AIP bolognese over spaghetti squash: a slow, rich dinner built from real ingredients

Few dishes feel as much like home as a slow pan of bolognese, and this version keeps every bit of that feeling. Nomato sauce carries the tomato's depth without the nightshade, coconut milk stands in for cream, and spaghetti squash takes the place of the noodles. It is still a rich, patient dinner, built entirely from real, whole ingredients.

The ground beef is a source of zinc and bioavailable iron, both involved in immune function and in carrying oxygen through the body. The soffritto base of onion, carrot, and celery brings carotenoids and fiber that feed the bacteria along the gut lining. This is dinner that holds its weight as nourishment, not just as a meal.

A cow gave this meal. Cook it with that in mind, and serve it on a plate you are glad to sit down to.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1 lb ground beef
• 4 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup coconut milk (stands in for milk or cream)
• 1/2 cup nomato sauce (not tomato; AIP compliant)
• Pinch of sea salt
• 1 spaghetti squash, cooked and shredded

This is AIP compliant as written. Nomato sauce replaces tomato and coconut milk replaces dairy cream, so no further swaps are needed.

Method

Warm the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook until they soften.

Add the ground beef, chopped bacon, and garlic. Break the meat apart and cook with the vegetables until browned through.

Stir in the coconut milk and nomato sauce, season with a pinch of sea salt, and let everything simmer for about 15 minutes, until the meat is fully cooked and the sauce comes together.

Fork the cooked spaghetti squash into strands, rewarm if needed, and spoon the sauce over the top.

Instant Pot variation

Set the Instant Pot to Saute. Warm the coconut oil and soften the onion, carrot, and celery, then add the beef, bacon, and garlic and brown them. Stir in the coconut milk and nomato sauce, cancel Saute, and use the Saute or a low simmer to finish the sauce until the meat is done. The squash is cooked separately. Treat the simmer timing as untested and watch it the first time.

*Adapted from a-clean-plate*