Chicken bolognese with konjac spaghetti

Konjac pastas are a great, low-carb alternative to wheat that take on the rich tomato and basil sauce in this recipe. Serve with good grain bread.

Chicken bolognese with konjac spaghetti Credit: Rob Palmer

• serves

  4

• prep

  25 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 400 g lean chicken breast fillet, diced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 4 small zucchini, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh Italian herb paste
• 2 400 g tins chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp salt-reduced tomato paste
• 150 g baby spinach leaves
• 250 g packet konjac spaghetti, drained and rinsed (see Note)
• 1 cup basil leaves
• 80 g parmesan, finely grated
• 2 35 g slices multigrain bread, toasted

Instructions

1. Process the chicken in a food processor until finely minced.

2. Heat the oil in a large deep non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add the onion and zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes or until starting to soften. Add the minced chicken and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, breaking up any large lumps with the back of a spoon.

3. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the herb paste, tomatoes and tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until the sauce has reduced by half. Add the spinach and konjac spaghetti and cook, tossing, for 2 minutes or until the spinach has wilted and the spaghetti is heated through. Season with freshly ground black pepper.

4. Divide the bolognese among bowls, sprinkle with the basil leaves and parmesan and serve with the toast.

Note

• You can find konjac spaghetti in the health-food aisle at the supermarket. It’s usually in the gluten-free section.

Recipe from The CSIRO Low-Carb Diabetes Diet & Lifestyle Solution by Professor Grant Brinkworth and Dr Pennie Taylor. [Macmillan Australia, RRP $36.99]. Photography by Rob Palmer.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.