Squash-ed spaghetti bolognaise

Written by Guest post on Wednesday, 03 August 2022.
Tagged: fish, healthy cooking, healthy eating, nutrition, vegetables

Squash-ed Spag Bol

This is an excellent make-and-freeze recipe, so weeknight meals become more manageable. I know of no better way of ‘hiding’ veggies than in a Bol sauce – somehow mince with a few veggies like pumpkin or zucchini is a match made in heaven.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion, peeled and diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, grated
  • 1 cup (200 g) red lentils
  • 500 g veal and pork mince
  • ¼ butternut pumpkin, peeled and grated
  • 1 zucchini, grated
  • 1½ cups tomato passata
  • ½ cup salt-reduced beef stock
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • cracked black pepper
  • 2 cups dried wholemeal pasta or use zucchini noodles
  • TO SERVE:
  • grated Parmesan cheese

Nutrition per serve

1 serve bolognaise plus 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese = 1930 kJ (460 Cals), 37 g protein, 15 g fat (including 4 g saturated fat), 41 g carbohydrate (including 6 g sugars), 8 g fibre, 260 mg sodium.

Read our nutrition rating system

Directions

  1. Heat oil in a large heavy-based frying pan over medium heat.
  2. Add onion and garlic to the pan. Cook, stirring for 1–2 minutes or until onion has softened.
  3. Add mince to the pan and cook, stirring for 4–5 minutes until it breaks up and is lightly brown. Move the browned mince to the edges of the pan.
  4. Add pumpkin and zucchini to the pan. Cook, stirring for 3–4 minutes.
  5. Add the passata, stock, oregano and pepper to the pan. Bring mixture to the boil then allow to boil for 3–4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15–20 minutes or until the liquid has reduced and sauce thickened.
  6. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook for 12–15 minutes or until the pasta is al dente.

Variations

  • Instead of the dried oregano, use any Italian herbs of your choice.
  • You can use beef mince in place of veal and pork.
  • If you have a vegetable spiraliser and want a lower-carb meal, you can use zucchini noodles instead of pasta.

 Recipe created by Helena Dowdall. You’ll find more of Helena’s work on her website

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