Vegetable Ribbon Noodles with Meat Sauce

Let me start right off the bat by saying in no way, whatsoever, is this meal replacing a delicious bowl of gluten and cheese filled spaghetti and meat sauce from your favorite Italian restaurant. Also, before the naysayers come at me about how quickly this meat sauce is made, this is not your grandmother’s Sunday sauce; this is a quick meat marinara sauce that does not take much time but still tastes delicious. Now that we’re on the same page, let me show you how to make a delicious and fast Whole30 approved dinner that you can surprisingly pull together with some potential staples lying around your kitchen (or am I the only one who regularly has zucchini and sweet potatoes on hand and ground beef in my freezer?).

Ingredients (serves 2):

  • Ground beef (½ lb)

  • Sweet potato (1)

  • Zucchini (1)

  • Spinach (4 handfuls)

  • Canned crushed tomatoes (1 28oz can)

  • Tomato paste (1 spoonful)

  • Bay leaf (1)

  • Avocado oil

  • Red pepper flakes

  • Salt & pepper

Special Equipment: Spiralizer

Directions:

  1. In a hot skillet, add the ground beef and cook until browned

  2. In that skillet, add the can of crushed tomatoes, spoonful of tomato paste, bay leaf, and season with crushed red pepper flakes & salt and pepper

  3. Place the skillet on low heat, cover, and simmer for ~ 15-20 minutes

  4. While the sauce is simmering, use the spiralizer to create the vegetable ribbon noodles with the zucchini and the sweet potato

  5. Place the veggie ribbon noodles on a parchment lined baking sheet and toss with avocado oil and salt & pepper

  6. Bake the noodles in the oven @ 425 degrees for ~5-7 minutes. I prefer this method over cooking them on a skillet because it slightly dries them out while cooking so that they are able to hold the sauce better

  7. While the noodles are cooking, quickly heat a skillet and add avocado oil and the 4 handfuls of spinach. Lightly toss for the next 2-3 minutes until the spinach is slightly sautéed and cooked through

  8. Fill the bowl with the vegetable ribbon noodles, the sautéed spinach, and the marinara meat sauce and serve hot!

Compliant with the Following Diets:

  • Low FODMAP

  • Whole30

  • Paleo

  • Gluten Free

  • Dairy Free