Name: Red Pesto Spaghetti Bolognese
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 400 g/14 oz spaghetti; 3 tbsp oil reserved from sun-dried tomatoes; 1 small onion, finely chopped; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 500 g/1.1 pounds ground pork, or beef; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 500 ml/2 cups puréed tomatoes; 200 g/7 oz dried-tomatoes, without oil; 150g/5.5 oz red pesto, store-bought or home made; 3/4 cup/200 ml whole milk; 2 tbsp chopped parsley; grated parmesan, for serving; 1 tsp each: salt, black pepper, sweet paprika, dried oregano, dried sage; 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, more for serving

Red pesto spaghetti bolognese with sun-dried tomatoes. A super hearty meat sauce with a twist on a traditional Bolognese using vibrant red pesto and bright sun-dried tomatoes. It’s packed with richness and will definitely inject your pasta night with an instant flavor boost. Spaghetti just got a whole lot better. And the extra bonus? It’s ready in 30 minutes.

Spaghetti bolognese is perhaps the ultimate combination of weeknight convenience and comfort food. A pasta dish like this one doesn’t take long to cook, and it can easily be prepared the day before. So satisfying and delicious.
Let me guide you through the recipe with this step-by-step VIDEO.

This one is chockfull ground pork, spoonfuls of red pesto, and, yes, plenty of sun-dried tomatoes. We are all familiar with the classic green pesto, but have you ever heard of red pesto? It’s mind blowing! It offers complex, incredibly bright rich flavors. Made with a lot of the same elements as green pesto, except you switch out the basil for sun-dried tomatoes.

In this recipe you can use store-bought pesto as a back-pocket shortcut, or make your own pesto and try this recipe.

RECIPE NOTES

use ground pork, beef, veal or chicken. Italian sausage will work great here as well
you can use store-bought pesto as a back-pocket shortcut or home made red pesto
add more veggies, like grated zucchini or roasted peppers
try to buy sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil, and don’t forget to drain the oil, otherwise you’ll end up with an oily sauce
however, if you buy sun-dried tomatoes without oil, you can hydrate the tomatoes first, to prevent them from being tough and chewy. Just put the sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl, add some hot water and let them stand for about 20 minutes, drain and you’re ready to go
use any of your favorite pasta, like tagliatelle, fettuccini or linguini
make a delicious lasagne or a casserole with penne and grated mozzarella
serve with a big side salad drizzled with balsamic dressing

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Cooking Video

Yield: serves 4

Red Pesto Spaghetti Bolognese

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

400 g/14 oz spaghetti
3 tbsp oil reserved from sun-dried tomatoes
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
500 g/1.1 pounds ground pork, or beef
2 tbsp tomato paste
500 ml/2 cups puréed tomatoes
200 g/7 oz dried-tomatoes, without oil
150g/5.5 oz red pesto, store-bought or home made
3/4 cup/200 ml whole milk
2 tbsp chopped parsley
grated parmesan, for serving

spices

1 tsp each: salt, black pepper, sweet paprika, dried oregano, dried sage
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, more for serving

Instructions

Get all the prep done before you start cooking: mince the garlic, finely chop the onion and chop the sun-dried tomatoes into strips.
Heat the reserved oil from the sun-dried tomatoes in a large heavy bottom pot over medium. Add garlic and onion, cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add ground pork, break up into pieces and cook until golden brown and no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in spices and tomato paste. Pour in puréed tomatoes and add sun-dried tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In the meantime, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil and cook spaghetti until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of cooking water.
When ready, add red pesto and milk, simmer for 5 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper to your own taste. Toss with pasta and parsley. Add a splash of cooking water if the sauce looks too thick. Stir until glossy and spaghetti is evenly coated.
Serve immediately, sprinkle with grated parmesan and some crushed red pepper flakes. Enjoy!

Notes

Calories Per Serving: 621 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

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