Chicken bolognese

Serves: 4

Time to make: 50 mins

Ingredients

1 red onion
2 cloves garlic
1 carrot
1 stick celery
1 red capsicum
2 tablespoons olive oil
350g chicken mince
½ cup frozen spinach, defrosted
1 can Italian chopped tomatoes, any flavour (I used chilli and garlic)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
¼ cup wine (or chicken stock)
¼ cup water
½ cup fresh basil (or other fresh herbs to your taste)
salt and pepper

Instructions

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1 Chop vegetables finely; use a processor to do this really quickly.

2 Heat oil in a heavy-based pan over a medium heat. Put all fresh vegetables in the pan and cook until softened and fragrant, about 10 minutes.

3 Add chicken mince to pan, break up with a spoon, and cook until chicken has coloured. Add tomatoes, wine, water, spinach and tomato paste to pan. Simmer for around 20 minutes, until sauce has thickened.

4 Taste and adjust seasoning; add your favourite spices here if you like, such as chilli, oregano or paprika. Simmer for 5 minutes more.

5 Just before serving, add basil or other fresh herbs and stir through. Serve with freshly cooked pasta of your choice

Variations

Turn it into a pie by topping with hot mashed potato and a little grated cheese, then grill for 5 minutes.

HFG tip

Using lean beef mince in this recipe adds only a few extra kilojoules and no extra fat, so feel free to substitute.

Nutrition Info (per serve)

Calories 543 cal

Kilojoules 2270 kJ

Protein 33.2 g

Total fat 11 g

Saturated fat 2.3 g

Carbohydrates 75.7 g

Sugar 9.2 g

Dietary fibre 7.9 g

Sodium 345 mg

Calcium 125 mg

Iron 3.9 mg

Note: This nutrition analysis is a guide only. Nutrition composition will vary depending on the exact ingredients used. See our guides on your optimal daily nutrition intake, and supermarket shopping.