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Zoodles with Marinara

Chef Owen and Dr. Michelle May

One of the hot new kitchen gadgets is a spiral slicer which turns vegetables into long ribbons. Our friend, Michele Redmond, a dietitian and chef, recently introduced us to this cool tool. Coincidentally, our daughter, Elyse May of VeggieTeens, received one for her birthday! So far, our favorite use for this tool has been to make zucchini ribbons that look like noodles (Zoodles!). For a super easy, nutritious dinner, zoodles are great with our simple homemade marinara. If you don’t have time, use your favorite jarred sauce. Add lean ground beef or grilled chicken for a more filling meal with protein.

Chef Notes

The spiral slicer is an easy way to julienne vegetables, which means cutting them into long, thin strips. If you don’t have a spiral slicer, you can julienne the zucchini using a mandolin, vegetable peeler, or the old-fashioned way–with a knife! If you’re using a knife, first cut a strip off one side so it will lay flat without rolling when you are slicing it lengthwise.

This simple marinara is great on pasta and pizza!

Health Notes

I’m wondering if Zoodles originated out of the gluten-free trend but I like them because I just love vegetables! We’ve enjoyed spaghetti squash with marinara for years so this technique gives as another option. The zoodles are thicker and unlike spaghetti squash, their texture is somewhat like pasta. Kids will have fun creating the zoodles and eating them! I think a Thai Peanut Butter Sauce would be great on zoodles – maybe we’ll try that next!

Ingredients

Marinara

2 cans diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon each dried oregano and basil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoons brown sugar
½ tablespoon white sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt

Zoodles

3 zuchinnis
½ teaspoon salt

Directions

Marinara
  1. Heat sauce pot on medium. When pot is hot, add olive oil.
  2. When oil is hot, add onions and sauté until are soft about 15 minutes.
  3. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
  4. Add the canned tomatoes, oregano, and both sugars.
  5. Turn the heat down to medium low and simmer for approximately one hour.
  6. Remove from heat and blend with hand blender (another great kitchen gadget!) or regular blender to desired smoothness.
  7. Add the vinegar and salt. Stir to blend.
Zoodles
  1. Wash and cut the ends off of the zucchinis.
  2. Julienne (cut into long, thin strips) using a knife, mandolin, spiral slicer, or julienne vegetable peeler.
  3. Place in a strainer and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of salt. Allow to sit for 30 minutes to release extra moisture.
  4. Gently squeeze out any moisture. Add the zoodles to the hot sauce; they will cook slightly.
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