Reduced Calorie Bolognese

Spaghetti Bolognese is always a crowd-pleaser at our house and as I’m trying to get a few pounds off before the summer holiday season begins, I have tweaked the more traditional version to reduce the calories and this is pretty good even if I say so myself.

Using turkey thigh mince instead of the usual steak or beef mince immediately shaves off approximately 60 calories, and by taking out the red wine and adding instead a touch of balsamic vinegar, again takes out around 160 calories overall. I would usually use a generous amount of olive oil when making a bolognese sauce, but have reduced this too just three sprays of Fry Light Olive Oil at only 3 calories.

I serve with 150g cooked wholemeal spaghetti too - which is easier to digest and has half the amount of sugar to white spaghetti. The below gives x4 portions and one with the 150g pasta and a tiny 6g Grana Padana grated over too comes in at 515 calories.

I add cinnamon to the mince as it cooks, which gives a great flavour and is more of a nod towards the Greek flavours of a meaty ragu, rather than Italian, but trust me it works beautifully.

Reduced Calorie Bolognese

Here’s how:

• 250g turkey thigh mince
• 1 large white onion
• 1 large clove garlic
• 1 large carrot
• 2 celery sticks
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried cinnamon
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• Water
• 3x sprays of Fry Light Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper

Firstly spray the pan with the Fry Light and place on a low heat.

Peel and finely dice the onion and add to the pan.

Peel and mince the garlic and also add to the pan.

Now peel the carrot and finely dice, and cut the celery into small slithers too. Add both to the pan.

Once the vegetables are softened, add the turkey mince and season well.

Use a wooden spatula or spoon to gently break up the meat to avoid it all clumping together.

Once it has begun to brown, mix it around and allow it to cook all over. At this point add the dried cinnamon and stir.

Once the meat has all coloured, add the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, balsamic vinegar, oregano, sugar and rosemary and mix well. Now fill the empty tomato can up with water straight from the tap and pour over the meat.

Now simply allow to cook for at least thirty minutes until the sauce has reduced down and thickened up a little. The longer you cook the sauce for, the more intense the flavour will be so if you're not in a rush leave it to cook down for as long as you can.

Serve over spaghetti with a small smattering of Grana Padana and enjoy!