This easy pork bolognese is a lighter alternative to traditional beef bolognese.
Serve with spaghetti and grated Parmesan for a tasty family meal, everyone will love.
We all love bolognese in this house, but sometimes I want to make something a bit lighter than my traditional rich beef bolognese.
This pork mince bolognese is super easy to make and lends itself to weeknights when time is short but you want something comforting to eat.
👩🍳 Love pork? Try my smoky pork and chorizo stew recipe too!
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✔️ Why should you try it?
- Lighter than beef bolognese.
- Easy and on the table in under 40 minutes.
- Filling and comforting.
- Freezer-friendly meal.
🥘 Ingredients
- Pork Mince - You will need 500g of lean pork mince for the recipe.
- Streaky Bacon - The streaky bacon gives the dish a wonderful flavour when combined with the pork mince.
- Onion, Garlic, Celery & Carrot - These form the base of the bolognese sauce and give it lots of flavour.
- Passata & Tomato Puree - Alternatively use a can of chopped tomatoes.
- Stock pot - 1 Chicken stockpot or stock cube (no need to mix with water as there is plenty of liquid from the milk and passata).
- Herbs - I've flavoured this bolognese with Bay Leaves and fresh Thyme.
- Milk - Italians often simmer their bolognese sauce in milk, which helps to tenderise the meat.
- Parmesan - A bolognese isn't a bolognese without a good grating of Parmesan.
- Seasoning - A good grinding of black pepper but hold the salt as the pork mince and bacon provide that salty undertone.
- Spaghetti - To serve.
🥄 Equipment
You will need a knife and chopping board for finely dicing the onion, garlic, carrot and celery, as well as a heavy based casserole or pan to make the pork bolognese.
🔪 Instructions
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
One: Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large casserole and gently fry the onion, garlic, carrots and celery on a low heat for 5 minutes until soft.
Two: Turn the heat up and add the pork mince and bacon and fry for 2-3 minutes until the pork has changed colour.
Three: Add the passata, tomato puree, stock pot (or cube), milk and herbs. Season with pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes on a medium heat.
Four: Serve the bolognese with grated Parmesan and pasta.
💭 Top tips
- Adding milk to your bolognese sauce helps to make the mince nice and tender and gives the bolognese a lovely richness and depth of flavour.
- Sneak more vegetables into the bolognese, without the kids knowing! Finely chopped courgettes, mushrooms, and peppers blend in well if you have fussy eaters in the house. Fresh spinach could also be added at the end of cooking. It will quickly wilt into the sauce.
- If you have a bottle of wine open, then 200ml of white wine, added before the passata and milk, really helps to boost the flavour.
- Make it veggie by replacing the pork mince and bacon with lentils. It will also be lower in calories too.
🍴 Serving suggestions
I like to serve bolognese with spaghetti and freshly grated Parmesan. Garlic bread or focaccia always goes down well too and helps fill the kids up. The pork bolognese is also really tasty with pesto pasta - it's a real flavour explosion!
Leftovers are good on jacket potatoes the next day for lunch. I sometimes stir leftover bolognese into macaroni cheese too, to add a bit of interest. I also use it in my easy cheat's lasagne in place of the ragu.
The recipe can be made in your slow cooker if you prefer. You will need to reduce the liquid (passata and milk) by about a third and cook for 6 hours on low. If the sauce is still a bit too runny, use a cornflour and water paste to thicken it up.
🧊 Suitable for freezing?
Bolognese freezes really well, so why not make a double batch and freeze half for another day? You can freeze it in individual portions or in one large freezer-safe container.
😋Related recipes
Some more bolognese recipes you might like to try;
- Slow Cooker Bolognese
- Lamb Bolognese
- Chicken Bolognese
- Quorn Bolognese
- Chorizo Bolognese
- Easy Turkey Bolognese
- Quick Bolognese
- Easy Lentil Bolognese
- Mushroom Bolognese
- Savoury Mince
More dinner ideas for you!
Recipe
Easy Pork Bolognese
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Onion chopped
- 2 Garlic Cloves chopped
- 1 Carrot chopped
- 1 Celery Stick chopped
- 500g Pork Mince
- 3 Streaky Bacon Rashers chopped
- 400 ml Passata
- 1 tablespoon Tomato Puree
- 200 ml Milk
- 1 Chicken Stock Pot or stock cube
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1 teaspoon Thyme leaves chopped
- 300 g Spaghetti
- 4 tablespoon Parmesan grated
Instructions
- Heat the oil in the pan and gently fry the onion, garlic, carrot and celery for 5 minutes until soft. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti according to packet instructions in a pan of boiling water.
- Turn up the heat and add the pork mince and bacon. Fry for 2-3 minutes until the pork has changed colour.
- Add in the passata, tomato puree, milk, stock pot or cube (remember you don't need to dilute it in water as there is enough liquid from the passata and milk), herbs and season with black pepper.
- Simmer for 15-20 minutes before serving with the spaghetti and grated Parmesan.
Video
Notes
#CookBlogShare
I've linked this recipe up to #CookBlogShare which this week is hosted by Cooking with my Kids
Erica
This looks delicious, and any way to sneak in some extra veggie sfor the kids is a plus!
Beth
This looks incredible and tasty! I can't wait to make this!
courtney
I love bolognese but sometimes find it a bit heavy. I've never thought to use pork before. Can't wait to try this!
Beth Sachs
Hi Courtney! It's much lighter than a traditional beef ragu, so perfect for a midweek meal.
Gina
What a fun variation to bolognese! I just made some beef bolognese in the Instant Pot but will definitely be trying this pork recipe next!
Beth Sachs
Hi Gina! I must try and adapt this for the instant pot!
Angela
I was surprised by the streaky bacon but it all works. Such great flavor!
SHANIKA
This bolgonese looks incredibly delish! So full of flavor and perfect for weeknight meals!
Emily
This was my first time making bolognese with pork (I normally do beef) and it was so delicious! Whole family loved it and we will definitely make again!
Beth Sachs
Great to hear you enjoyed it Emily!
Beth
I love a good bolonese but your pork version is so very tasty! I love pork anyway but haven't used it in a pasta sauce. Thanks for a delicious recipe!
Carrie Robinson
Oh yum! Bolognese has been my go-to for comfort food lately. This looks delicious! 🙂
Jacque Hastert
I love the switch from trational beef to pork. A great way to switch up something yet not lack on flavor. Thank you for sharing!
Chloe Edges
This looks like a lovely alternative to beef!
Cat | Curly's Cooking
This looks so tasty! Pork is my favourite meat so anytime I can have it for dinner is a win for me.
Helen - Cooking with my kids
This looks like a great midweek meal. Bolognese is one of our favourite dinners, and i like that this makes it a bit lighter.
Janice Pattie
I love the idea of using pork in the bolognese sauce. So simple and yet something different.
Claire Keith
Can you freeze this?
Beth Sachs
Hi Claire. Yes the pork bolognese can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Catherine
Made today and was easy and very tasty.. Everyone loved it. Did a few things differently to suit the family's dietary requirements - I used 4% fat pork mince and fried that separate to the veg first in order to strain off the fat. Used 2 smoked rashers (fat trimmed) instead of streaky bacon. Used lactose free milk. Used a good sprinkle of dried thyme and didn't have any bay leaves to add. Served with corn spaghetti. Was delicious! Will certainly be cooking again, thanks a lot!
Beth Sachs
Hi Catherine
So glad you enjoyed it and that your subs worked well.
Beth
Alvin
Hi Beth, I make pork bolognese every now and then but seem to always end up with something too acidic and unremarkable. Never in a million years would I think of putting milk in a tomato sauce so I was truly skeptical when I came across your recipe. This turned out to be probably the best bolognese I have ever made. Thank you thank you. I am definitely making this again. I warmed the milk first before adding to the pan, and omitted the bacon since I haven't got any on hand. Still tastes incredible! Warm wishes from Hong Kong.
Beth Sachs
That's great to hear Alvin!