Recipe: Best Ever Healthy Pasta Bolognese

This recipe is exactly you want on a cozy evening, when you’re looking for a quick yet satiating dish – while still keeping your nourishment at the forefront 🙂

This pasta bolognese recipe is super simplified, meaning it shouldn’t take you too long to make, while still being loaded with flavour and goodness!

Note that in this recipe I use pasture raised ground venison – however feel free to substitute whichver ground protein you like (turkey, chicken, bison, beef, etc.). For a plant based option, feel free to sub for cooked green lentils or ground tempeh.

Before I get into the recipe, I want to share how you can take your pasta to the next level by making it a super healthy blood sugar balancing, gut friendly, and anxiety easing meal!

How to Health-i-fy your Pasta Dishes:

  1. NOODLES: I recommend using either a bean based noodle (like Tolerant Foods), a brown rice noodle, or another type of organic whole grain option. It’s best to use whole grain in replacement of white noodles – which are greatly lacking in fibre and nutrients.

  2. VEGGIES: this pasta sauce is great because there are tons of veg incorporated. As I always say we want to aim to get half a plate of veggies in at as many meals as possible. Loading our sauce with veggies makes for a super simple way to do so! You can do what I do and add your kale into the sauce just as it’s finishing – or keep it fresh and serve your pasta on a bed of kale instead.

  3. PROTEIN: as I mentioned in this recipe I use pasture raised venison from Force of Nature Meats. It’s always best to use pasture raised and grass fed meat. Adding enough protein is very important for our pasta meals! Protein helps to keep our blood sugars balanced alongside complex carbohydrates. Using a quality protein source like the ones I mention above means they will be loaded with essential nutrients and help keep us feeling more grounded and satiated.

  4. HEALTHY FATS: this dish has some healthy fats already incorporated from the oil in the sauce and the meat but you could add a bit extra with some cashew parmesan!

  5. TOMATO SAUCE: when choosing your tomato sauce from the store be sure it’s organic, not loaded with sugar, made with olive oil over seed oils, and doesn’t have additives or preservatives in it!

Ingredients:

Serving size: 2-3 people (maybe with leftovers)

– 2 Tbsp. olive oil or pasture raised butter
– 1 large white onion diced finely 
– 1 large clove of garlic, minced 
– 2 large carrots, finely diced 
– 1/2 a yellow pepper, finely diced (could also sub for 2 stalks celery) 
– 3 stalks kale, de-stemmed and finely chopped
– 1 lb pasture raised and grass fed ground meat of choice 
– 1 large can tomato sauce (approx. 700g / 25 oz.) such as this one
– 3 Tbsp. unsweetened almond milk (this is to neutralize the acid of the tomatoes)
– Salt and pepper to taste
– Other: if your tomato sauce isn’t already flavoured with herbs, feel free to add a generous dash of dried basil and oregano
– Pasta of choice (approx. 50-60g dry per person)
– Garnish: fresh basil and nutritional yeast or cashew parmesan

Instructions:

– Prep your veggies by finely dicing your onion, carrots, pepper (or celery), and kale (the finer the better)
– Mince your garlic and set aside
– Heat a large pot or dutch oven with the olive oil or butter you are using
– Once the pan is heated, add the garlic and onion and allow to saute until the onion becomes translucent (approx. 4-5 minutes)
– Next add the carrots and pepper (or celery) and allow to cook on medium heat for 5-7 minutes
– Next add your ground meat
– Ensure you break the meat apart with a spatula so it is well dispersed throughout
– Add a pinch of salt and pepper at this stage
– Allow to cook for 10-15 minutes (until the meat looks cooked through but NOT dry/ overdone)
– Next add your full can of tomato sauce along with your almond milk.
– If you’re adding dried basil and oregano, add a few dashes now
– Allow to simmer on low heat for 30 minutes minimum, stirring from time to time
– In the meantime, as your sauce is simmering, bring a pot of water to boil for your noodles
– Add a pinch of salt to the pot once it begins to boil, followed by your noodles of choice
– Allow noodles to cook, and then drain and rinse and set aside until the sauce is ready
– Add additional salt and pepper to taste to the sauce before removing from heat
– Add your chopped kale just as you are removing from heat and mix throughout. Alternatively, you can keep out of the sauce and place a bed of kale at the base of your plate/ bowl
-Now add the noodles to the sauce pan and mix throughout
– Serve into dishes and garnish with fresh basil and nutritional yeast if using 🙂

Posted in ,

Leave a Comment