Spicy, Creamy Weeknight Bolognese Recipe • 5★

Updated February 6, 2025

David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

This pasta sauce captures the soul-soothing essence of a long-simmering Bolognese even though it cooks quickly. Searing ground beef gives it a caramelized taste that mimics the depth of slow-cooked meat. Adding a few spoonfuls of red curry paste doesn’t make it taste like curry, but gives it instant nuance and depth. Some rich cream at the end rounds the sharp heat to an enveloping warmth. To save even more time, you can chop the vegetables while the meat is cooking. The sauce tastes great on any type of pasta, but it’s especially nice with varieties that can capture it in their curves.

Featured in: A (Sort-Of) Bolognese Fast and Easy Enough for Hard Nights

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Salt and black pepper

1 pound ground beef (at least 20 percent fat)

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped

2 to 3 tablespoons red curry paste

1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce

1 pound short, curled pasta, such as pipettes

1 cup heavy cream

Step 1Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Step 2Meanwhile, heat a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over high until very hot. Add the beef, and smush and spread in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then cook, stirring, to break into tiny bits and cook through, 4 to 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over high until very hot. Add the beef, and smush and spread in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then cook, stirring, to break into tiny bits and cook through, 4 to 5 minutes.

Step 3Push the meat to one side, and add the onion and carrots to the beef fat on the other side. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally with the beef, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.

Push the meat to one side, and add the onion and carrots to the beef fat on the other side. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally with the beef, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.

Step 4Add the curry paste, 2 tablespoons for a mild spiciness and 3 for more heat, and stir until darkened in color, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in the tomato sauce, then fill the can a third of the way up with water to swish out the rest of the sauce into the pot. Stir, bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and simmer while the pasta cooks.

Add the curry paste, 2 tablespoons for a mild spiciness and 3 for more heat, and stir until darkened in color, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in the tomato sauce, then fill the can a third of the way up with water to swish out the rest of the sauce into the pot. Stir, bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and simmer while the pasta cooks.

Step 5Cook the pasta in the boiling water until al dente. Save ½ cup pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta and add to the simmering sauce.

Cook the pasta in the boiling water until al dente. Save ½ cup pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta and add to the simmering sauce.

Step 6Stir the cream into the sauced pasta, taste and season with salt and pepper. For a thinner sauce, stir in a bit of the pasta water. Serve hot.

Stir the cream into the sauced pasta, taste and season with salt and pepper. For a thinner sauce, stir in a bit of the pasta water. Serve hot.

I believe every Italian American Cook has a version of this in their repertoire. As the family cook, being that I was a teacher and got home an hour and a half earlier than my wife, I would make a very similar sauce: ground beef browned in the pot, caramelized the onions and a carrot, if I had one sitting around, open up a can of Cento crushed tomatoes, empty it with a little bit of water. The kids would come home, absolutely ravenous from their after school activities and devour it, and if we were lucky, with a big dollop of ricotta cheese and Parmesan on top. It was an absolute lifesaver, highly recommended for working families. I’m going to try the red curry paste, it sounds delicious.

The red curry paste seems to be a substitute for time, so that the bolognese is complex but quick. If you want more of a slow-cooked flavour, try roasting your tomato paste or using something like sun-dried tomatoes. It might alter the flavour, but it'll give you a boost of complexity.

Is this Thai red curry paste, asks a reader in sunny London, UK

I added a can of tomato paste.

Definitely a weeknight meal that is delicious. I did use Calabrian chili peppers in oil per one cook's recommendation and it was the heat/spice combination I was looking for. I also accidentally used ground pork instead of ground beef but it turned out amazing anyway. I used DeLallo's girelle pasta, a thick and curly pasta that balanced well with the sauce. This recipe is quite versatile!

This was delicious! I usually put more spicy ingredients than the recipe calls for but in this case, I wish I had only put 2 tablespoons of the curry paste! Trust Ko on this one! 3 tablespoons of curry paste if you like it real spicy.

Source: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1026551-spicy-creamy-weeknight-bolognese