Zucchini "Noodle" Spaghetti

I love pasta. I mean, really love it. Unfortunately your run-of-the-mill white pasta is about as nutritionally void as food comes. It falls right in there with other things I love, but do my best to avoid like white potatoes and Texas toast. The next best substitution would be whole wheat pasta, but you can do better than that. Enter...The Zucchini "Noodle."

You will need a mandolin with a julienne attachment to make your noodles. Well, a mandolin or incredible knife skills and hours of spare time, both of which I don't have and I'm willing to bet you don't either.

Start by adding your oil to a large pan and add onions. Everything for this recipe goes in this pan, so start with a big one. Cook the onions for 3-4 minutes and add garlic. Cook the two together for a minute or two more, until onions are soft and translucent and then add your meat. This can either be extra lean ground beef or ground turkey. Tonight Matt wanted beef, so that's what he got. When the meat is thoroughly browned add your basil, oregano, and parsley.

I would love to make marinara from fresh farmer's market tomatoes, but that time just isn't quite here yet...come on summer! So tonight I'm taking a little marinara shortcut with a can of 100% Natural Hunts crushed tomatoes. I just like that brand the best because it has the right consistency to make a sauce and hardly ever has weird pieces of tomato skin like some brands, but hey--- feel free to use what you like.  I will post a great marinara recipe when tomato season rolls around but for now, pour in the crushed tomatoes and stir well. Now, put a lid on the sauce and turn your heat down to let the sauce simmer while you prep your veggies.

For this recipe I add lots of extra veggies. All that extra veg makes you feel like you are getting to eat a great big plate of food...which you are and it's all good you! And bonus...those veggies are full of fiber which keeps you feeling full. When I'm using a lot of different veggies in one meal I often opt for a frozen vegetable mix. My favorite brand is pictured below. It is the most generic looking packaging ever, but it is a great blend and it is already cut into bite size pieces. Most importantly, there is nothing in this blend except vegetables- zucchini, squash, onions, broccoli, red bell pepper, and carrots with no added salt, flavors or sauces.

Put your veggies in a microwave safe bowl and cover with press n' seal or cling wrap.and microwave for 4 minutes. Ordinarily there is not a lot of water released from the vegetables, but if you see water in the bottom of your bowl after microwaving, pour it out before you add it to your pan. Stir in your vegetables and continue to simmer your sauce, stirring occasionally, for at least 20 minutes. You want those flavors to all cook together.

 Ok, you are in the home stretch. Get out your mandolin and add the smallest julianne attachment. Wash your zucchini and get to work. Watch your fingers! I would rather waste a little zucchini by not julianning the entire vegetable than risk raking your fingers over a very sharp blade. In this picture I've cut about three small zucchini. Those big pieces laying under the mandolin are what was left of each zucchini after I felt like my fingers were getting too close to the blade.

After you've simmered your sauce for a good 20 or 30 minutes, it should be nice and thick and rich. Add your zucchini "noodles" and stir them in. I hope you started with a big pan...can't say I didn't warn you! Now, put the lid back on your pan and let it hang out there over medium-low'ish heat for another 10 minutes, stirring once or twice.

Hurray! You are done! Serve it up topped with a few shavings of a good Parmesan cheese.

For those of you counting calories, I calculated this recipe based on four servings. It came out to 358 calories per serving. That number may vary depending on the brands you choose, but it should be very close. This is roughly in the same calorie range as your typical frozen meal "diet" meal, but let me tell you, this is so much better for you. The sodium level alone in those things should be enough to make you stuff it back in the freezer. Not to mention this one tastes a whole lot better.

This recipe is easily adaptable...not loving meat? Leave it out. Like your marinara spicy? Add a teaspoon or so of red chili flake. Need a quick meal? Double your recipe and freeze half for later or freeze in single servings to take to work. Yum!

Hope you guys love it. Feel free to leave me comments. Think you can improve this recipe? Let me know how you did it. I'm always open to new ideas. 

Recipe Ingredients:
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 lb extra-lean ground beef or ground turkey (omit for a vegetarian meal)
1/2 cup diced onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried parsley
1 28oz can of 100% natural Hunt's crushed tomatoes or organic crushed tomatoes of your choice
3 cups of frozen vegetable blend or three cups of mixed fresh vegetables like squash, broccoli, carrots, bell pepper, etc.
3 small ripe zucchini
Parmesan cheese (optional)