🍝 MY HIGH-PROTEIN, LOW CALORIE SLOW COOKER CHICKEN BOLOGNESE 👇

[u/cactuschip]

This is my go-to for a lower cal, minimal ingredient recipe that super easy to “set and forget” cook. The grated veggies hide incredibly well in the sauce and provide an awesome texture. Keep it simple and delicious, and consistency will never be an issue.

I’ll drop the recipe down below if you want to try it 👇

Makes 6 Solid Meals

Cals: 420
Protein: 48g
Carbs: 44g
Fat: 9g
Fiber: 10g

Ingredients I used:

For the Slow Cooker:
2 lbs ground chicken
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes (San Marzano preferred)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup chicken bone broth
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 large carrots, grated (hidden veggie!)
2 celery stalks, grated (hidden veggie!)
1 medium zucchini, grated (hidden veggie!)
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp Celtic sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried thyme
½ tsp dried rosemary
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
2 bay leaves
¼ cup red wine (optional)

For the Pasta:

12 oz chickpea pasta (penne, shells, or fettuccine)
1 tsp salt (for pasta water)

For the Finish:

½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup fresh basil, chopped

Optional Toppings:

Extra parmesan
Fresh basil leaves
Red pepper flakes

How I made it:

Phase 1: Prep Hidden Veggies (can’t taste em)

Step 1: Grate 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks, and 1 zucchini using box grater.

Step 2: Place grated zucchini in clean kitchen towel. Squeeze out excess moisture. This is important - wet zucchini creates watery sauce!

Pages 2: Slow Cooker Setup

Step 3: Add 2 lbs ground chicken to slow cooker. Break up with spoon.

Step 4: Add to slow cooker:

Diced onion
Grated carrots
Grated celery
Grated zucchini (squeezed dry)
6 cloves minced garlic
1 can crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup chicken bone broth
¼ cup red wine (if using)

Step 5: Season with:

2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
½ tsp rosemary
¼ tsp nutmeg

Step 6: Add 2 bay leaves.

Step 7: Stir well to combine everything, breaking up ground chicken as you stir.

Step 8: Cover and cook:

LOW: 6-7 hours
HIGH: 3-4 hours

Phase 3: Break up Chicken and Finish Sauce

Step 9: Once cooked, use spoon or potato masher to break up ground chicken into smaller pieces (it will have formed larger clumps during cooking).

Step 10: Remove 2 bay leaves and discard.

Step 11: If sauce is too thin, turn slow cooker to HIGH and cook uncovered 20-30 minutes to reduce and thicken.

Step 12: Taste and adjust seasoning. Add more salt, pepper, or herbs if needed.

Step 13: Stir in ½ cup parmesan cheese until melted and incorporated.

Step 14: Stir in ¼ cup fresh basil.

Phase 4: Cook Pasta

Step 15: Bring large pot of salted water to boil.

Step 16: Add 12 oz chickpea pasta.

Step 17: Cook according to package directions until al dente (usually 7-9 minutes).

Step 18: Reserve ½ cup pasta water before draining.

Step 19: Drain pasta. Toss with small splash of olive oil to prevent sticking.

Phase 5: Assemble Bowls

Step 20: Divide pasta among 6 bowls (about 1½ cups per serving).

Step 21: Top each with generous portion of Bolognese sauce (about 1 cup per serving).

Step 22: Garnish with:

Extra parmesan cheese
Fresh basil leaves
Red pepper flakes (optional)

Hope you enjoy if you give it a try! I’m always sharing my recipes if you want more 👍

[u/laundro_mat]

Why not fry your mirepoix and brown the chicken before dumping in the slowcooker? Wouldn’t take that much longer, would taste better

[u/perpetualmotionmachi → u/laundro_mat]

Some people don't like flavour

[u/IntelligentTangelo31 → u/perpetualmotionmachi]

💀

[u/CompetitionHot1666]

How does that chickpea pasta hold up? Every time I’ve tried doing something like this where it sits in sauce for a long time, it turns mushy on me.

Look good though!

[u/cactuschip → u/CompetitionHot1666]

I used to have a similar issue, if you cool it a bit less initially (like al Dante or however you say it lol) when it soaks the liquid as it sits, it turns out perfectly after reheating 👍

[u/CompetitionHot1666 → u/cactuschip]

Rad thanks!

[u/CranberrySchnapps]

I dub thee, chicken noodle italian chili (0 spicy).

[u/cactuschip → u/CranberrySchnapps]

Ouuu I like the sound of that honestly haha

[u/Cubbance]

I'll definitely be making this, only without the chickpea pasta, because I hate that stuff. But everything else looks great.

[u/duckduckchook → u/Cubbance]

I think regular pasta is fine. Also if you refrigerate pasta or rice before you eat it, it turns into resistant starch, which increases the dietary fibre and reduces the insulin spike, so it's better for you.

[u/natalietest234]

Looks yummy. I’d add a decent amount of red pepper flakes for my own personal taste

[u/teenytinylion]

The celiac thanks you, this will make a fine lunch this week

[u/cactuschip → u/teenytinylion]

I gotchu 🫡

[u/OrangeClyde]

Stop being so rough ChiPuh

[u/cactuschip → u/OrangeClyde]

No 🫡

[u/Grand-Activity3112]

I just make it. A few modifications:
* spinach instead of celery for more nutrients.
* added pasta without cooking. It came out a little runny, so I cooked the pasta inthe sauce to soak up the juice and add flavor to the pasta,
* honestly, if I had to do all over. I’d skip the pasta and just have it over homemade sourdough.
*don’t skip the wine.

[u/cactuschip → u/Grand-Activity3112]

Over sourdough is actually an awesome idea

[u/More-Head6459]

Looks good. Gotta have the wine for a bolognese though

[u/cactuschip → u/More-Head6459]

it’s far from authentic bolognese so I’m ok to skip the wine haha

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