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Spaghetti bolognese: how much it costs to make, per portion

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A pub and café bolognese: beef mince braised with onion, carrot, celery, garlic, chopped tomatoes and tomato puree, served on 100 g (dry weight) of spaghetti with grated cheese. Costed from JJ Foodservice wholesale prices dated 9 October 2026. Onions, carrots, celery, puree and stock are from our 7 September prices.

Ingredients per portion£1.81
Batch of 10£18.08
Sell at 28% food cost£7.75 inc VAT (£6.46 ex)

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Ingredients and cost, 10 portions

IngredientPack pricePack sizeUsedCost
Beef mince, 10% fat£14.992000 g1500 g£11.24
Onions£6.9910000 g400 g£0.28
Carrots£6.9910000 g250 g£0.17
Celery (head)£13.9912 each1 each£1.17
Garlic£3.491000 g20 g£0.07
Chopped tomatoes (tinned)£19.9917700 g1600 g£1.81
Tomato puree£7.493000 g80 g£0.20
Stock (bouillon powder)£10.991000 g15 g£0.16
Dried oregano£8.99800 g3 g£0.03
Vegetable oil£8.505000 ml40 ml£0.07
Spaghetti£9.795000 g1000 g£1.96
Mature cheddar, grated£11.992000 g150 g£0.90
Table salt£10.996000 g10 g£0.02
Batch total£18.08
Per portion (÷ 10)£1.81

Cost per line is pack price × (amount used ÷ pack size), the same sum the tool runs. Change one pack price and every line that uses it moves.

Method

  1. Brown the mince hard in batches in the oil and drain off excess fat.
  2. Sweat the diced onion, carrot and celery until soft, add the garlic, then the puree, and cook out for 2 minutes.
  3. Add the mince, chopped tomatoes, oregano and 500 ml of stock; simmer gently for at least an hour, until thick.
  4. Cook the spaghetti in plenty of salted water, toss with a ladle of the sauce, plate and top with more sauce and cheese.

Costing notes

Mince is more than half the cost. Stretching the ragù with more carrot, onion and tomato (some kitchens add red lentils) brings the portion cost down without making it obviously thinner, and it holds better on a bain-marie.

Where the prices came from

JJ Foodservice collection prices as shown on its public search pages on 9 October 2026 (delivery runs about £1-2 a case higher). A few lines JJ did not list in that day's searches reuse the dated prices already on our other starter recipes (7 September 2026, JJ Foodservice or Tesco retail, marked on each line). JJ does not label VAT on most lines: raw food is zero-rated in the UK, while soft drinks, alcohol, confectionery and some ingredients carry standard-rate VAT. Your supplier's price is the one that matters: open the recipe and type it in.

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