Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Zoodles with Slow Cooker Bolognese

We bought a Vegetti a few months back and love it even more than we thought we would! It is really easy to use, and using it to make vegetable replacements for pasta is surprisingly amazing. We have been liking zoodles (zucchini noodles) more than regular pasta. The texture/slight crunch of zoodles goes really well with a good meat sauce, or with some fresh herbs and olive oil as a side with chicken, fish, or even a steak. My favorite thing to do with zoodles is to top them with my slow cooker bolognese. The bolognese freezes really well so if I make a big batch, I can freeze enough for a future dinner (or two). When I thaw the sauce, all I need to do is heat it up and take 5 minutes to put a few zucchini through the Vegetti - and dinner is ready in 15 minutes!

Zoodles with Slow Cooker Bolognese



Ingredients
Fresh organic zucchini
Slow Cooker Bolognese

Directions
1. Make bolognese (view recipe by clicking link above)

2. Use Vegetti, or similar kitchen tool, to make zoodles from fresh zucchini

3. Serve zoodles cold, room temperature or heated to desired temperature. When boiling zoodles, boil for only 1-2 minutes to avoid excess softening. Drain or pat dry to remove excess liquid. Zoodles may also be heated briefly in the microwave or in a pan with a small amount of oil.

4. Top zoodles with slow cooker bolognese or other sauce and enjoy!


What are the nutrition benefits of zucchini versus noodles? Zucchini is a good source of vitamin C and also provides fiber, manganese, lutein and zeaxanthin (phytonutrients that are good for eyesight). Compared with traditional noodles, zucchini is much lower in calories, providing about 21 calories per cup. Traditional pasta provides about 200 calories per cup! Zucchini noodles are a fresh, whole food, whereas noodles are an enriched processed food product.