Courgetti Bolognese
A spiralizer turns one zucchini into the entire base of this Bolognese. Ground beef, nine ounces of stir-fry vegetables, and diced tomatoes build a sauce heavy enough to make you forget the pasta is missing. The finished bowl: 338 calories, 29 grams of protein, 14 grams of fiber.
The volume comes from vegetables stacked three layers deep. Spiralized zucchini on the bottom, Asian-style mixed vegetables folded into the meat sauce, diced tomatoes binding it all together.
A spiralizer turns one zucchini into the entire base of this Bolognese. Ground beef, nine ounces of stir-fry vegetables, and diced tomatoes build a sauce heavy enough to make you forget the pasta is missing. The finished bowl: 338 calories, 29 grams of protein, 14 grams of fiber.
The volume comes from vegetables stacked three layers deep. Spiralized zucchini on the bottom, Asian-style mixed vegetables folded into the meat sauce, diced tomatoes binding it all together.
Ingredients
- garlic 1 clove
- onion 0.5
- zucchini 1
- olive oil 0.5 tablespoon
- 96% lean ground beef 3 ounces
- mixed vegetables, Asian style 9 ounces
- diced tomatoes 6 ounces
Method
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Squeeze the garlic clove and chop the onion. Create ribbons of zucchini using the spiralizer.
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Heat the oil in a pan. Add the ground beef, onion and garlic. Cook the meat until browned, then add the stir-fry vegetables. Sauté for 2 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes and let it simmer on low heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the sauce to a deep plate.
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In the same pan, warm the courgetti for 1-2 minutes.
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Arrange the courgetti on top of the sauce, season with salt and pepper and mix everything together.
Spiralized zucchini releases water fast. If you have an extra five minutes, toss the ribbons with a pinch of salt, let them sit in a colander, and pat dry before warming. The sauce clings better and the bowl stays together through the last bite.
Behind this recipe
Is 29 grams of protein enough from one meal?
The idea that the body stops using protein after roughly 30 grams per meal has been tested directly — and no hard ceiling emerged. Muscle protein synthesis kept rising past that mark in trained individuals. Twenty-nine grams from this bowl sits right in the range most studies find effective for a single meal.
Read the full evidence reviewWhat counts as Asian-style mixed vegetables?
Most frozen brands label a mix of water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, broccoli, snap peas, bell peppers, and bean sprouts as Asian style. The exact blend varies by brand, but any stir-fry vegetable mix works here. The recipe needs volume and crunch, not a specific vegetable.
Is 338 calories enough for a full dinner?
That depends on your daily total. At four meals per day, 338 calories per meal puts you around 1,350 for the day — a common range during a calorie deficit. If your target is higher, scaling the ground beef portion adds protein and calories without changing the rest of the recipe.
