Low-carb meals

These Italian-inspired dishes, which showcase vegies posing as pasta, won’t weigh you down!

PARSNIP NOODLES WITH SPICY LAMB MEATBALL RAGÙ

PREP + COOK TIME 35 MINUTES SERVES 4 ¼ cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil 600g thick lamb sausages

400g eschalots, chopped finely 2 cloves garlic, chopped finely 2 teaspoons smoked paprika 1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon fennel seeds 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves 2 tablespoons tomato paste 1 tablespoon harissa paste

2 cups (500ml) chicken stock

400g can diced tomatoes

6 large parsnips (2kg), trimmed

25g butter

¼ cup (20g) finely grated

pecorino cheese

¼ cup loosely packed fresh oregano

1 Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large deep frying pan over medium heat. Squeeze sausage meat from casings, separating it into small meatballs. Cook meatballs, shaking pan occasionally, for 4 minutes or until browned all over. Remove from pan.

2 Heat another 1 tablespoon of the oil in same pan over medium heat. Cook eschalots and garlic, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until soft.

3 Add spices and fennel seeds. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add thyme and pastes. Cook, stirring, for a further 2 minutes or until fragrant. Stir in stock and tomatoes. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low, then simmer for 10 minutes or until reduced by half. Stir meatballs into sauce. Season to taste. Keep sauce hot over low heat.

4 Using a spiraliser, cut parsnips into thick noodles. Heat butter and remaining oil in a separate large deep frying pan, with a lid, over medium heat. Add parsnip and cook, covered, for 5 minutes or until just tender. Season to taste.

5 Serve parsnip noodles with meatballs and sauce, topped with pecorino and oregano.

BEETROOT & WHITE BEAN GNOCCHI WITH ROCKET PESTO

PREP + COOK TIME 1 HOUR 15 MINUTES (+ REFRIGERATION) SERVES 4 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 250g beetroot, peeled, grated coarsely 400g can butter beans, drained,

rinsed

1 egg, beaten lightly

½ cup (40g) finely grated parmesan ½ cup (85g) fine semolina,

plus extra, to dust

40g butter

¼ cup (25g) coarsely chopped

walnuts, toasted

1 cup (50g) firmly packed baby

rocket leaves

ROCKET PESTO

½ cup firmly packed baby

rocket leaves

½ cup firmly packed fresh basil leaves 1/3 cup (35g) coarsely chopped

walnuts, toasted

1/3 cup (25g) freshly grated parmesan 1 clove garlic, crushed

¼ cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 Heat oil in a large frying pan over low heat. Cook beetroot, stirring, for 10 minutes or until soft. Blend or process beetroot with the butter beans until smooth. Season to taste. 2 Place beetroot mixture in a large bowl. Stir in egg, 2 tablespoons of the parmesan and the semolina until a soft, sticky dough is formed.

3 Divide dough into four portions; roll each portion, on a surface dusted with a little extra semolina, into long ropes, about 2cm thick. Cut each rope into 1cm pieces. Roll pieces into balls then run each piece of dough over the back of a fork to create light indents (this will help the sauce cling to the gnocchi). Place gnocchi, in a single layer, on a semolina-dusted tray. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. 4 Meanwhile, make rocket pesto.

5 Cook gnocchi, in batches, in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 3 minutes or until gnocchi float to the surface. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon, then place in a large shallow bowl. Cover to keep warm. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the cooking water.

6 Melt butter in a large frying pan over high heat. Add cooked gnocchi, stirring to combine. Stir the reserved cooking water into the pesto.

7 Divide gnocchi among bowls.

Spoon over pesto. Top with walnuts, rocket and remaining parmesan.

ROCKET PESTO Blend or process all the ingredients until smooth. Season to taste.