Conchiglie bolognese is an Italian-inspired dish that's simple to make on the stovetop in 3 easy steps. This classic recipe features everyone's favorite pasta shells and a rich, meaty homemade tomato sauce. It's rustic, hearty, and absolutely delicious! Everyone in your family with enjoy this conchiglie pasta recipe.

conchiglie bolognese pasta in a large plate

This conchiglie bolognese recipe is straightforward and fabulously simple. Tender pasta shells are served with a homemade meat sauce that really is the star of the dish... But there are no frills here!

The sauce is made with staple ingredients cooked with love, gently simmered low and slow on the stovetop. Also try my favorite Bison bolognese recipe. Delicious!

While the sauce is great to pair with any type of noodles, conchiglie pasta is perfect to hold plenty of saucy goodness in every forkful. Each shell is like a little scoop!

And although bolognese is not a super fast sauce to prepare, it is very easy! In fact, I suggest that you make a large batch of the sauce and keep some on hand for a fast dinner option. Then just quickly prepare the pasta and enjoy any night of the week.

a package of organic conchiglie pasta on the table

Recipe ingredients

Olive oil. Classic high heat oil for sautéing and browning beef.

Garlic. Kitchen staple for Italian cooking. Garlic adds deep, earthy flavor in savory dishes.

Onion. Another must-have pasta sauce ingredient. Pungent onion compliments the tangy tomatoes.

Ground beef. Lean ground beef is best, but you do not want it to be too lean. Somewhere around 80-90% is ideal. This percentage tends to make the most flavorful sauce without being too greasy.

Red wine. Traditional in most Italian tomato sauces. However, you can sub with beef broth.

Beef bouillon. Enhances the meaty flavors from the ground beef.

Crushed tomatoes. Canned, and preferably with no salt added.

Tomato paste. To really pump up the bright tomato flavor.

Worcestershire sauce. Makes the conchiglie bolognese extra rich with savoriness.

Seasonings. Classic Italian-inspired combination of bay leaf, dried thyme, salt and pepper.

Conchiglie pasta. Our favorite shell shaped noodles. Can be wheat based or gluten-free.

ground beef and chopped onions in a big red pot — brown ground beef with chopped yellow onions

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How to make Conchiglie pasta Bolognese recipe

Start with heating oil in a heavy bottom pot. Add chopped yellow onions and saute for 5 minutes, until very fragrant. Add ground beef, chopped or minced garlic and brown for another 5 minutes.

Now add other ingredients like crushed tomatoes, red wine and seasonings. Turn the heat to low and slowly simmer for 1 hour with the lid on. Stir couple times during cooking.

Meanwhile cook conchiglie pasta according to package cooking directions. Serve Bolognese over pasta and enjoy! Or you can stir pasta with the sauce and serve it that way.

adding tomato sauce and spicees to the pot — add crushed tomatoes and spies and cook

What is shape is the pasta called conchiglie

The name conchiglie comes from the conch shape of the noodles. Pasta shells can be in many different sizes, ranging from conchigilette (tiny) to conchigiloni (very large). This recipe uses what is simply referred to as "conchiglie" which are medium size shells.

What is bolognese

Bolognese is a type of simple Italian meat sauce made with beef (or other meat), tomatoes, aromatics like onion and garlic, and just a few key spices. It is thick and meaty, with almost a loose chili-like consistency.

This makes it perfect to serve with your favorite large pasta noodles. Bolognese with conchiglie is hearty on hearty, so the entire dish is super satisfying!

conchiglie bolognese pasta in a large plate with parmesan cheese on top

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between spaghetti sauce and bolognese?

Spaghetti sauce can be vegetarian or include meat, but is tomato based and typically on the thinner and more "saucy" side.

What makes bolognese different that spaghetti sauce is that bolognese is thicker and heartier. The focus is on the meat, and the sauce is simmered for an hour so that the crushed tomatoes cook down and let the flavorful ground beef shine.

What other pasta can I use with this bolognese recipe?

Serve homemade beef bolognese with any of your favorite noodles! It is terrific with thick pasta like tagliatelle, fettuccini, rigatoni, pappardelle, or even simple spaghetti noodles.

How do you make a good bolognese?

Quality ingredients that you let cook slowly is the secret to a delicious sauce. The Worcestershire and red wine in this recipe help to create just the right bold and meaty taste you crave in a comforting dish!
And when you let it gently simmer on the stove, practically untouched except for the occasional stir - all of the deep flavors really develop and the sauce becomes slightly thicker (if you compare to a traditional spaghetti sauce).

Can I double this recipe?

Yes you certainly can! As-is this conchiglie pasta recipe yields 4 generous portions. Double the sauce ingredients to make a large batch of bolognese; then you have enough to serve 8, or can halve the sauce and store some for later.

conchiglie bolognese pasta in a large plate with fork

Leftovers

For storage i like to mix pasta with the sauce, this way conchiglie pasta will not get stuck together. Store in the air tight container or right in the pot with the lid on if you have lots of leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days.

This is a great dish to make on Sunday and reheat for lunches for a few days. Or add it to your kids school lunches.

Conchiglie Bolognese Pasta Recipe

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 lb ground beef
½ cup red wine
1 teaspoon beef bouillon
28 oz crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb conchiglie pasta

Instructions

Heat oil in the heavy bottom medium size pot. Add onions and saute for 5 minutes, until fragrant.
Add meat and garlic and brown for another 5 minutes. Add other ingredients (except pasta) and slow simmer for 1 hour with the lid on.
Meanwhile cook pasta according to package cooking directions..
Serve Bolognese sauce over conchiglie pasta hot.

Notes

For storage i like to mix pasta with the sauce, this way conchiglie pasta will not get stuck together. Store in the air tight container or right in the pot if you have lots of leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days.

This is a great dish to make on Sunday and reheat for lunches for a few days. Or add it to your kids school lunches.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 422Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 67mgSodium: 512mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 4gSugar: 8gProtein: 28g