It’s been a while since I’ve had cooked zucchini noodles or “zoodles”. Recently, I’ve mostly been eating them raw. However, it’s been pretty cold and gloomy here for the past month or so… (San Diego is normally pretty chilly and cloudy during May/June), so I’ve been craving hot, comforting dishes like these zucchini noodles with bolognese.
For anyone that’s still holding out on buying a spiralizer, please, do me a favor and just get one already. It’s an extremely cheap kitchen tool considering how many different dishes you can create with it. Especially if you’re having a hard time giving up pasta, a spiralizer will really help!
Bolognese is traditionally made with a bit of cream and some wine, carrots and celery but I left those out. I would have included everything but the cream, but I didn’t have those on hand, so I experimented! I also left out dried oregano, basil, etc. as I wanted to highlight the tarragon, but if you love those spices, feel free to add them! It’s hard to “mess up” fresh ingredients. I always encourage a little experimenting in the kitchen, that’s when it really starts to be fun!
This dish came out bursting with fresh, clean flavors and was just the kind of warm, comforting meal I was longing for.
- 4 large zucchinis, spiralized
- 1 lb grass-fed ground beef (I order mine from US Wellness Meats)
- 28oz diced tomatoes (I used one carton of Pomi Chopped Tomatoes)
- ½ large yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, minced
- 1 pinch of red pepper flakes
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
- fresh parsley, finely diced for garnish (optional)
- Spiralize zucchini and set aside
- Sauté onions in 1 tablespoon olive oil until transparent
- Push onions to the side of the pan and add minced garlic into the center, with one more tablespoon of olive oil and let sit for about 60 seconds
- Combine onions and garlic and add ground beef
- Cook beef until no red remains and add tarragon, red pepper flakes, tomatoes and salt and pepper
- Simmer for 15 minutes or more. The longer you let it simmer, the tastier it will be!
- While sauce is simmering, sauté spiralized zucchini in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and stir continually until they start to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Be careful not to overcook the zucchini or it will become too mushy. Think of al dente pasta, that's the texture you want.
- Remove zucchini from heat and place in a colander to drain excess liquid
- Pour bolognese over zucchini and top with optional fresh diced parsley
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