Marinara with Zucchini Noodles
By Cathy Fisher
This simple vegetable version of traditional spaghetti uses fresh zucchini as noodles instead of grain pasta.
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 25 min
Cook Time: 40 min
Ingredients
Directions
1 Saute the onion in the water on medium-high heat until soft, about 2-3 minutes. Add the bell pepper and mushrooms, and saute 5 minutes on medium heat to soften (adding water as needed to prevent sticking). Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic powder and spices, and turn down to simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.
2 To make zucchini noodles, cut the ends off the zucchini first. Using a mandolin slicer, use the appropriate blade insert to create thin strings (like long matchsticks) of zucchini “noodles”. For short noodles, cut the zucchini in half before slicing. The zucchini cooks down, so make a bunch. Place noodles into a pot of boiling water and cook for about 5 to 10 minutes until zucchini is softened (but not breaking apart; underdone/al dente is better than overdone).
3 Drain zucchini and combine with the sauce (or keep separate and serve the sauce over a bed of the zucchini noodles if you prefer). Add the basil to the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes before serving. Optional: Serve with grated walnuts on top.
Hint: Two 14.5 ounce cans of diced or crushed no salt added tomatoes can be used instead of the box of Pomi brand tomatoes. Instead of making zucchini noodles, you may also add chunks of diced zucchini to the sauce. Greens, such as kale orchard, may also be added (in thin strips) toward the end. To grate walnuts that look like Parmesan, use a rotary style cheese grater.