IMG_7849.JPG

Spiralized veggies and spiralizers are all the rage these days in the healthy eating world and I’ve decided to finally join the party. Mostly I just needed something to put my large batch of Meatless Meaty Marinara on top of, and spaghetti squash has gone out of season. So I decided it was time to break out the ol’ spiralizer that’s been gathering dust in the cupboard all winter. I have nothing against it, I just have been too lazy to use it. Turns out there was no good reason for this resistance I was feeling, because it’s really easy to use and clean the thing.

Anyway, this was a tasty, filling, and quick weeknight meal (less than 30 minutes) because I already had the marinara made.

Zoodles & Meaty Marinara

  • Servings: Makes 1 Serving
  • Print

Each Serving Contains:

  • 1 Veggie Serving (adjust quantity to your individual food plan)
  • 1 Protein Serving
  • 1 Fat Serving

Ingredients

Veggie Serving

  • 4 oz raw mushrooms
  • 11 oz of Meatless Meaty Marinara (contributes 4 oz of veggies)
  • Spiralized zucchini noodles (zoodles!) to reach your veggie amount.

Protein Serving

  • 11 oz of Meatless Meaty Marinara (contributes 1/3 of a protein serving)
  • 2.66 oz diced veggie sausage (I use Field Roast or Tofurkey)
    • Alternatively, use 1.33 oz of pine nuts or nut-based cheese for the rest of the protein serving.

Fat Serving

Condiments & Spices

  • Salt, pepper
  • Fresh or dried basil or oregano
  • Nutritional yeast (optional)

Maintenance Modifications

  • Grain Additions: I can’t think of a natural way to include grains with this meal. When this happens, I occasionally will substitute the grain for 1/2 of a protein serving or one fat serving. Feel free to experiment with grain additions.
  • Protein Additions: Increase veggie sausage, pine nuts, or cheese.
  • Fat Additions: Increase olive oil, pine nuts, or cheese.

Directions

  1. If you haven’t already made the marinara sauce, do that first. Recipe here.
  2. Spiralize the zucchini using your favorite spiralizing method.
  3. Slice the mushrooms and veggie sausage.
  4. With a light spray of oil in a nonstick skillet, sauté the mushrooms and veggie sausage together until browned, covering with a lid at first and stirring occasionally, in order to steam them a little and keep them from sticking to the pan.
  5. Remove and weigh the veggies and sausage, subtracting the weight of the sausage (it doesn’t reduce at all when cooked) and noting the weight of the mushrooms.
  6. In a small saucepan, weigh out the marinara and stir the sausage and mushrooms into the marinara.
  7. Calculate the amount of veggies you have left, and weigh that amount of zoodles. (Subtract the mushroom weight and 4 oz from the marinara)
  8. Optional: Lightly cook the zoodles. Some options are sautéing the zoodles for 1-2 minutes, (I cover with a lid and steam them a little) but not longer or they will become wet and soggy, or you could microwave them for 20-30 seconds, or you can just enjoy them cold and raw. The point is just to warm them slightly, not to cook them. Their weight should not significantly reduce from cooking.
  9. Serve and garnish with basil, salt, pepper, and nutritional yeast (if desired).

IMG_7848.JPG