Spaghetti Bolognese
For my recipes I really try not to have too much preamble so we can just get straight to cooking, however this recipe is part of a series on adapting recipes to suit a low FODMAP diet. You can jump straight to the recipe, or you may like to read the notes below that talk about the changes I’ve made and why I’ve made them.
Original recipe creator
This recipe comes from Nagi from Recipe Tin Eats. If you’re not familiar with Nagi, her recipes are always very accessible, easy to follow and come out delicious time and time again.
Reading the recipe
When I find a recipe for something delicious, I start by taking a good read at the serving size and ingredients list. When doing so, if I see high FODMAP ingredients, I don’t just stop there and move onto something else or simply remove them, I think about ways in which I can adapt the recipe to still give the same taste.
The key things that stand out in this recipe:
The serving size is listed as 5 serves
Garlic cloves are used (these are high in fructans)
Onion is included (also high in fructans beyond 10g)
2 beef bouillon cubes
800g of crushed tomatoes (high in fructose over 100g)
Worcestershire sauce is used (high in GOS and Mannitol over 100g)
Adapting the recipe
Worcestershire sauce
Let’s begin with the easiest one, Worcestershire sauce. Although high in GOS and Mannitol over 100g, this recipe only calls for 2 teaspoons, so we can easily leave that in for our version. If you don’t have this on hand, another great replacement is soy sauce or tamari.
Garlic and onion
Next, lets take a look at the garlic and onion. In my version I’ve replaced these by using garlic and onion infused olive oil instead. Onion and garlic are water soluble but not oil soluble. This means that infused olive oils have the same great taste but the fructans don’t leech into the oil (or your cooking). So you can enjoy the flavour without any unwanted side effects.
Additional substitutions here for garlic and onion can be:
Onion or garlic replacement powders which can be found at specialty low FODMAP or health food stores
Beef bouillon cubes
For the beef bouillon cubes, or any other type of stock such as powder or liquid, these tend to contain high FODMAP ingredients such as onion or garlic. You’ll need to find a low FODMAP stock that doesn’t contain these ingredients or use a homemade version.
Crushed tomatoes
Lastly we have the crushed tomatoes, and this relates to the overall serving size of the dish too. As crushed or canned tomatoes are low FODMAP in servings of up to 100g, using 800g in this dish would be too much. Instead, we’re going to reduce the quantity used to 600g and increase the serving size of the dish to 6 serves. To accommodate for this change, I add in an extra 150g or so of water and also add in some vegetables to increase the volume overall. If you didn’t want to add any vegetables you could add some extra beef, or reduce the canned tomatoes down to 500g and use an extra 50 - 100g of water.
The water really doesn’t detract from the overall delicious flavour, but it does work best if you follow the slow cook method. In Nagi’s version, she has a quick 30 minute cook or a slow version which allows the flavours to really develop.
Spaghetti Bolognese
Slow-cooked to rich perfection, this low FODMAP spaghetti bolognese features ground beef, herbs and a gut friendly tomato sauce. Full of flavour, gentle on the stomach and perfect for hearty comfort without the bloat.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tbsp onion and garlic infused olive oil
- 500g beef mince
- 2 large carrots peeled and diced finely
- 1 large celery stalk diced finely
- ½ cup red wine
- 2 low FODMAP beef stock cubes
- 600g canned tomatoes
- 1 ¼ cups of water
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 2 springs fresh time
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 600g brown rice or quinoa pasta
- Parmesan cheese
Method
- In a large pot over medium high, heat olive oil.
- Add beef and cook until brown ensuring to break it up as you go.
- Add in carrot and celery and cook for a 1 - 2 minutes.
- Pour in red wine and allow to simmer for 1 - 2 minutes.
- Add in all remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Allow the ingredients to come to a simmer. Turn the heat down to very low and cover with a lid. Simmer for 2 - 2 ½ hours, stirring occasionally.
- If needed, after 2 - 2 ½ hours, take the lid off to thicken the sauce, raising the heat slightly.
- Serve with cooked pasta and top with parmesan.
This spaghetti bolognese is truly such a delicious and heart low FODMAP dish. Thanks to a few easy substitutions you can still achieve the same great rich flavour of the original recipe. As I mention in the notes above, you can cook the faster version of this if you like, but I like to set mine up early on the stove on a wintery Saturday or Sunday. Feel free to leave a comment below if you have any questions on how to adapt the recipe, or if there is a recipe you would love to see adapted. Explore more tips on how to modify a high FODMAP recipe.