Zucchini Noodles with Meat Sauce
with carrot salad
Cold February weather calls for hearty meals and this meat sauce delivers. The crunchy carrot salad on the side provides the perfect tart accompaniment to cut through a rich tomato sauce.
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Proteins
Cuisines
Ingredients
Zucchini Noodles with Meat Sauce:
- Garlic - 3 cloves , minced
- Onions - 1 , diced
- Bell peppers, green - 1 , diced
- Parsley, fresh - 3 Tbsp , chopped
- Zucchini - 4
- Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp
- Ground beef, lean - 1 lb
- Tomato paste - 2 Tbsp
- Ketchup - 2 Tbsp
- Crushed tomatoes (28oz / 794g) - 1 can
- Basil, dried - 1 tsp
- Oregano, dried - 1 tsp
Carrot Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette:
- Parsley, fresh - 2 Tbsp , chopped
- Carrots - 1/2 lb , peeled into ribbons
- Maple syrup - 1/2 tsp
- Vinegar, red wine - 1 Tbsp
- Vinegar, balsamic - 1/2 Tbsp
- Mustard, dijon - 1/2 tsp
- Oil, cooking - 2 Tbsp
Prep
- Garlic / Onions / Green peppers / Parsley (for zucchini noodles & carrot salad) - Prep as directed. (Can be done up to 4 days ahead)
- Zucchini - Turn zucchini into 'noodles' with a spiralizer or peel off strips with a peeler.
- ‘Cook’ zucchini noodles - For spiralized noodles, place a microwave-safe colander into a large bowl (or really, just use your salad spinner without the top). Add in spiralized noodles and microwave 1 minute at a time for 3 to 4 minutes, until it reaches a tender but crunchy consistency. If any liquids release during cooking, they'll drain out of the colander into the bowl so the noodles don't become soggy. For peeled zucchini, place into a colander and sprinkle with salt. The salt will soften the noodles.
- Carrots - If prepping right before dinner, get sauce simmering before returning to this prep step. Use a peeler to shave carrots into strips. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
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Make
- Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add cooking oil and then garlic, onions, and green peppers to heated oil with a sprinkle of salt. Saute until softened, ~3 minutes.
- Fold in ground beef, breaking up with a wooden spoon. Brown for 4 to 6 minutes.
- Add tomato paste and ketchup and saute for another 2 minutes.
- Pour in crushed tomatoes, basil, and oregano. Stir and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
- While sauce cooks, make vinaigrette for carrot salad by whisking together maple syrup, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, Dijon, and cooking oil. Toss shaved carrots with vinaigrette and parsley.
- Taste and season meat sauce with more salt, pepper, spices, or tomato paste. Divide zucchini noodles onto plates and cover in meat sauce. Finish with parsley. Enjoy with carrot salad on the side.
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