Slimming Secret Spaghetti is on the menu more than a few times per month!! We managed to create a smashing spaghetti that doesn’t require browning the meat first for crockpot cooking to save you that extra step on crazy days. For this reason, you need to use 85% lean ground meat. Using a fattier meat will make the sauce feel too greasy since you are not draining off the fat after browning. If you’d prefer to use an even leaner meat (like venison or 96% lean ground turkey), that would make this an FP and that’s fine, too, but we prefer this as an S. This recipe is a family-serve recipe that feeds 6 to 8 people. This recipe is found in the “Sanity-Saving Crockpot & Electric Pressure Cooker Meals” section of Trim Healthy Table Cookbook, on page 102.
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Slimming Secret Spaghetti
Description
Slimming Secret Spaghetti is on the menu more than a few times per month!! We managed to create a smashing spaghetti that doesn’t require browning the meat first for crockpot cooking to save you that extra step on crazy days. For this reason, you need to use 85% lean ground meat. Using a fattier meat will make the sauce feel too greasy since you are not draining off the fat after browning. If you’d prefer to use an even leaner meat (like venison or 96% lean ground turkey), that would make this an FP and that’s fine, too, but we prefer this as an S. This recipe is a family-serve recipe that feeds 6 to 8 people. This recipe is found in the "Sanity-Saving Crockpot & Electric Pressure Cooker Meals" section of Trim Healthy Table Cookbook, on page 102.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Put the meat in the bottom of a crockpot and break it up well with a fork. Add the seasoning blend and mix well with the meat.
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Add the garlic, 1½ cans of the diced tomatoes, the tomato paste, okra, oregano, salt, basil, thyme, cayenne, and sweetener (if using) to a blender. Blend the dickens out of this until it is all perfectly smooth, then add to the crock. Add the water, Parm, and, if using, the Trim Healthy Noodles or Not Naughty Noodles and stir well. (If using Troodles, don’t add these yet.)
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Cover and cook on high for 5 to 6 hours. If using Troodles, add them during the last 15 minutes of cooking.
Note
Recipe Notes
From page 102 of Trim Healthy Table:
"Now, time for a lecture. Tut-tut . . . we don’t want to hear any fretting about the amount of okra here. It is part of the slimming magic of this sauce. Give us some faith! All fears about okra sliminess will be alleviated when you taste the final result . . . no okra detected. And here’s a direct command from yours trulies... DO NOT TELL YOUR KIDS (OR PICKY HUSBAND) ABOUT THE OKRA IN THIS SAUCE! It is our little secret and we must keep it forever. Our okra-despising teenage boys love this meal, but only because they have no idea of our secret shenanigans. What if you don’t have okra? Okay, leave it out. This recipe still works without it."
If you’d rather make this in a regular pot on the stove...
"Go ahead and brown the meat with the seasoning blend first. It still works great. However, if you choose to use the konjac noodles they get wonderfully soft after cooking in the crockpot all day. Slow-cooking konjac-based noodles all day like this is a fabulous way to develop a taste for them, and they can be a powerful tool in your weight-loss belt."
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ELECTRIC PRESSURE COOKER DIRECTIONS: Cook the meat on sauté mode, then add the blended sauce and all the other ingredients (except the Parmesan and Troodles, if using) to the pot. Seal and cook at high pressure for 10 minutes. Use natural pressure release for at least 10 minutes followed by quick pressure release. If using Troodles, immediately add them after cooking so they can spend a few minutes softening in the piping hot sauce. Stir in the Parmesan cheese if using.
NOTE: This recipe was created and tested using a 6-quart Instant Pot. If you are using a different brand or different size electric pressure cooker, consider modifying the recipe as your results may vary from ours. Example: If you are using an 8-quart, consider adding more liquid as the larger circumference often needs more liquid to come to pressure.)
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MAKE A FAMILY MEAL:
- For the weight-loss plan, feel free to top your spaghetti with some extra Parmesan cheese or any grated cheese. Have a side salad with a vinaigrette dressing, and perhaps WWBB Garlic Bread (page 245).
- Growing children can enjoy a healthy carb such as whole-grain noodles in place of the noodle options here or they can have it with buttered sprouted-grain bread for a Crossover.
