Spaghetti Bolognese (with hidden liver)

Spaghetti_Bolognese_with_Hidden_Liver_by_Jordan_Pie_Nutritionist_Photographer-1.jpg

If you’ve been struggling with fatigue, brain fog, difficulty concentrating, food cravings, irregular menstrual cycles, iron deficiency, energy slumps and generally just feeling floppy, I implore you get onto the liver bandwagon! Why? Because gram for gram liver contains more nutrients than ANY OTHER food. Due to the high amounts of bioavailable nutrients in liver, it plays a key role in rebuilding nutritional deficiencies.

Liver is nature's most concentrated source of Vitamin A (the high vitamin A content can help repair severe hormonal damage and plays a key role in liver health and detox)⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣, it’s rich in brain-building choline, bioavailable zinc, iron, copper, Vitamins D, E, K and B vitamins (especially B12) + it contains anti-fatigue factors! I don’t know a mumma who couldn’t use an anti-fatigue boost. It’s also fantastic to incorporate into your diet if you’re pregnant, breastfeeding or trying to conceive as it’s incredibly rich in folate.

I personally love liver so I don’t struggle eating it, but I know it’s one of those foods that so many people have a hard time incorporating into their diet. Fortunately there IS a way to get your family to eat liver and like it! This sneaky spaghetti bolognese sauce completely masks the taste and texture of liver - so much that you could serve it to a picky eater and they wouldn’t even know the difference!

If you’re a liver skeptic or hater, I suggest you give this recipe a try.

Serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS

  • 500-600g organic or grass-fed lamb, beef or venison mince

  • 2x 400ml organic tinned tomatoes

  • 200-250g (salt free) tomato paste

  • 1 zucchini, grated

  • 1 carrot, grated

  • 1 broccoli stem, grated

  • 4-6 mushrooms, finely diced (optional)

  • 1 large onion, finely diced

  • 4-6 garlic cloves, crushed

  • 1 cup fresh basil, chopped

  • 2 tsp dried oregano

  • 2 tsp dried thyme or mixed herbs

  • 1 Tbsp Meadow & Marrow Bone Broth Concentrate mixed into 1 cup hot water or 1 cup homemade bone broth

  • A generous splash of organic, preservative free red wine (optional)

  • 1 tsp turmeric powder

  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar

  • Salt and pepper to taste

  • Butter or ghee for cooking

  • 1-2 raw, frozen organic chicken livers, grated*

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat a large sauce pan on medium heat. 
2. Add the butter or ghee along with the onion. Fry the onion until golden brown and until it starts to get some colour. 
3. Add in the mushrooms, grated zucchini, carrot and broccoli stem and begin to fry them off until they get some colour too.
4. Now add the mince and fry all over until it has browned nicely.
5. Add all of the remaining ingredients. I also use about 1/4 cup of water (per tomato can) to wash out the remaining tomato bits and swish it around. If it needs more liquid add bone broth as a top up. I like to simmer mine with the lid off so some of the added liquid evaporates, but it also allows all the flavours to develop and intensify. Allow this to simmer for roughly an hour and stir it every now and then.
6. Taste the sauce and adjust any of the flavours, herbs or spices if needed. 
7. Carefully grate the frozen chicken livers and stir in the fine liver flakes (they dissolve in the hot sauce).
8. Continue to simmer for as long as desired. 
9. When it's ready, serve it up with GF pasta, zoodles (zucchini noodles), rice noodles or Cauliflower Puree and a big dollop of Coconut Yoghurt on top to ensure I'm getting my daily dose of probiotics. Sprinkle fresh herbs on top and enjoy.

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*TIPS

  • I place 4-5 chicken livers into zip lock bags and place them into my freezer drawers on a flat surface (trying to separate them in the bag), this makes it easier to remove 1 or 2 as needed.

  • The amount of liver you use depends on how much you like liver; as someone who loves it, I used 2 large frozen chicken livers grated and the taste still feels “hidden” to me, but if your trying to fool kids.. perhaps start with 1 chicken liver your first time making this recipe.

  • I found thawing the liver for 2-3 minutes before grating them was much easier than grating it straight out of the freezer.

Spaghetti_Bolognese_with_Hidden_Liver_Portrait_by_Jordan_Pie_Nutritionist_Photographer-2.jpg

For more information on liver and it’s health benefits, you can also read my blog post ‘Why Liver Is A Superfood + How-To Eat Liver - A Beginners Guide’

For more liver recipes, check out my ‘Bacon & Garlic Liver Pate’

And my ‘Hidden Liver Meatballs’