Zoodles with Meat Sauce

During the holidays I always say to myself I am not going to over indulge on food and drink. I usually start off great and then all it takes is seeing a plate of homemade christmas cookie cutouts! That's my weakness. It's a slippery slope from there and I begin convincing myself that two weeks of binge eating is okay. When the holidays are over the guilt sets in, and hard! I say goodbye to my jeans for a while because nothing feels better than wearing black stretch pants with a long baggy shirt, every single day!

That's when I decide my diet needs to consist of tons of vegetables and lettuce. You may remember me referring to my rabbit food diet when I feel like I need to loose some weight. And nothing makes me feel better than eating lots of fresh veggies. So I'm on a mission to shed some of those extra pounds. My call to action: the Veggetti!!!

I love making zoodles with my Veggetti spiral cutter. Zoodles are basically cut zucchini strands that emulate spaghetti. The Veggetti cuts certain vegetables into long curly strands. I really enjoy using the Veggetti because it's easy to use and the clean up is a cinch. Plus, the results are outstanding. If you are looking to lower carbs and add more veggies to your diet, the Veggetti is a fun, creative way to prepare them.

Tonight I made Zoodles with Meat Sauce. It was superb. Oh and guilt free…total bonus! The boys were much more interested in making the zoodles than they were eating them. So I made the zoodles for myself and made spaghetti for them.

It takes minutes to spiral the zucchini and then minutes to cook them…it's really quicker than making pasta. Given that this was a weeknight meal I also made my simple meat sauce. I basically sautéd ground beef or you could use ground turkey and added it to my 5-Minute Marinara Sauce. The meat sauce gives the zoodles more substance and a punch of protein. You could also just add my 5-Minute Marinara Sauce without the ground beef and it would be just as delicious. As far as serving size, I usually go with 1 large zucchini per person. If you sauté the zucchini there will be excess water so simply drain the water before serving. Some advise prior to sautéing to lay the zoodles on a paper towel for 30 minutes to sweat out the excess water. Zoodles are very versatile and you can serve it with almost anything. The most basic recipe is sautéing it with garlic and olive oil…click to see my Garlic and Olive Oil Zoodles recipe. If you haven't tried zoodles yet, do your self a favor and buy this inexpensive gadget. You will love it and so will your waistline!

Salute to Zoodles with Meat Sauce and eating it guilt free!

Takes minutes to spiral the zucchini

So easy to do…Zachary having fun!

Zucchini strands come out long 

Zoodles sauteing

Simple Meat Sauce

Zoodles with Meat Sauce

Delicious, low carb, guilt free eating!

Zoodles with Meat Sauce (Click to print recipe)

Prep and cook time: 30 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4 whole zucchini

For Meat Sauce:

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef or ground turkey
• 2 cans large whole tomatoes
• 1 small can tomato paste
• 1/2 white onion
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1/2 t dried oregano
• 1/2 t dried parsley
• 1 handful of fresh basil leaves
• a pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 t pepper

In a large skillet sauté the ground beef or turkey until cooked through and drain oil. Meanwhile, mix the rest of the ingredients in a food processor on high until smooth. Add marinara sauce to the ground beef and heat over medium heat until it comes to a light bubble. Cover and let cook for 30 minutes. 

While the meat sauce it cooking, spiral the zucchini with the Veggetti. Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large pan and saute the zoodles on medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until its' tender. Add salt n pepper. 

Add zucchini to a plate and serve a large spoonful of meat sauce over the top. Add parmesan cheese for extra flavor.