I finally made “Zoodles” (zucchini noodles) and then had to figure out what to do with them.
I had to say good bye to my trusty little food processor after 35 years of hard work. It was the only one I had which means I did a lot of slicing and chopping by hand over the years. The motor worked fine, but I didn’t want to spend $30 for a new blade so I finally splurged on a Cuisinart Elemental (read about it here) and then had to learn what it can do…thus my Zoodles experiment.
It’s a quick meal with little guilt eating it!
- 3 Medium Zucchini
- 3 Hot Italian Sausages (or mild if you don’t like spicy food)
- 1/2 cup sliced red onions
- 1 clove of garlic, chopped
- 1 large can diced tomatoes
- 1 tsp Oregano
- 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
- a few basil leaves
I made the Zoodles according to the food processor instructions and set them aside in a large bowl.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Saute the Italian sausages in a cast iron pan until browned. (Since I was using the food processor, I didn’t take a lot of time breaking it up.) Put the browned sausage into the food processor. Add the onion to the pan and saute until soft, then add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the tomatoes and use the liquid to get all of the fond (brown tasty parts) off the bottom of pan. Cook until softened a little and pour into the food processor. Pulse a few times until everything is broken up and mixed but still a little chunky.
Put the zoodles into the cast iron pan. Pour the Italian sausage tomato mixture over the top and mix. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top and bake for about 15 minutes until the sauce is bubbling. Sprinkle julienned basil leaves over the top. Serves 4 (or 3 if your husband goes back for seconds.)
Zoodle Bake: It’s a one pan dish!
Tip:
- Easily made vegetarian by cooking mushrooms, leeks and other vegetables and herbs instead of italian sausage.
- Costco has the processor for $100 less than Williams-Sonoma during the holiday season
- If you peel the zucchini, your picky eater might not notice it’s a vegetable.
- Can be served as a healthy side dish