Spaghetti bolognese: how much it costs to make, per portion
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.
The menu price is the one ChefSums uses for this dish on its sample restaurant menu, a realistic UK menu price. The lowest price is the one that just reaches 68% GP, the UK food GP benchmark (UKHospitality × Christie & Co, 2022: 65.9–69% food GP across every segment). It covers the ingredients at a normal margin, not staff, rent or energy, and most cafés, pubs and takeaways charge more for simple dishes. Check what places near you charge. GP is worked out on the ex-VAT price.
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Ingredients and cost, 10 portions
| Ingredient | Pack price | Pack size | Used | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beef mince, 10% fat | £14.99 | 2000 g | 1500 g | £11.24 |
| Onions | £6.99 | 10000 g | 444 g | £0.31 |
| Carrots | £6.99 | 10000 g | 305 g | £0.21 |
| Celery (head) | £13.99 | 12 each | 1 each | £1.17 |
| Garlic | £3.49 | 1000 g | 23 g | £0.08 |
| Chopped tomatoes (tinned) | £19.99 | 17700 g | 1600 g | £1.81 |
| Tomato puree | £7.49 | 3000 g | 80 g | £0.20 |
| Stock (bouillon powder) | £10.99 | 1000 g | 15 g | £0.16 |
| Dried oregano | £8.99 | 800 g | 3 g | £0.03 |
| Vegetable oil | £8.50 | 5000 ml | 40 ml | £0.07 |
| Spaghetti | £9.79 | 5000 g | 1000 g | £1.96 |
| Mature cheddar, grated | £11.99 | 2000 g | 150 g | £0.90 |
| Table salt | £10.99 | 6000 g | 10 g | £0.02 |
| Batch total | £18.16 | |||
| Per portion (÷ 10) | £1.82 | |||
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.
What it really costs: waste and staff time
| Ingredients | £1.82 |
| Waste allowance, 5% (trim, ends, the odd one binned) | £0.09 |
| Staff time: 20 min hands-on for the batch of 10 at £12.71/hr + 25% on-cost | £0.53 |
| Food, waste and staff per portion | £2.44 |
At the sample restaurant menu price (£12.08 ex VAT) that is 20% of the price, before rent, energy and everything else. Many UK sites aim to keep food plus staff (prime cost) at or under 60–65% of sales. The staff line counts hands-on prep only, not unattended cooking, and uses the April 2026 National Living Wage; put your own rate, minutes and waste in the calculator's real cost section or the prime cost calculator. Every dish side by side: the UK dish cost index.
Method
- Brown the mince hard in batches in the oil and drain off excess fat.
- Sweat the diced onion, carrot and celery until soft, add the garlic, then the puree, and cook out for 2 minutes.
- Add the mince, chopped tomatoes, oregano and 500 ml of stock; simmer gently for at least an hour, until thick.
- 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.
Prep loss is costed in: each fresh vegetable line is the weight you buy, not the prepared weight that goes in the pan. Onions: 400 g peeled is 444 g as bought at 90% (onion yield); Carrots: 250 g peeled is 305 g as bought at 82% (carrot yield); Garlic: 20 g peeled is 23 g as bought at 87% (garlic yield).
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.
- Beef mince, 10% fat: JJ UK Halal Minced Beef 10% Fat 2x1kg, 2 kg, £14.99 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-10-09
- Onions: Brown Cooking Onions 1x10kg (VEG655), 10 kg, £6.99 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-09-07
- Carrots: Carrots 1x10kg (VEG760), 10 kg, £6.99 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-09-07
- Celery (head): Celery 1x12 (VEG377), 12 each, £13.99 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-09-07
- Garlic: Fresh Garlic 1x1kg (VEG784), 1 kg, £3.49 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-10-09
- Chopped tomatoes (tinned): JJ Chopped Tomatoes 6x2.95kg, 17.7 kg, £19.99 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-10-09
- Tomato puree: JJ Tomato Paste 1x3kg, 3 kg, £7.49 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-09-07
- Stock (bouillon powder): Gomo Chicken Bouillon 1x1kg (MIS111), 1 kg, £10.99 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-09-07
- Dried oregano: JJ Oregano 1x0.8kg (SPI597), 800 g, £8.99 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-10-09
- Vegetable oil: Tesco Vegetable Oil 5 Litre (list price, not the Clubcard promo), 5 L, £8.50 — Tesco (retail), accessed 2026-09-07
- Spaghetti: Pasta Reggia Spaghetti No.19 1x5kg (PST068), 5 kg, £9.79 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-10-09
- Mature cheddar, grated: Vittorios Mature Grated Cheddar 1x2kg, 2 kg, £11.99 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-10-09
- Table salt: DP Table Salt Tub 1x6kg (SPI277), 6 kg, £10.99 collection — JJ Foodservice, accessed 2026-10-09
More costed dishes: pub and restaurant classics
- Steak and ale pie with chips and peas — £2.85 a portion
- Beef lasagne with garlic bread — £2.27 a portion
- Chilli con carne with rice — £1.85 a portion
- Scampi and chips — £1.98 a portion