As the weather cools down we can find it hard to keep our mood and our motivation up, regular fitness and healthy eating sometimes go in the too hard (or too cold) basket. Though I can completely understand this, because it’s an issue I struggle with, it’s isn’t very good for overall health. Inactivity and a diet lacking in important nutrients compromise our immunity and make us vulnerable to the dreaded cold and flu.
Maintaining a diet that is high in immunity supporting foods can help protect you from colds and flu as well as keep the winter blues at bay.
Kate Freeman, Cenovis spokesperson and nutritionist, shares her healthier version of Spaghetti Bolognaise. It isn’t a traditional recipe but the reduced salt content and increase in fibre makes this a quick and easy winner this winter. Spaghetti is always a winner in my house so perhaps I should try this out, it’s not that different to my usual recipe.
Spaghetti Bolognaise
Ingredients
(10 serves)
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 brown onions, roughly chopped
• 5 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 3 tsp minced ginger
• 1 zucchini, grated
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1kg premium beef or pork mince
• 2x 700ml jars of tomato passata
• 1 tin brown lentils, drained and rinsed
• 3 tsp dried oregano
• 3 tsp dried basil
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and pepper to taste
• 500g high fibre or wholemeal pasta
• 1 bunch of fresh kale, finely shredded
• parmesan cheese, grated
Method
• To make the bolognaise sauce, heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and sauté until soft, about 2-3 minutes. Add the grated zucchini and carrot and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
• Add the mince and cook for a further 6-7 minutes or until just cooked through. Add the dried herbs and 2 jars of passata sauce. Swish the insides of the passata jars with a small amount of water and add this to the pan as well. Add the bay leaves and reduce the heat to low. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the lentils and kale to the sauce and cook for a further 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta as per the packet directions and divide amongst a total of 10 serving bowls and containers (for leftovers). Top the pasta with a serving of bolognaise sauce and a small sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Serve.
Notes
• If you’re vegetarian or want to make this a meat free meal then you can substitute the mince for two 400g tins of lentils. You can use also use 500g of mince and 1 tin of lentils – half and half. This will give the fibre a big boost and save you money – lentils are very cheap.
• You can grate vegetables into the sauce such as zucchini, carrot and eggplant. Do this before you add the mince and allow it to cook down for 3-4 minutes. This will help the recipe stretch a little further plus boost the fibre and nutrition.
• If you don’t like wholemeal pasta, try a high fibre white pasta instead.
Nutrition Information
• Energy: 1930kJ (460 Calories)
• Carbohydrate: 41g (sugar 7g)
• Protein: 33g
• Fat: 16g (saturated 5g)
• Fibre: 9g
• Sodium: 284mg
For more recipes by Kate, visit healthyeatinghub.com.au
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!