Air Fryer Spaghetti Bolognese Sauce Recipe
Can you cook spaghetti Bolognese in an air fryer? Yes! This air fryer spaghetti Bolognese is gluten free, low carb, keto, and dairy free!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces lean ground beef (227 grams; I used 90/10 lean beef)
- 3 ounces onion (85 grams; about ½ small onion)
- 1 ounce carrot (28 grams; about ½ medium carrot)
- 1 ounce celery (28 grams; about ½ stalk celery)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 14 ounces crushed tomatoes (397 grams; from a can)
- ½ tablespoon dried parsley
- ½ tablespoon dried oregano
- ½ tablespoon dried basil
- salt and pepper, to taste
- cooked whole grain pasta or spaghetti squash, for serving
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (omit for dairy-free)
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves (for garnish)
Instructions
- Crumble the raw ground beef as finely as you can. If you leave it in big pieces, it won’t cook thoroughly.
- Mince the garlic and chop the onion into ½-inch dice (1.27 cm). Chop the celery and carrot into ¼-inch dice (0.6 cm) or smaller. It is important to chop the celery and carrot very small so they’ll soften faster with cooking.
- Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 375°F (190°C).
- Carefully put the ground beef on about half of a heated air fryer tray. Place the onions, celery, carrot, and garlic on the other half of the tray. Drizzle olive oil over the veggies. Place the tray in the top rack position of the air fryer oven.
- Air fry for 5 minutes at 375°F (190°C). Crumble the ground beef up a little more if needed. The carrots and celery won’t get too much softer in the sauce. Air fry them for a few more minutes if needed.
- Line an 8-inch by 8-inch aluminum pan (20.3 by 20.3 cm) with parchment paper. Put the cooked meat and veggies in the pan. Add the crushed tomatoes, parsley, oregano, dried basil, salt, and pepper. Stir.
- Cover the pan tightly with foil. Place on a rack in the middle of the air fryer and air fry at 375°F (190°C) for 35-45 minutes. Let the sauce cool for 5 minutes.
- Serve the Bolognese sauce over your favorite pasta or spiralized veggies, Top with Parmesan cheese and fresh basil, if desired.
Notes
This is a level 1 recipe (may help support fat loss). Bolognese sauce is a filling pasta sauce packed with protein and veggies. You can use it to easily create high calorie or low-calorie meals.
If you have a weight loss goal, I recommend using this sauce on top of spiralized veggie noodles. Zucchini noodles, summer squash noodles, butternut squash noodles and other varieties can be found fresh or frozen in many supermarkets. The veggies provide even more low calorie volume and help increase your fiber intake.
For those on high protein diets, serve the Bolognese over a legume pasta. Explore Cuisine and Banza are two brands creating delicious high protein pastas made of chickpeas, soy, and other legumes.
For a high energy meal (great for kids and athletes), you can pile this sauce on a grain-based pasta. Adding a whole grain to this spaghetti sauce ensures your meal has another food group covered. Serve side salads for more veggies with this option.
I like that this is a recipe for Bolognese without wine since we rarely have alcohol in the house. For a vitamin A boost, stir ¼ cup of liver pate into the recipe, as I did with these stuffed peppers. A hearty Bolognese is a great way to hide the robust flavor of liver.
However you choose to enjoy it, I think you’ll find this humble dish of meaty Bolognese is a lovely comfort food. It's a delightful way to warm up on a chilly evening!
Nutrition information is for one serving of the recipe including the fresh basil and Parm toppings. Pasta or spiralized squash noodles are not included.
Nutrition
Calories: 382kcalCarbohydrates: 23.2gProtein: 27.7gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 6gPotassium: 841.4mgFiber: 7.3gVitamin C: 26.6% DVCalcium: 9.9% DVIron: 34.9% DV
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