Zucchini noodles with meat sauce
55 min · 34 g protein · 347 cals / serving
A thick, simmered beef and tomato sauce spooned over zucchini noodles that are only just warmed through, so they stay bright and a little crisp. Grated carrot and celery give the sauce the gentle sweetness of a proper bolognese, and parmesan and torn basil finish the bowl.
Ingredients
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 small carrot, finely grated
- 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb 2 oz ground beef (95% lean)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 1/2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- a pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 4 medium zucchini, spiralized
To serve
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan
- a handful of leaves fresh basil
Steps
- Heat the oil in a large, deep pan over medium heat. Cook the onion, carrot and celery for 6–8 minutes, stirring, until soft and starting to colour; add the garlic for the last minute.
- Turn the heat up, add the beef and brown it, breaking it into small crumbs, until no pink remains and it reaches 160°F, 6–8 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste and let it toast for a minute, then add the crushed tomatoes, oregano, basil, pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
- Lower the heat and simmer, partly covered, for 25–30 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sauce is thick enough that a spoon dragged through it leaves a clear path. Taste for salt.
- Just before serving, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and toss the zucchini noodles in it for 1–2 minutes, only until warm. Tip them into a colander for a minute so the water they release drains away instead of thinning the sauce.
- Divide the noodles between bowls, spoon the sauce on top, and finish with parmesan and torn basil.
Good to know
How do I keep zucchini noodles from going watery?
Cook them as little as possible and drain them before saucing. A thick sauce helps too: the longer it simmers, the less the noodles dilute it. Salting raw noodles ahead draws water out but also softens them, so most cooks skip it.
No spiralizer?
Use a julienne peeler, or cut the zucchini into ribbons with a regular vegetable peeler for a pappardelle shape. Store-bought zucchini noodles work the same way.
Can I make it ahead?
The sauce keeps four days in the fridge and freezes for three months. Spiralize the zucchini on the day; cooked noodles go limp overnight.
Alternatives
Per
- Calories
- 80
- Protein
- (41%)
- 8 g
- Fat
- (33%)
- 3 g
- Carbohydrates
- (26%)
- 6 g
- of which sugar
- 3 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 229 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1388 kcal goes into the pot and 2186 g of ingredients comes out as about 1730 g of food: 80 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.