Courgette Noodle Bolognese
Bolognese and lighter eating go together beautifully. The trick: courgettes stand in for classic pasta, turned into so-called 'zoodles' with a spiralizer. Pile on a hearty bolognese sauce loaded with extra veg and you get a dish that's every bit as satisfying as the original, filling you up without weighing you down.
Ingredients
- 400 g mixed minced meat (half beef, half pork)
- 3 carrots, medium-sized
- 2 red onions
- 1 leek, small
- 0.25 celeriac, or 2-3 sticks of celery
- 6 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 tins chopped tomatoes
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 3 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp ground caraway
- 0.5 tsp Xucker, a birch/erythritol sweetener; or a small pinch of sugar. Brings out the tomato flavour
- salt
- pepper
- 0.5 tsp chilli powder
- 2 courgettes, large, for the noodles
- Parmesan, to serve
- olive oil, for frying
The ingredient amounts above scale with your choice. The value per serving stays the same, while the total in the pot grows with the number of servings.
All nutrition values side by side
| Nutrient | per serving (estimate) | Total for 4 Servings |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 380 kcal | 1,520 kcal |
| Carbohydrates | 18 g | 72 g |
| Protein | 28 g | 112 g |
| Fat | 20 g | 80 g |
| Fibre | 6 g | 24 g |
| of which sugar | 10 g | 40 g |
How this is calculated
Target amount = ingredient amount × target servings ÷ base servings. The result is then rounded for kitchen use: from 100 g or ml to the nearest 5, between 1 and 99 to the nearest 1, pieces and spoons to half units, amounts below one unit to quarters, thirds or halves. Teaspoons and tablespoons also go down to an eighth, kilograms and litres stay finer.
Total = value per serving × target servings. The value per serving is unchanged, because ingredient amount and serving count change by the same factor.
Sources
- Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 (FIC), Art. 32 and 33: nutrition values per 100 g or 100 ml, additionally allowed per portion.
- European Commission, Guidance document for competent authorities for the control of compliance with EU food law, setting of tolerances for nutrient values declared on a label, December 2012.
Nutrition values are estimates from the recipe record, not laboratory results. Even for checked labels the EU sets tolerances: for fat, protein and carbohydrates 20 percent in the range of 10 to 40 g per 100 g, and 2 g per 100 g below that. Home cooking varies more, because variety, size and cooking loss of the ingredients differ. Kitchen rounding also shifts the total slightly against the plain rule of three. Anyone who has to keep amounts exact for medical reasons, for example during a nutrition therapy prescribed by a doctor, should discuss them with a doctor or a registered dietitian. Your serving count is calculated in your browser only, it is neither stored nor transmitted.
Instructions
- Peel and finely dice the onions. Fry them in a little olive oil in a large pan, then add the minced meat and cook until browned and cooked through.
- Meanwhile, peel and dice the celeriac. Peel and dice the carrots too. Wash the leek, halve it lengthways and cut into pieces.
- Add the prepared vegetables to the pan with the meat and fry well. Stir in the tomato purée and cook briefly to intensify the flavour. Season with salt and pepper.
- Pour in the tinned chopped tomatoes. Add the basil, oregano, caraway, chilli powder and Xucker, stir well and taste to adjust the seasoning. Let the sauce simmer gently for about 15 minutes.
- Wash the courgettes and turn them into noodles using a spiralizer or a vegetable peeler. Heat a tiny amount of oil in a pan and cook the courgette noodles for about 3 minutes. Season lightly with salt.
- Arrange the courgette noodles on plates, spoon over the bolognese and finish with freshly grated Parmesan.
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Nutrition facts per serving (estimate)
| Calories | 380 kcal |
|---|---|
| Carbohydrates | 18 g |
| Protein | 28 g |
| Fat | 20 g |
| Fibre | 6 g |
| of which sugar | 10 g |
Frequently asked questions
What are courgette noodles?
Courgette noodles (or 'zoodles') are courgettes cut into thin, pasta-like strands with a spiralizer or vegetable peeler. They stand in for classic pasta and contain far fewer carbohydrates.
How long do courgette noodles need to cook?
They only need about 3 minutes in a little oil in the pan. That keeps them pleasantly al dente rather than soft and watery.
Is this recipe low in carbs?
Yes. The pasta is replaced with courgette and the sauce is packed with extra vegetables, which keeps the carbohydrate content low compared with a traditional bolognese.
Can I leave out or swap the Xucker?
You can leave it out or use a small pinch of ordinary sugar instead. Its only job is to round off the acidity of the tomatoes.
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