
When it comes to making traditional dishes like bolognese, I like to keep things simple. Bolognese is just a fancy way of saying meat sauce. Now I’m definitely not an Italian chef nor do I claim to be. So my recipe had to be easy and simple with a little kick. This sauce has been my go-to when it comes to meal prepping for the week. A big pot of bolognese goes a very long way.
Now because we want to make thing simple and easy. So, we will be using jar marinara or in my case, spicy arrabbiata sauce. I love the flavor and kick of this sauce. But of course, you can just stick with your favorite jar of marinara.

HOW TO SERVE:
Our quick & easy bolognese is usually served over a plate of pasta. But, there are other ways to enjoy bolognese sauce without relying on an unhealthy bowl of pasta.
- Zucchini or butternut squash noodles- cut crabs in half and spiralize some zucchini noodles. Spiralize your noodles, place them on cheesecloth or paper towels and sprinkle them with salt. Then wait a few minutes and squeeze out all of the excess water. Now sauté them for a few minutes with avocado oil and serve with bolognese sauce.
- Potato noodles- this has been my favorite way to enjoy bolognese lately thanks to my friend Monica at The Movement Menu. Peel and spiralize the potatoes. Then dab them with a clean towel to remove any excess liquid from the potato noodles. Add a pinch of salt, pepper and avocado oil or ghee and toss. Transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast them for 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees F. Serve with bolognese sauce.
- Stuffed sweet potatoes- clean and dry potatoes and poke them a few times with a fork. Roast for 45-50 minutes. Slice potato open and stuff with bolognese.
Quick and Easy whole30 Bolognese:

Serve bolognese alongside other favorite recipes:
Let’s get cooking
Let’s get cooking

Quick & Easy Bolognese
Easiest meat sauce. Perfect for a quick dinner, or easy meal-prep.
Easiest meat sauce. Perfect for a quick dinner, or easy meal-prep.
Prep Time:10 mins
Cook Time:45 mins
Total Time:55 mins
Yields:4 Serves
1X
2X
3X
Ingredients
-
1
lb grass fed ground beef
-
1
onion (diced)
-
2
garlic cloves (finely minced)
-
salt and pepper
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4
ounces portobello mushrooms (diced)
-
1
tsp. paprika
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1
tsp. chili powder
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1/4
tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
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1/4
tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
-
1
24 ounce jar marinara or arrabbiata sauce
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1
tbsp. coconut aminos
Instructions
- To start, heat a large pot or dutch oven and brown the ground beef. Add onions and garlic and season with salt and pepper to taste. Saute until the onions are translucent.
- Now, add the mushrooms, paprika, chili powder, pepper flakes, and cayenne. Stir and saute for 3-5 minutes. Then, stir in your favorite marinara/arrabbiata sauce and coconut aminos.
- Cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes (stirring frequently) to reduce and thicken the sauce.
- At this point, you can stir in some kale or spinach for added nutrients. Serve with noodles, rice or potatoes.
What kind of potatoes did you use?
You can use russet potatoes or sweet potatoes. Whichever you enjoy. Here I used russet potatoes.
This was delicious! I followed the recipe exactly except forgot to add the avocado oil- it was still perfectly delicious and going to be added to my regular rotation. I served it with a side of roasted veggies (sweet potato, turnips, beets, carrots) because they were leftover from something else and they went pretty well together! Next time I’ll do this with cauliflower rice or spinach like you suggested!
Oooo that roasted vegetable combination sounds AMAZING! Thank you so much for sharing love.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it Becca! Thank you so much for sharing!
Looks delicious!
Thank you Cecilia!!
I’m making this for dinner tonight! I’m going to use sweet potato noodles 🙂
YAY!! I can’t wait to hear what you think!!!
WOW I have never heard of potato noodles before. This looks fabulous! I will have to give this recipe a try!
You absolutely have to try it, Kathryn. So yummy!!