You’re making your Bolognese all wrong —here’s how to do it right, according to an expert chef

Collage of various foods with overlay text discussing a particular ingredient's suitability for Bolognese sauce
Chefs break down why this usual ingredient isn't great for a Bolognese sauce.
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Say that’s no’more to this culinary faux pas.

People around the globe who take pride in their bolognese recipes are predisposed to a glaring rookie mistake, professional chefs warn.

It’s a cardinal sin to serve the meaty mixture along with spaghetti, warned influential late chef Antonio Carluccio, who added in a recipe that it cannot “be genuine” if served with the tubular pasta.

“Many of you might have just learned you’ve been using [spaghetti] wrong your entire lives,” Chef Sophie Nahmad of the meal kit company Gousto said.

Thank goodness there’s an easy fix, according to, well, every Italian — use thick, hearty tagliatelle.

“Fresh tagliatelle is delicious and oh so satisfying to twirl onto your fork when you’re tucking into your dinner,” Nahmad told the Daily Express.

Bolognese goes best with pasta wider than spaghetti. Nitr – stock.adobe.com
Bolognese goes best with pasta wider than spaghetti. Nitr – stock.adobe.com
Spaghetti O-No’s! Pros say never use the basic pasta for a dish like bolognese. pavel siamionov – stock.adobe.com
Spaghetti O-No’s! Pros say never use the basic pasta for a dish like bolognese. pavel siamionov – stock.adobe.com

“Due to the wider shape, it’s a great pasta to pair with a thick, meat-based sauce,” she said

Nahmad continued, saying that “any meat-based ragu-style sauce will pair well with this type of pasta.”

The thinner pastas are best saved for lighter sauces, she said.

Tagliatelle is best used for Bolognese sauce. tripper13 – stock.adobe.com
Tagliatelle is best used for Bolognese sauce. tripper13 – stock.adobe.com

“So maybe it’s time to switch up your dinner time traditions and try something new. It might turn into a fresh staple that the whole family will love.”

Arguing over tradition isn’t new to the Italian food discussion.

A London restaurant was only recently prepared to go to war with customers demanding a non-authentic cream sauce in a Carbonara dish.

Readers also betrayed The New York Times like Julius Caesar when the outlet not long ago suggested a carbonara recipe with tomatoes.