Meaty Tomato Sauce with Zoodles
This recipe is one I came up with one night when I was starving and didn’t have a lot of groceries. I wanted to create something easy and fast but that was still satisfying. I ALWAYS have Raos sauces in my pantry so when I saw the zoodles that were about to go bad, I knew I could do something with those. I pulled out the sauce and zoodles then found some sausage in my freezer and it was perfect, I had something! I love the sausage in this dish because it really takes the jarred tomato sauce to the next level; you wouldn’t even know it was store-bought. This recipe is also one that is so versatile. You can use whichever type of protein you prefer or have on hand, add in vegetables if you want (spinach and mushrooms would be great) and could also use regular noodles- just get creative! If you use regular noodles just cook them according to the packaged instructions then add them into the pan when the sauce is ready. Enjoy!!
Meaty Tomato Sauce with Zoodles
- Cook Time: 30m
- Total Time: 30m
- Serves: 2
Ingredients
- 3 sausage links, I use chicken but you can use whichever type of protein you prefer
- 1 jar tomato sauce, I use Raos Tomato Basil Sauce
- 6 c of zoodles, I buy store bought but you can make your own
- 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1/4 c water
- Salt and pepper
- 1/4 c basil, chopped, plus more for garnish
- 3 tbsp. parmesan, grated
Instructions
- Heat a 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium/high heat. When the oil is hot, remove the sausage meat from the casings and add the meat to the pan. Cook the meat while crumbling into small pieces until fully cooked through.
- When the sausage is cooked, add in the tomato sauce, water and red pepper flakes. Cook the sauce with the sausage on a gentle simmer for 20/30 minutes until the liquid has mostly evaporated from the sauce. The sauce should be pretty thick at this point.
- Add the zoodles to the sauce and incorporate everything together. Stir in the chopped basil and season with salt and pepper. Cook the raw zoodles with the sauce for about 5 minutes or until they are tender. The zucchini cooks pretty quickly and gets mushy fast so you do not want to overcook it. Taste the dish to make sure all seasonings are correct.
- To serve: place the zoodles with meat sauce in a bowl then top with parmesan and extra basil. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
xo, Rachel
