Zucchini noodles topped with a healthy bolognese sauce are perfect when you are craving a pasta dish but cutting carbs. This skinny bolognese zoodle recipe is a delicious dish!
Today I'm making a recipe for Skinny Bolognese Zoodles. Zucchini is a great substitute for pasta if you are watching calories and carbs and I've lightened up a traditional bolognese recipe.
The zoodles cook quickly, which is great because I still make a bit of pasta because my family would not be happy eating zucchini noodles for spaghetti.
What are Zoodles?
Zoodles are long pieces of zucchini that look a bit like spaghetti or other long noodle pasta. They are a perfect low-carb and healthy substitute for pasta. I like that when you eat zoodles, you get a similar feel to eating spaghetti. Sometimes I will mix a small amount of pasta with them to really feel like I am eating a big bowl of pasta when I am really only having about half a cup.
Let me warn you that my husband and son do not think they are the same as noodles. But those two are not vegetable lovers like I am.
How to make Zucchini Noodles
Making the zoodles is easy. I use a Veggetti spiral slicer to make the noodles, but there are many inexpensive kitchen gadgets that work. You could also use your food processor.
To cook the zoodles, simply saute them in a sprayed non-stick pan for just a few minutes until wilted. Depending on your zucchini, you might want to drain them in a colander so that they are not watery when the healthy bolognese sauce is added.
Tips for making a Skinny Bolognese Sauce
- This skinny bolognese sauce is made with 96% lean ground beef. While I like ground turkey in many recipes, lean ground beef only has 4 grams of fat which is even less than regular ground turkey. The sauce is very easy to make and you don't have to worry about draining the grease from the meat because there really is none.
- Crushed tomatoes are the other main ingredient in this recipe. No sugar is added to the sauce but I do add red wine for flavor. If you wanted to leave it out, you could substitute beef broth.
- I make several batches of the sinny bolognese and throw them in the freezer. Whenever I want a quick weeknight meal, all I have to do is saute' some veggies and reheat the sauce.
More Bolognese Sauce Recipes
- Mini Lasagne Bolognese
- Spaghetti with Turkey Bolognese
- One Pot Gnocchi with Turkey Bolognese
- Easy Bolognese Sauce with Spinach from Food Fanatic
When you are looking for easy ways to make healthy swaps in your diet, this Skinny Bolognese with Zoodles recipe is a great place to start.
If you like this Healthy Bolognese Sauce with Zucchini Noodles, please leave a 5-star rating.
RECIPE
Zucchini Noodles with Healthy Bolognese Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- 16 ounces 96% lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup red wine
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 Tablespoon dried basil or 3 Tablespoons fresh basil
- crushed red pepper to taste
- 3 to 4 medium zucchini
Instructions
- In a large sauce pan, heat the olive oil on medium heat. Add garlic and saute for two minutes. Add ground beef and salt. Cook for about 10 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. Stir occasionally to break up meat.
- Add tomatoes, wine, onion powder and basil. Stir well, bring heat to low, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add crushed red pepper to taste.
- While sauce is simmering, Make the zoodles from the zucchini using a spiralizer.
- Heat a large non stick pan on medium heat and coat with cooking spray. In batches so the pan is not too crowded, cook zoodles for a few minutes or until wilted.
- Drain and serve the zucchini noodles with the sauce.
Nutrition
First Published March 2016 ; Last Updated June 2021
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Kristin @ DizzyBusyandHungry.com
Looks delicious! I love zucchini noodles, they are a great pasta substitute. Great idea to make the sauce ahead of time and freeze it, I am going to try that!