May RotM: Zoodles in Tomato Sauce

Man oh man, did May sneak up on me! I've been on a big zucchini kick lately, so it seemed only fitting for this delicious little squash to be the star of this month's Recipe of the Month.

Zoodles are zucchini sliced with the help of a spiralizer to make long, delicious "noodles" without the heaviness of pasta. I have the Veggetti, a handheld zoodling device that reminds me a lot of a pencil sharpener. The best part is you can make SO MANY VEGGIES into noodles; carrots, sweet potato, summer squash, parsnips, turnips, potatoes, even broccoli stems! They also make bigger, powered versions that provide the same results.

And what goes better with noodles than delicious tomato sauce and crusty bread? Nothing. So:

Zoodles in Tomato Sauce

Makes 2 servings

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: ~30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup cherry tomatoes

2 zucchini, peeled and zoodled*

1/2 medium yellow onion, julienned

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp olive oil + extra for drizzling

14 oz can diced tomatoes in tomato juice

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1.5 tsp dried oregano

1/8-1/4 tsp crushed red pepper, or to taste

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Spread the cherry tomatoes on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook for 15 minutes, flipping half way through, until tomatoes are soft and skins are wrinkled.

2. While tomatoes are roasting, heat 2 tbsp of oil over medium heat in a large frying pan. Add onion and saute until soft and semi-translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and continue to cook for 3 minutes or until fragrant.

3. Add the zucchini, salt and pepper, and saute for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Add tomatoes, sauce and spices. Simmer on medium-low for 10 minutes, until sauce thickens and zoodles are softened.

5. Top with roasted tomatoes and serve warm with crusty bread.

It's that easy! Delicious, healthy, and ready in about 30 minutes, zoodles are sure to be a recipe to keep in your back pocket. Get ready to start brainstorming all of the veggies you could make into noodles for the rest of your days.

Happy Zoodling!

* Zoodling devices tend to make looooooong zoodles; after you spiralize your zucchini, cut the zoodles to your desired length.

* When you make zoodles, it will pop out these cute little rotini-lookin' bits of zucchini from the bottom. I just throw them right in with the other zoodles- waste not want not!

* If you don't have spiralizer, you might try using a peeler to make thin strips of zucchini lengthwise. It will be a slightly different outcome, but still delicious!