real, is this as good as your nonna’s bolognese recipe that she learned from her nonna and spent all Sunday afternoon cooking? No.

Is this some ultra good, packed-with-flavor, super filling pasta you can make in 20 minutes with bare-pantry ingredients?

You betcha.

Why You’re Going to Love This Recipe

• Minimal chopping and prep. The only thing you’re going to have to cut here is an onion.
• There’s only a half-pound of ground beef in the recipe, so it’s extremely economical to make, and perfect for using up any leftover hamburger you might have in your freezer.
• It uses tomato paste for an ultra-concentrated tomato flavor, so you don’t even need to have a can of tomatoes in your pantry to make this.

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

• Tomato paste: This recipe won’t use a full can of tomato paste. Check out my post What to Do With Leftover Tomato Paste for storage tips and recipe ideas for the rest of the can.
• Ground beef: Use whatever ground beef you keep on hand. I’ve made this recipe with everything from 75% to 95% lean ground beef.
• Dry red wine: I like to use Cabernet Sauvignon here, but Merlot and Pinot Noir are also good options. You can replace the wine with the same amount of water, but the flavor of the sauce will be much more mild.
• Finely diced onions: The sauce has a pretty short cooking time, so make sure so give your onions a fine dice so they cook quickly.

How to Make Fast Bolognese Sauce

1. Start water for the pasta: Bring a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. Once at a boil, salt generously.

2. Prep your ingredients: This recipe comes together fast, so prep and measure out all of your ingredients so they’re ready to go.

3. Soften onions: In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add garlic, onion, and ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Cook until the onions are softened and beginning to turn translucent around the edges, 3 to 5 minutes.

4. Lightly brown ground beef: Add ground beef and remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to break the beef into crumbles as it cooks. Cook just until the beef is no longer pink on the outside, but is not yet cooked through.

5. Start cooking your pasta: Add your pasta to the pasta water and cook until the pasta is just shy of al dente. The pasta will cook for another couple minutes in the sauce, so you don’t want it too soft at this point or it will end up overcooked.

6. Add tomato paste: Stir the tomato paste into the beef mixture, and cook until it begins to caramelize and stick to the the bottom of the pan, 2 to 3 minutes.

7. Add remaining ingredients: Add red wine and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring frequently until the mixture reduces down and most of the liquid has evaporated, 4 to 6 minutes. If your sauce finishes before the pasta is ready, turn off the heat and let it sit.

8. Add pasta and pasta water: Use a heat-proof measuring cup to scoop out 1 cup of the pasta water and set it aside. Drain or use tongs to scoop the pasta out of the water. Add pasta to the sauce along with the reserved 1 cup of pasta water.

9. Finish the sauce: Bring the sauce back to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid has been cooked out of the sauce, and it clings to the pasta, 2 to 3 minutes.

10. Serve: Add salt if needed, top with Parmesan if desired, and enjoy!

Variations

• Turkey/sausage bolognese: You can also replace the ground beef with ground sausage, ground pork, or ground turkey. This recipe is extremely flexible.

Can I make this dish ahead of time?

You can, but reheated leftovers aren’t quite as good as fresh. I’ll happily eat leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day, but I wouldn’t specifically make this as a make-ahead meal.

Can I halve this recipe?

Yes! I often make a half-batch of this, especially when I have a bit of ground beef I want to use up. To change the recipe yield, hover over the number of servings in the recipe card (or click if you’re on mobile) and slide the slider.

No cooking changes are needed when reducing the recipe size except the liquids will take less time to reduce.

What should I serve with spaghetti bolognese?

Serve your pasta with a slice of garlic bread and a simple green side like:

• Oven-roasted broccoli
• Roasted zucchini
• Steamed green beans
• Steamed broccoli

More Easy Dinner Recipes

• Beef ramen noodles
• Honey garlic chicken
• Balsamic chicken
• 15-minute vodka sauce

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 1 medium onion finely diced
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves minced or pressed
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt divided
• ▢ 8 ounces ground beef *
• ▢ 12 ounces spaghetti noodles
• ▢ ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons tomato paste (99g)
• ▢ 1 cup dry red wine *
• ▢ 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ Parmesan cheese optional for topping

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. Once at a boil, salt generously.
• While your water comes to a boil, prep and measure out the rest of your ingredients so they’re ready to go.
• In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add onion, garlic, and ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Cook until the onions are softened and beginning to turn translucent around the edges, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add ground beef and remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to break the beef into crumbles as it cooks. Cook just until the beef is no longer pink on the outside, but is not yet cooked through.
• Add your pasta to the pasta water and cook until the pasta is just shy of al dente.
• While your pasta cooks, stir the tomato paste into the beef mixture, and cook until it begins to caramelize on the bottom of the pan, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add red wine and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring frequently until the mixture reduces down most of the liquid has evaporated, 4 to 6 minutes. If your sauce finishes before the pasta is ready, turn off the heat and let it sit.
• Use a heat proof measuring cup to scoop out 1 cup of the pasta water and set aside. Drain pasta or use tongs to scoop the pasta out of the water. Add pasta to the sauce along with the reserved 1 cup of pasta water.
• Bring the sauce back to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid has been cooked out of the sauce, and it clings to the pasta, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add salt if needed, top with parmesan if desired, and enjoy!

Notes

These 3-ingredient Italian roasted potatoes are quick and simple to prep. With crispy edges and creamy centers, they make an easy side dish that everyone will love.

Italian roasted potatoes are a simple side dish that everyone should have in their recipe arsenal. They fill out a plate beautifully, and you can toss them together and have them in the oven in about 10 minutes.

They’re the very definition of a low-effort, high-reward recipe, and when they come out of the oven golden and beautiful, good luck not stealing all the crispiest bits off the tray before they ever make it to the table…

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

• Red potatoes: I prefer to use red potatoes for roasting because they roast up creamy and delicious, but Yukon golds also work well. If all you have are russets, they’ll work just fine. Their texture when roasted isn’t quite as good as waxier potatoes, but I’ll still happily eat a tray of them. 😉
• Olive oil: Oil helps with those crispy edges. If you really want to cut the oil, you can use just 2 tablespoons instead of 3, but I wouldn’t cut it any further.
• Italian seasoning: If you don’t keep Italian seasoning on hand, you can use any combination of oregano, basil, thyme, and rosemary, and I’ve included recommended measurements in the recipe card below.

How to Make Italian Roasted Potatoes

1. Prep potatoes: Scrub your potatoes. If you’re using reds or Yukon golds, you don’t have to peel them, but check them over and peel away any bruises or blemishes. Cut them into 2-inch pieces.

2. Toss with oil: Pile potatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with oil and sprinkle Italian seasoning and salt over the top. Toss until well-coated. Arrange potatoes so they are evenly spaced over the baking sheet with a cut-side down. The more contact they have with the hot baking sheet, the crispier those flat edges will get, so take the extra time to lay them out.

3. Bake: Cover the tray tightly with foil. If you’re using a smaller baking sheet, you can probably do this with a single piece, but for a half-sheet baking pan , you’ll need to use two overlapping pieces. Bake on the center rack of your oven for 15 minutes. Baking the potatoes covered will allow them to begin to cook through without drying out.

4. Bake uncovered: Remove and discard the foil. Raise the oven temperature to 475°F. Continue to bake the potatoes uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan once halfway through, until the potatoes are fork-tender.

5. Serve and enjoy: Remove from the oven, taste and add additional salt if needed, and enjoy!

I don’t have foil, can I still make this recipe?

Yes. The insides of the potatoes won’t be as creamy, but you can make these without the initial covered cooking time. To roast them without foil, cook them at 450°F for around 30 minutes.

What goes with Italian roasted potatoes?

These potatoes go great with most proteins, but since they’ll keep your oven tied up for about 40 minutes, I like to serve them with mains that you can cook mostly on the stovetop like a marinated steak or bbq chicken sandwiches .

Can I make this with new/fingerling potatoes?

Absolutely. Depending on their size, you can either roast them whole or cut them in half and then follow the recipe as written, adjusting the roasting time as needed if the potatoes are particularly small or large.

More Easy Side Dishes

• Microwave Baked Potato
• Crispy Smashed Potatoes
• Roasted Zucchini
• Microwave Corn on the Cob

Equipment

• Rimmed baking sheet
• Foil

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 pounds red potatoes *
• ▢ 3 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning *
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Scrub potatoes, remove any blemishes, and cut them into 2-inch pieces.
• Pile potatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle Italian seasoning and salt over the top. Toss until well-coated. Arrange potatoes so they are evenly spaced over the baking sheet with a cut side down.
• Cover the tray tightly with foil and bake on the center rack of your oven for 15 minutes.
• Remove and discard the foil. Raise the oven temperature to 475°F.
• Continue to bake the potatoes uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan once halfway through, until the potatoes are fork-tender.
• Remove from the oven, add additional salt if needed, and enjoy!

Notes

• ½ teaspoons dried oregano
• ½ teaspoons dried basil
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme (optional)
• ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary, preferably crushed (optional)

Penne alla vodka for one is the ultimate quick and easy meal if you’re craving something rich and indulgent but really don’t feel like cooking.

There are a handful of single-serve pasta recipes on the site: mac and cheese , fettuccine Alfredo , buttered noodles , etc. These recipes have always been pretty popular because sometimes you just want a bowl of carbs for dinner even if you’re flying solo.

And since I’ve been having so much fun working with vodka sauce the last couple of months, I thought this would be the perfect time to shrink things down and post penne alla vodka for one.

This recipe makes just a single serving of my favorite smooth and creamy vodka sauce that you can serve over penne, rigatoni, or whatever pasta you currently have stocked.

This is pretty much the ultimate quick and simple meal if you’re craving something rich and indulgent but reeeeeeally don’t feel like cooking.

There’s no chopping required (as long as you own a garlic press ) and the sauce takes about 15 minutes to make including prep time.

So start prepping your ingredients while your pasta water comes to a boil, and the sauce will be finished, ready to go, and beautiful by the time your noodles are done.

Ingredient Notes

• Pasta: Even though this is called penne alla vodka, feel free to use your favorite tubular pasta here. I’m a big fan of rigatoni.
• Tomato paste: This recipe will only use a tablespoon of tomato paste, so you’ll definitely have some left over. Check out my post What to Do With Leftover Tomato Paste for storage tips and recipe ideas for the rest of the can.
• Heavy cream: And you’ll also probably have leftover heavy cream. Might I recommend, What to Do With Leftover Whipping Cream ?

How to Make Penne alla Vodka for One

1. Cook pasta: Bring a small pot of water to boil and salt generously. Add pasta and cook until al dente.

2. Brown the garlic: While your pasta boils, to a small pot, add olive oil and butter. Heat over medium heat until butter melts. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for about 1 minute, until garlic is lightly golden and aromatic.

3. Cook the tomato paste: Whisk in tomato paste and cook, whisking frequently, until tomato paste darkens in color and begins to caramelize on the bottom of the pot, 2 to 4 minutes. This will cook the raw flavor out of the tomato paste as well as deepen the flavor.

4. Add vodka: Turn heat to low and add vodka (sauce will pop and sizzle when vodka hits the hot pan). Whisk, scraping any cooked-on bits from the bottom of the pot, until vodka is incorporated into the sauce.

5. Add heavy cream: Whisk in the heavy cream. Turn the heat back up to medium-high and bring the sauce up to barely a simmer (do not allow the sauce to come to a full boil.) Adjust the temperature as needed to keep the sauce barely simmering and cook for 3 minutes to help cook the alcohol taste out of the sauce.

6. Add pasta water: When your pasta is almost done cooking, use a heat-proof measuring spoon to scoop out two tablespoons of pasta water and stir it into your sauce. Taste and add salt as needed.

7. Add pasta: Once pasta is cooked, scoop out a little of the pasta water and set aside. Drain pasta or use a slotted spoon to transfer pasta from the water to the sauce. Stir until the pasta is well-coated and let it sit for 2 or 3 minutes for the sauce to thicken slightly. If the sauce thickens too much or is too thick after you add parmesan, add a little of the reserved pasta water back to the pasta until the sauce reaches your desired consistency.

8. Plate: Serve, top with shredded parmesan if desired, and enjoy!

Variations

• Chicken: Add 4 ounces of cooked, warmed chicken breast to the pasta. Shredded chicken or chopped up leftover roast chicken would work great.
• Tortellini or ravioli: If you’re feeling really wild, vodka sauce would be amazing over some cheese-filled pasta.
• Sausage: Slice 4 ounces of smoked sausage into rounds and brown them in 1 tablespoon of olive oil before stirring them into the pasta.

Do I have to use vodka in penne alla vodka?

You don’t have to use vodka in vodka sauce. The sauce will still be creamy and smooth and delicious without it. BUT, the vodka does bring out the flavors of the other ingredients, and the sauce without them is a little flatter tasting and less flavorful.

Can I double this recipe?

Absolutely. To double the recipe, hover over (or click if you’re on mobile) the serving size in the recipe below and slide the slider.

What to serve with penne alla vodka?

Serve the pasta with a side of garlic bread and a simple green salad or roasted veggies like roasted green beans , roasted broccoli or roasted zucchini .

More Small-batch Recipes

• Mac and Cheese for One
• Fettuccine Alfredo for One
• Buttered noodles for One
• Small-batch Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Small-batch Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

• ▢ 3 ounces penne or rigatoni
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 tablespoon ( 14g ) butter
• ▢ 1 clove garlic pressed with a garlic press or minced
• ▢ Pinch of red pepper flakes optional
• ▢ 1 tablespoon ( 16g ) tomato paste
• ▢ 1 tablespoon vodka
• ▢ ¼ cup heavy cream
• ▢ Shredded Parmesan cheese optional for topping

Instructions

• Bring a small pot of water to boil and salt generously. Add pasta and cook until al dente.
• While your pasta boils, to a small pot, add olive oil and butter. Heat over medium heat until butter melts.
• Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for about 1 minute, until garlic is lightly golden and aromatic.
• Whisk in tomato paste and cook, whisking frequently, until tomato paste darkens in color and begins to caramelize on the bottom of the pot, 2 to 4 minutes.
• Turn heat to low and add vodka (sauce will pop and sizzle when vodka hits the hot pan). Whisk, scraping any cooked-on bits from the bottom of the pot, until vodka is incorporated into the sauce.
• Whisk in the heavy cream. Turn the heat back up to medium-high and bring the sauce up to barely a simmer (do not allow the sauce to come to a full boil.) Adjust the temperature as needed to keep the sauce barely simmering and cook for 3 minutes.
• When your pasta is almost done cooking, use a heat-proof measuring spoon to scoop out 2 tablespoons of pasta water and stir it into your sauce.
• Taste and add salt as needed.
• Once pasta is cooked, scoop out a little of the pasta water and set aside. Drain pasta or use a slotted spoon to transfer pasta from the water to the sauce. Stir until the pasta is well-coated and let it sit for 2 or 3 minutes for the sauce to thicken slightly. If the sauce thickens too much, add a little of the reserved pasta water back to the pasta until the sauce reaches your desired consistency.
• Serve, top with shredded parmesan if desired, and enjoy!

20-Minute Spaghetti Bolognese

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves minced or pressed
• ½ teaspoon salt divided
• 8 ounces ground beef *
• 12 ounces spaghetti noodles
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons tomato paste (99g)
• 1 cup dry red wine *
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• Parmesan cheese optional for topping

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. Once at a boil, salt generously.
• While your water comes to a boil, prep and measure out the rest of your ingredients so they’re ready to go.
• In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add onion, garlic, and ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Cook until the onions are softened and beginning to turn translucent around the edges, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add ground beef and remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to break the beef into crumbles as it cooks. Cook just until the beef is no longer pink on the outside, but is not yet cooked through.
• Add your pasta to the pasta water and cook until the pasta is just shy of al dente.
• While your pasta cooks, stir the tomato paste into the beef mixture, and cook until it begins to caramelize on the bottom of the pan, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add red wine and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring frequently until the mixture reduces down most of the liquid has evaporated, 4 to 6 minutes. If your sauce finishes before the pasta is ready, turn off the heat and let it sit.
• Use a heat proof measuring cup to scoop out 1 cup of the pasta water and set aside. Drain pasta or use tongs to scoop the pasta out of the water. Add pasta to the sauce along with the reserved 1 cup of pasta water.
• Bring the sauce back to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid has been cooked out of the sauce, and it clings to the pasta, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add salt if needed, top with parmesan if desired, and enjoy!

Notes

Nutrition