Having a plate of spaghetti with bolognese sauce reminds me of my childhood. My brother and I would have a contest to see who could twirl the most noodles around their fork and stuff it in their mouth when our mother wasn't looking. Of course, I was always the champion.
Back then, we didn't call it "bolognese" – sounded too fancy. We called it meat sauce. I use "meat" loosely because the sauce that my mom made was more like a jar of generic tomato sauce (Prego if we wanted to be fancy) with little bits of sparse ground beef. Standard of living has really gone up since then :)
What I enjoyed most as a child about eating spaghetti with "bolognese" sauce was sticking a fork in the sea of spaghetti and twirling the fork until it would no longer pick up any more pasta. And then occasionally, little bits of ground beef would get tangled in the cocoon of pasta and it would be a special surprise. It's silly, I know, but I found it to be it so much fun (and still do)!
And then I found out that these forks full of fun contributed to an epidemic of metabolic dysfunction and diabetes in our culture. Bummer.
Looking for an alternative to pasta, so I could continue my twirling spaghetti obsession, I came across zucchini noodles. I know, I'm so far behind in this discovery, but better late than never!
Back then, we didn't call it "bolognese" – sounded too fancy. We called it meat sauce. I use "meat" loosely because the sauce that my mom made was more like a jar of generic tomato sauce (Prego if we wanted to be fancy) with little bits of sparse ground beef. Standard of living has really gone up since then :)
What I enjoyed most as a child about eating spaghetti with "bolognese" sauce was sticking a fork in the sea of spaghetti and twirling the fork until it would no longer pick up any more pasta. And then occasionally, little bits of ground beef would get tangled in the cocoon of pasta and it would be a special surprise. It's silly, I know, but I found it to be it so much fun (and still do)!
And then I found out that these forks full of fun contributed to an epidemic of metabolic dysfunction and diabetes in our culture. Bummer.
Looking for an alternative to pasta, so I could continue my twirling spaghetti obsession, I came across zucchini noodles. I know, I'm so far behind in this discovery, but better late than never!
Whoever thought of zucchini noodles is an absolute genius. I would like to shake the hand of that person. Heck, I would kiss that hand of the person who created zucchini noodles! – granted that the person washed their hands with soap before my lips touch their skin because germs and I are not friends :)
Here is my version of zucchini noodles with a Mediterranean bolognese sauce made with this wonderful julienne peeler from Precision Kitchenware. I am giving away this julienne peeler to 3 lucky readers. To enter the giveaway, leave a comment to this post and include your name and email (your email will not be displayed publicly). US entrants only, sorry!
Check out and place a comment on my Julienned Daikon with Smoked Salmon post for an extra chance to win a julienne peeler from Precision Kitchenware!
Here is my version of zucchini noodles with a Mediterranean bolognese sauce made with this wonderful julienne peeler from Precision Kitchenware. I am giving away this julienne peeler to 3 lucky readers. To enter the giveaway, leave a comment to this post and include your name and email (your email will not be displayed publicly). US entrants only, sorry!
Check out and place a comment on my Julienned Daikon with Smoked Salmon post for an extra chance to win a julienne peeler from Precision Kitchenware!
To give the zucchini noodles more of a pasta texture, I lined a baking sheet with parchment paper and baked the zucchini noodles in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes. If you want the dish to look more like real pasta, then you can discard the skin of the zucchini and just julienne the flesh.
I called this sauce a Mediterranean bolognese sauce because I added cumin and omitted the diced celery and parmesan cheese, which are normal ingredients for a traditional bolognese sauce.
To plate, swirl some zucchini noodles around tongs and place in the middle of the plate. Spoon the bolognese over and around the noodles.
The best thing about zucchini noodles is that it can sit in the sauce for a couple of days in the fridge and not get soggy.
ZUCCHINI NOODLES WITH A MEDITERRANEAN BOLOGNESE SAUCE
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INGREDIENTS:
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground veal
1 medium onion, diced
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup beef broth
4 zucchini, about 2 pounds
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground veal
1 medium onion, diced
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup beef broth
4 zucchini, about 2 pounds
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Heat a 3 quart pan over medium heat. Add the ground meat and stir frequently to break up large lumps, 5 minutes. Add onion, garlic, and cumin, and stir and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and beef broth. Simmer, uncovered, for the sauce to reduce. About 20 minutes.
While the sauce is simmering, preheat the oven to 350°F. Wash and pat dry zucchinis. Cut of the tips and ends. Using a julienne peeler, slice the zucchinis lengthwise.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the zucchini noodles on top and bake for 10 minutes.
Add salt and pepper to the bolognese sauce. Using a tong, swirl some zucchini noodles around it and place the noodles in the middle of the plate. Ladle the bolognese sauce around and over the noodles.
Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and beef broth. Simmer, uncovered, for the sauce to reduce. About 20 minutes.
While the sauce is simmering, preheat the oven to 350°F. Wash and pat dry zucchinis. Cut of the tips and ends. Using a julienne peeler, slice the zucchinis lengthwise.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the zucchini noodles on top and bake for 10 minutes.
Add salt and pepper to the bolognese sauce. Using a tong, swirl some zucchini noodles around it and place the noodles in the middle of the plate. Ladle the bolognese sauce around and over the noodles.
