Spaghetti bolognese is a classic dish in many households – it’s relatively easy to make, and it can come together quite quickly when you need to throw a mid-week meal together after work. Traditionally, the Italian dish would be slow-cooked for several hours to bring out the flavours of the vegetables and the meat. First, onion, carrot, and celery are slow-cooked in butter until translucent, and then, once the meat and tomatoes have been added, the sauce simmers gently for two to four hours until it forms a thick ragu.
If you’re making a bolognese after work, however, you probably don’t have four hours to wait until your sauce is ready. This is why when people outside of Italy began making their own take on the dish, they started cutting corners so it would come together in around half an hour – perfect for mid-week cooking.
But when you cut down the cooking time by several hours, there’s going to be a distinct difference in flavour. The bolognese we’re used to making isn’t nearly as rich as the traditional Italian version, and the mince we quickly brown in a frying pan doesn’t melt in the mouth the way it’s supposed to.
There is one ingredient you can add to your bolognese to give it more “depth” without increasing the cooking time, though. But be warned – even professional chefs have said the controversial ingredient has “no business” being in a bolognese.
The recipe was put together by Genevieve Ko and was featured in the New York Times’ 50 best recipes of 2025. It was then shared on TikTok by nutritionist and home cook Ryan Miller, who was on a mission to cook all 50 dishes featured in the article.
Genevieve’s recipe came in at number nine on the list, but Ryan warned before he cooked it that it “uses one ingredient that has no business being here”. The recipe began normally enough, with Ryan cooking his beef mince and then adding finely chopped onion and carrot, before seasoning with salt and pepper. Once those ingredients had “caramelised in the beef fat”, Ryan then moved onto the “controversial” part – he added red curry paste.
He said: “It won’t taste like curry, it just adds instant depth that you wouldn’t normally get in this short cook.” After the curry paste was mixed in, he added tomatoes and then covered to allow the mixture to cook.
Then, he cooked pasta in boiling water according to the packet instructions. Finally, he tipped the cooked pasta into the bolognese sauce and mixed in some cream – which some commenters also believed was just as controversial as the curry paste addition.
Genevieve Ko’s creamy weeknight bolognese recipe
This recipe has a five-star rating on the New York Times website with more than 4,000 reviews. It takes just 10 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook, meaning it comes together in just 35 minutes – perfect for a mid-week dinner.
Ingredients (serves four to six)
- 1lb (450g) ground beef mince
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
- 2-3 tbsp red curry paste
- 1 tin (400g) chopped tomatoes or passata
- 1lb (450g) of your pasta of choice
- 1 cup (240ml) double cream
Method
Start by bringing a large pot of water to the boil for your pasta. While this is heating up, heat a large pan over a high heat and add your beef mince. Season with salt and pepper, and then cook until brown, which should take around four-to-five minutes.
Push the mince to one side and then add the onion and carrot to the other side of the pan. Season the veg with salt and pepper, and cook until the onion is translucent. Mix the meat and veg together, and then add in the curry paste. Genevieve recommends two tablespoons for mild spiciness, and three if you want to taste more spice with your dish.
Once this is stirred in, add the tomatoes along with a splash of water. Stir, bring it to a simmer, and then reduce the heat to low and simmer while your pasta cooks.
Add your pasta of choice (Genevieve uses a short, curled pasta like macaroni or pipette) to your boiling water and cook until al dente. Once cooked, drain the water and add the pasta to the sauce. Mix the cream into the sauced pasta and add more seasoning if needed.