Disqus for Where Are My Knees

Spaghetti Bolognese

Wednesday 13 February 2013

It's a little embarrassing to put Spaghetti Bolognaise on here because it's such a classic recipe, I'm sure if you've cooked before, you've made it! Low-fatting it up is really simple though - it's all about using lean mince or adding massive amounts of vegetables! Again this is from the app, but I've doctored it quite a lot...

This allegedly serves 4 but mine was so huge with the amount of veg I added, it could have stretched to 5 portions, easily.


Spaghetti Bolognese
4 sprays Frylight - 0PP
500g Extra Lean (5% fat) Beef Mince - 16PP
160g Spaghetti (uncooked) - 16PP
1 Stock Cube (Veg, Beef or Chicken) made with 200ml hot water - 1PP
1 carton Passata - 0PP
1 can chopped Tomatoes - 0PP
= 33PP (9PP per serving)

Whatever vegetables you like - go nuts! I used:
1 large Onion, chopped
1/2 large Courgette, chopped
4 small Carrots, chopped
1 red Pepper, chopped
7 mushrooms, chopped
3 sticks celery, chopped
=0PP

Seasoning - again, go nuts! I used:
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp smoked Paprika
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Pinch of oregano, rosemary, basil
1/2 tsp chilli
Salt & Pepper
=0PP

To reduce points - use less spaghetti or less (or no) mince, but the quantities are not huge to start with.

1 - Boil the spaghetti according to the package instructions
2 - Use a large saucepan or a wok and spray with FryLight, then add the mince and cook over a high heat. Don’t stir immediately, as you want the meat to really brown on the base, so give it a few moments – then turn to sear and brown on all sides.
3 - Add everything else and cook for 30 minutes with the lid on to enable the vegetables to soften.
4 - Add any further seasoning you fancy, stir it all up and then leave for 5-10 minutes with the lid off to bubble away and to reduce down
5 - All done? Drain the spaghetti, then split the spaghetti over 4 plates and then add the sauce on the top.
6 - Eat! You can even add 20g of low fat cheese on top of each portion for an extra 1PP.



NB: I made this again recently with the same amount of mince, but I upped the vegetables (2 onions, 2 peppers, 2 courgettes etc) and added another portion of pasta and it still made 5 massive portions. Because of that it ended up at only 7PP! So I added some olives and a glass of red wine and it was seriously delicious, and still worked out at just 8PP. So amazing if you want a low point dinner!

8 comments:

  1. Spag bol is one of my absolute faves! We usually make it using Tefal non-stick pans so that spray isn't even needed!
    Mince, onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, spinach, tin of kidney beans, chopped toms and a little bit of worcester sauce. Delish!

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    Replies
    1. I always include the Frylight but to be honest I don't really use it either! I cook pretty much everything in my awesome Lidl wok, it is non stick and huge so I can cook in bulk! If I am cooking something like bacon which might stick a tiny bit I put a little bit of water in the bottom of the pan which does the trick beautifully.

      I agree though, I've got a bit of a spag bol fetish at the moment! It's just so tasty and I can't get over how something that tastes so rich and indulgent is 'diet food'!!

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  2. Hope you don't take offence by this but I really don't understand the WW points system and how things can be 0 points. Passata, chopped tomatoes and vegetables all contain calories and are not the same as eating nothing. I calorie count everything and include all veg, I don't understand how the points system can work but I guess it must otherwise WW wouldn't be so successful!
    On a lighter note, this looks yummy :)
    The Life of Emily-Alice

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    Replies
    1. Hiya, no of course I don't take offence! I didn't invent WW and I used to be dubious about it myself. Also, I used to do Rosemary Conley which was about calorie counting. Propoints are not just about calories though, they are also about fat and the majority of vegetables are pretty much fat free, as well as being naturally low in calories. It's also about eating what is good for you - unlike other diet plans I've tried, I know now I'm eating a really healthy diet, with lots of GOOD food full of nutrients. This article explains it really well and also talks about their rationale behind giving vegetables 0 points: http://www.webmd.boots.com/diet/features/weight-watchers-propoints

      I truly do not believe that one diet will suit everyone. Weight Watchers is really working for me because it encourages me to eat vegetables (which I really love) and eat healthily, but nothing's off limits - I can have pizza if I want, or cheese, or a ready meal (whereas other diets, such as Slimming World, really penalise ready meals because they're so processed. Which I sort of agree with but sometimes it's all you have time for!).

      It's helping me to deal with my bad habits of overeating because I can always have the bad foods I crave, and by having a small amount every few days I don't get to the point where I want to eat an entire family size chocolate bar because I haven't touched the stuff in a month! While I'm amazed that I'm finding WW so easy, I look at what I'm eating and realise that I'm not eating high fat foods and my carb intake has decreased. It makes sense that it would work, really. I just hope I can keep it up!

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  3. This looks so yummy (minus the cheese haha) can't go wrong with a good spaghetti bolognese!

    A little bit Unique

    x

    Oh and I'm running a giveaway, if you want to pop over and have a nosey! Giveaway here


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  4. That looks yum. Going to learn to cook and then try it !!!

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  5. I love spaghetti bolognaise, its one of my favourite meals. We make ours with lean turkey breast mince or quorn mince which reduces the propoints even more. I struggle now to eat beef mince as had turkey mince for so long

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  6. I think this looks really good judging by the pictures. My own attempt at low-fat bolognese involved swapping mince for ... red lentils. The result was no doubt mega-healthy but tastewise it didn't really compare with the conventional version.

    I like the inclusion of courgette here - good way to add some contrasting texture to the basic 'mirepoix' veggies.

    JN

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