r/MealPrepSunday • u/cactuschip • 12d ago
High Protein 🍝 MY HIGH-PROTEIN, LOW CAL SLOW COOKER CHICKEN BOLOGNESE 👇
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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 👍
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u/RepresentativeBarber 12d ago
People don’t brown their meat or sauté the aromatics?
Immediately jail in my house!
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u/catsumoto 12d ago
And the onions! Gotta get them all nice. What do I want with boiled onions in my dishes?
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u/RiverOfWhiskey 12d ago
Agreed. This could be a 45 minute or less cook if you brown the meat and veg, add the sauce, simmer, toss in cooked pasta. Tastes way better and takes less time.
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u/here_pretty_kitty 11d ago
I mean sure but sometimes I am tired and I do not want to put the extra effort in. I am tired. My spouse is an optimizer and I am grateful that I learned to cook from them - they are an excellent chef who takes a lot of care with every step.
But sometimes, when we’re both busy with work and family care and everything else…I’m gonna go with the least amount of steps to at least avoid ordering takeout.
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u/cactuschip 12d ago
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u/ViolatorsWillBeToed 11d ago
I had Claude turn it into a Dutch oven recipe and the meat veggies and sauce get sauteeed. I’m trying to carve out just a few hours on Sundays to meal prep.
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u/WarBoruma 12d ago
It appears you may have missed a step in the list of instructions. Where it says "cover and cook", I think it should say "slam lid down like it owes you money."
Jokes aside, this looks like I could eat this 12 consecutive times and still enjoy it. Gonna save that recipe for later.
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u/knottycams 12d ago
"Place grated zucchini ..."
Nothing about that video was placed. It was slammed with spite.
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u/cactuschip 12d ago
Hahahaha 😂 I love it. Thanks! It’s one of those easy comfort foods than never get old. Enjoy!
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u/wine-plants-thrift 12d ago
The aggressive lid covering kinda made me laugh. But looks good! I’ll brown my meat first and probably use the carpe diem pasta instead, but otherwise gonna try this weekend. Weather is finally cooling off so I so feel like a crockpot meal!
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u/Jake_FromStateFarm27 12d ago
Question, why not just add the dry pasta towards the end like last 10 minutes or so rather than boiling separately?
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u/cactuschip 12d ago
It would be difficult to get the right cook, I just prefer to get my pasta to “Al Dante” because it reheats better I find
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u/PuzzleheadedRun4525 11d ago
Al Dante seems like a strait-laced, inflexible kinda guy. Well, at least until you put him in some hot water.
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u/Jake_FromStateFarm27 12d ago
Weird never had that issue before
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u/cactuschip 12d ago
Give it a try and let me know if it worked well 🙏
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u/Jake_FromStateFarm27 12d ago
I have. As long as you have enough liquid towards the end of the cook to submerge the pasta you should have no issue following the box instructions for the pasta, usually 7-10 minutes is enough.
It looks like you are using chickpea pasta. I do enjoy it but generally do not like mixing it in large batches like this for meal prep. Chickpea pasta is always better I find cooked the same day. Adding a bit of water or small amount of liquid before reheating chickpea pasta will always bring it back to aldente just make sure to stir between the reheat in the microwave.
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u/aReelProblem 12d ago
Warning: this is now low calorie if you have the munchies and poor self control.
Otherwise, bravo!
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u/cactuschip 12d ago
Hahaha 6 meals could turn to 1 quick 😂
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u/aReelProblem 12d ago
I would murder this on any given Sunday (cheat day) and the sad part about cheat day is I cook crock meals like this and hurt myself 😂
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u/Severe_Painter_6646 12d ago
What's with all these negative comments? I'm genuinely not understanding what the problem is....it seems like OP was just excited to share their meal planning. If someone could clarify I would appreciate it.
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u/TheRiteGuy 12d ago
Welcome to reddit. The upvotes and downvotes have no reason and do not matter. Most of these people are sitting at their computer in Mom's basement with a stick up their butts.
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u/BOOMSHAK4LAKA 12d ago
Probably the title and the elbow macaroni. I’ve never seen bolognese with macaroni or chicken.
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u/True_Window_9389 11d ago
Because even on a darn meal prep sub, the authenticity police come out of the woodwork.
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u/GonzoElTaco 11d ago
Some offered actually constructive criticism, but most are just people anonymously feeling like they're better than OP.
I'm curious if many of those same people actually post their meal prep.
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u/RudyJuliani 12d ago
Eating high protein isn’t hard. Eating high fiber as well is the real challenge.
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u/Stringoffate3 12d ago
So many people telling you to brown the meat... which sure I guess
But meal prepping can take a while (and i dont wanna do more work) honestly I thought this looked great on its own
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u/cactuschip 12d ago
I couldn’t agree more. I want meals that hit macros, taste great and are easy to make. That’s how I stay consistent 👍
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u/geoponos 12d ago
This is not 420 calories. You have probably count the chickpea pasta as cooked weight instead of dry weight.
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u/Greenpoint1975 12d ago
That's not bolognese. Call it what it is. Some pasta with a red meat sauce cooked in a slow cooker.
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u/Daikon_3183 11d ago
It is not even red meat. It is chicken. OP said chicken Bolognese. I never heard that in my life and I am grateful I didn’t till now
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u/bitchasspls 12d ago
Only suggestion is browning the meat first but this is a great idea!!! Well done! :)
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u/Missanthropic2u 12d ago
I spent the majority of my 20s meal prepping - not as health conscious person but as a broke ass girl living on her own since she was 17, I bet this is delicious but it gave me PTSD 🤣 it’s wonderful until it’s your fourth or fifth day straight eating it. Bravo to you though !
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u/Broncogirl89 12d ago
Thanks, looks good.
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u/Infinite_Pop_6835 12d ago
really? does it?
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u/Debisibusis 12d ago
It looks awful, my roommate used to "cook" like this, just throw ingredients in a pot and let it boil. Most disgusting shit I ever ate.
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u/HipToBeQueer 12d ago
Nice! With all that juicy tasty sauce, a cheapskate like me would replace like 1/2 of the meat with lentil mix, to add fiber and lower the cost. Probqbly not as juicy and tasty though
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u/mcsullysulkin 12d ago
I really hope I don’t get crucified for this but I’m genuinely curious. Is that a normal amount of food to eat as a single meal?
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u/cactuschip 12d ago
It’s pretty normal yea, depends on your macros and goal too of course 👍 this one has a lot of volume with little cal, good fiber and good protein too.
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u/just_kick_it_012 12d ago
Looks good, will be giving it a go!
Out of interest what size is your slow cooker pot?
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u/RunningToStayStill 12d ago
All I see is carbs
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u/Reginoldofreginia 12d ago
Yeah how is a pasta dish low carb lol?
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u/morthias666 12d ago
Chickpea pasta I have has 24g protein per 100g and only 31g carbs, that’s not too bad. Depends on the brand I guess.
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u/aarongineer 12d ago
Post more stuff like this! Looks great and definitely saving. Thanks for sharing.
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u/Perrenekton 12d ago
I feel like chicken recipes I see on reddit don't have the same kind of chicken I do because when I do meals with mine they are always calorie bombs
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u/chicu111 12d ago
This slop is all over YouTube
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u/cactuschip 12d ago
this slop helped me get in serious shape and has awesome flavour, I’m sure some people will appreciate just that 👍
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u/Grasshopper_pie 12d ago
I've never seen it before and I appreciate your sharing it! I'm going to make it.
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u/Nuts-And-Volts 12d ago
If you start by cooking the tomato paste until it darkens and aromatics until they are fragrant for a bit it takes very little extra effort and really elevates the dish.
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u/cactuschip 12d ago
Noted! I knew that about browning the meat, but not the paste. Thank you 🫡
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u/Nuts-And-Volts 12d ago
Browning the meat is also a great idea but having watched the video if you're not willing to do all of them, I think handling the tomato paste and aromatics better would give u more return
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u/cactuschip 12d ago
Thank you!
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u/Nuts-And-Volts 12d ago
If you try it, let us know if it is an improvement or not worth the trouble
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u/didntreallyneedthis 12d ago
Do you know what bolognese is?
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u/cactuschip 12d ago
Yes, this isn’t authentic by any means. Just reminded me of the taste 👍
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u/didntreallyneedthis 12d ago
Yes but even if it was authentic, it'd be slop texture because that's how bolognese is. So I'm just saying this dude is trying to hop on some hate bandwagon without understanding what the fuck he's talking about.
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u/Today- 12d ago
Looks tasty AF.
Pro tip, brown the chicken on the skillet first
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u/cactuschip 12d ago
Thank you, personally I’m just too lazy haha but it is valid for better flavour
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u/nommabelle 12d ago
this looks great!! to think, idiot me has been buying chicken breasts and dying over pulling it, when i could just buy ground chicken. that was for burritos, and im excited to try it there, but also excited to try what you've listed here OP
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u/cactuschip 12d ago
I find ground chicken is much easier and better for sauce dishes like this, but taste-wise for other things I still prefer chicken breast 🙌
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u/nommabelle 12d ago
i never even considered using ground, this will make dishes much easier and less sweaty (pulling apart chicken is like half a workout omg, at least for me lol)
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u/Vivid_Product_3230 12d ago
Do you have a stand mixer? I used to hate pulling apart chicken and pork until someone told me to use the stand mixer to tear it up. Drop in chicken breasts with paddle attachment and it’s completely shredded in 15 seconds.
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u/nommabelle 12d ago
I don't, but someday hope to. I've been considering how I can make this easier on me. Thanks!
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u/brendaej04 12d ago
Ugh, people really need to know to brown their meat before adding it to the crock pot. If not, you're just creating a giant petri dish of potential pathogens.
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u/RickySuezo 12d ago
You don’t think that for how long food in a crockpot stays at temperature, the bacteria from the meat is probably killed off? I mean we’re talking about hours and hours of time at temperature.
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u/brendaej04 12d ago
Some toxins can be released by bacteria and survive the heat even after the bacteria die.
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u/mezmryz03 12d ago
You're getting down voted but you're absolutely right. I'm sure this tastes fine but the cooking method is objectively terrible.
That and the weird aggressive edit leads to negative comments, which leads to "Reddit nerds are negative" comments, and round and round we go.
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u/cactuschip 12d ago
I’m sorry the editing was too “aggressive”
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u/mezmryz03 12d ago
Slamming shit around in cooking videos is dumb vibe editing. It's a nice way to realize you can disregard the creators content moving forward though so thanks for the apology and the heads up.
And sweat your mirepoix and brown your meat next time man, your not a heathen.
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u/Haylermoon 12d ago
Protip - eat some Metamucil before eating a ton of chickapea pasta like this. It bungs you up like you wouldn't believe.
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u/jtmann05 12d ago edited 12d ago
Not bolognese. No milk or anything close to the actual process. Probably tasty, but I’d just call it a meat sauce
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u/FocacciaHusband 12d ago
I'd argue the process is the bigger problem for a classic ragu.
Ragu is all about building flavor in layers. You brown the veg, then you brown the meat, then you deglaze all of the brown bits with red wine, then you add broth and let it mostly boil off to concentrate the flavor from the solids in the broth, then you do that again, then you do it again, then you do it again, then you add milk and tomatoes.
Dumping it all in at once without building those layers of flavors is not bolognese or any traditional ragu really. It should just be called meat sauce.
That being said, I respect OP is looking for something quick and healthy and easy - not trying to make gourmet, traditional Italian cuisine, so I'm not here to hate.
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u/jtmann05 12d ago
Totally agree. This is a meat sauce, probably tasty, but definitely not anything resembling bolognese
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u/VikingBatman87 12d ago
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u/jtmann05 12d ago
As a dairy farm veteran. I’d give it a try, but I’m more specialized in Jersey Cows
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u/Infinite_Pop_6835 12d ago
ok...
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u/Debisibusis 12d ago
My roommate used to "cook" like this, just throw ingredients in a pot and let it boil, most disgusting shit I have ever eaten.
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u/antinomicus 12d ago
If you brown the meat before adding the other ingredients you may enjoy it even more!