Spaghetti bolognese: weigh the pasta dry.
Pasta swells by more than double in the water. Entering it dry, with the ragù, is the way to get a plate you can repeat, and the builder takes the sauce and spaghetti in one recipe.
- 6 servings, weighed at 2,100 g when finished
- 499 kcal a serving, with 30 g protein, 60 g carbs and 16 g fat
- 9 ingredients, every one a USDA FoodData Central entry in the library
The sample data
These are the amounts used on the screens below, with each figure taken from the library entry for that ingredient. They are sample figures for a pot or tray of this size, not a measurement of anyone's kitchen.
| Ingredient | Amount | kcal | Protein g | Carbs g | Fat g |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pasta, dry, enriched | 360 g | 1,336 | 47 | 269 | 5 |
| Beef, ground, 90% lean, raw | 500 g | 880 | 100 | 0 | 50 |
| Onions, raw | 150 g | 60 | 2 | 14 | 0 |
| Carrots, raw | 100 g | 41 | 1 | 10 | 0 |
| Celery, raw | 80 g | 11 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Tomatoes, crushed, canned | 800 g | 256 | 13 | 58 | 2 |
| Olive oil | 27 g | 239 | 0 | 0 | 27 |
| Garlic | 10 g | 15 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Parmesan, hard | 40 g | 157 | 14 | 1 | 10 |
| Whole recipe | 2,067 g | 2,995 | 179 | 357 | 94 |
| Per serving (6) | 350 g | 499 | 30 | 60 | 16 |
Calorie and macro figures are fitness estimates, not medical or dietary advice. Ingredient values are from USDA FoodData Central, which is in the public domain.
Why this recipe
A plate of spaghetti is easy to over- or under-estimate because it is mostly one ingredient. Building the pasta and the ragù together gives you one serving that already includes both.
What to weigh
The ingredients weigh 2,067 g and the sample pot with the cooked spaghetti weighs 2,100 g, because the pasta takes up water while the sauce loses some. Each plate is 350 g.
The full workflow, in four steps.
1. Open Create a recipe and search the library
Create a recipe and search "pasta dry". Choose the dry enriched entry, since you weigh the pasta before cooking it.
2. Enter the amount you weighed
Enter 360 g, enough for six plates. The amount sheet shows 1,336 kcal, nearly half of the final recipe.
3. Add the rest, then set the servings and finished weight
Add the beef, the soffritto vegetables, the tomatoes, the oil, the garlic and the cheese.
4. Save it and log a serving
Enter 6 servings and the 2,100 g from the scale. A plate is 499 kcal with 30 g of protein, ready to log.
Tips while you build it
- Weigh the pasta dry every time. Cooked pasta weights vary with how long it boils.
- The raw beef entry is for beef weighed before browning. Drained fat is not subtracted by the app, so the number is a slight overestimate.
- Log grated cheese you add at the table as its own food rather than editing the recipe.
Make it your own
- Use the 93% lean beef entry or ground turkey and the fat per serving drops.
- Swap the dry pasta for the protein-fortified spaghetti entry and save a second recipe.
Each change is a second recipe with its own name, so the first stays as you built it.
Spaghetti bolognese questions.
How many calories are in spaghetti bolognese?
The sample six-plate pot comes to 499 kcal a plate, with 30 g protein, 60 g carbs and 16 g fat. Use your own pasta, beef and oil amounts to get yours.
Should I enter pasta dry or cooked?
Dry is easier to repeat. If you weigh it cooked, choose the cooked pasta entry and enter the cooked weight.
Can I keep the sauce and the pasta separate?
Yes. Build the ragù as one recipe and log pasta as its own food. The combined version here suits a single pot you serve together.
More example recipes.
- Chicken cacciatore639 kcal a serving, 4 servings, from USDA FoodData Central ingredients.
- Hummus bi tahini211 kcal a serving, 8 servings, from USDA FoodData Central ingredients.
- Mujadara337 kcal a serving, 6 servings, from USDA FoodData Central ingredients.
- Chicken shawarma (oven tray)444 kcal a serving, 4 servings, from USDA FoodData Central ingredients.
- Chana masala309 kcal a serving, 4 servings, from USDA FoodData Central ingredients.
- Dal tadka265 kcal a serving, 4 servings, from USDA FoodData Central ingredients.
- Butter chicken498 kcal a serving, 4 servings, from USDA FoodData Central ingredients.
- Turkey chili326 kcal a serving, 6 servings, from USDA FoodData Central ingredients.
- Homemade cheeseburgers456 kcal a serving, 4 servings, from USDA FoodData Central ingredients.
Cook it once. Log it for good.
Build your own italian favourite in Nutrition.