On some days, nothing beats a classic pasta bolognese, right? This protein-rich variant is guaranteed to be a hit for the whole family. Here you can read how to make this dish a nutritious meal and how to prepare this protein-rich pasta bolognese.
A plate of pasta is well-received in many households. Pasta is part of the three P's for a reason. Especially the combination of cream with bacon or a stuffed tomato sauce is popular among pasta lovers. Unfortunately, these are not always the healthiest or most nutritious ingredients. Should you skip pasta if you're watching your diet? Certainly not! Pasta fits perfectly into a healthy lifestyle, as long as you are aware of the ingredients and make a nutritious meal out of it. With this protein-rich pasta bolognese, you can enjoy a pasta that is both flavorful and healthy.
Ingredients for protein-rich pasta bolognese
To make your pasta bolognese protein-rich and nutritious, it's important to choose the right ingredients. Many pasta bolognese recipes include bacon, wine, milk, or a mix of minced meat. These products often contain unhealthy additives or are less nutritious. This can make your meal less healthy or you may miss certain nutrients that you need for a balanced meal. With the ingredients for this protein-rich pasta bolognese, you are assured of nutritious ingredients and the right balance between carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
for the base
5 large tomatoes
can of tomato paste
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 bay leaves
1 bouillon cube (beef or vegetable broth)
Optional: if you're short on time, choose a good variant of sieved tomatoes or canned tomato pulp (for example, this one from mutti)
for the rest of the sauce
500 grams (organic) ground beef
2 stalks of celery
8 mushrooms
1 zucchini
1 carrot or carrot strips (or eggplant or any other vegetables you have at home and want to use up)
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons oregano
2 tablespoons Italian herbs
for the pasta
protein-rich pasta (for example, the pastas from dalla costa)
for the garnish
Grated cheese (for example, parmesan cheese or 30+ cheese)
Optional: basil
Preparation of protein-rich pasta bolognese
For the preparation of this protein-rich pasta bolognese, you can make it as easy or as difficult as you want. It's freshest and most nutritious if you make the tomato sauce yourself, but this does take more time. If you're short on time, you can skip step 1 and choose a good tomato pulp that you season yourself. Here’s how to make this protein-rich pasta bolognese:
Take a cooking pot and fill it with boiling water. Cut squares at the top of the tomatoes and let them soak for a minute in the pot of water. Drain the water from the pot and rinse the tomatoes with cold water so that the skin comes off. Peel the skins from the tomatoes.
Put the tomatoes back in the cooking pot and add the tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, bay leaves, and bouillon cube, and let it simmer on low heat.
Chop the onion, celery, mushrooms, zucchini, carrot, and any other vegetables you want to use up into pieces.
Take a large frying pan and add some coconut oil for frying. Sauté the onion and garlic briefly, then add the minced meat. Brown the minced meat until it is lightly browned.
Then add the vegetables and the dry spices and cook for about 10 minutes until done.
Meanwhile, take a cooking pot and cook the high-protein pasta according to the instructions on the package.
Remove the tomato sauce from the heat and add it to the minced meat mixture. Let it simmer for a while so that all the flavors can meld together.
If you have plenty of time and are making this high-protein pasta bolognese in the morning, you can let the sauce simmer gently all day, adding a bit of water occasionally. If you have less time, serve the dish after simmering for a quarter of an hour.
Enjoy your meal!
Nutritional values of high-protein pasta bolognese
With this high-protein pasta bolognese, you will get enough fiber, protein, vitamins, and unsaturated fats. The fiber comes from the pasta and vegetables, the protein from the lean minced meat and (low-fat) cheese, the vitamins from almost all ingredients, and the fats are also found in the meat and coconut oil. Additionally, a portion of pasta is considered to be about 70 grams per person. Here are the nutritional values of this high-protein pasta bolognese:
556 calories – 45 grams of protein – 24 grams of fat – 34 grams of carbohydrates
This calculation is based on the ingredients for 4 people. You can also divide the amount over 3 people.
Lifestyle advice from Daadkracht
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