Zucchini Meat Sauce With Pasta Recipes

ZUCCHINI SPAGHETTI

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir beef and black pepper in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes; drain and discard grease.
• Mix tomato sauce, tomatoes, salt, basil, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, and red pepper flakes into ground beef; cook and stir until sauce is warmed through, about 2 minutes. Stir tomato paste into sauce.
• Mix zucchini "noodles" into sauce, pressing down to fully submerge them; simmer over medium-low heat until zucchini is tender, about 10 minutes.

ZUCCHINI NOODLES WITH MEAT SAUCE RECIPE (ZOODLES)

Steps:

• Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add turkey and cook until cooked through and no longer pink.
• Once the turkey is cooked, add the onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, and Italian seasoning and cook until onions are soft, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in pasta sauce and cook until hot and bubbly, about 4-5 minutes.
• Place a separate skillet over medium heat and add the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil. Add zoodles and sauté until tender, about 2 minutes.
• Portion zoodles onto plates and top with meat sauce. Sprinkle each with ½ tablespoon parmesan and garnish with basil.

ZUCCHINI PASTA SAUCE WITH MEAT

Steps:

• Cook the ground beef in a heavy skillet until browned, about 5-10 minutes, chopping and stirring often. (I love my cast iron skillet!)
• When the ground beef is browned, drain off the excess fat.
• With the pan on low-medium heat, add garlic, oregano, onion powder, and paprika and cook until garlic softens (about 2 minutes).
• Add black pepper, tomato paste, beef broth and stir to mix together. I like to use my silicone spatula for this, but you could also use a whisk to get the tomato paste smooth.
• Once mixed together, add corn and zucchini and stir in. Cover and simmer on low-medium for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• While sauce is simmering, cook your pasta according to package directions. This sauce is enough for one pound of pasta.
• After 20-30 minutes of simmering, uncover sauce, turn off heat, and let sit 5 minutes before serving over pasta (or mixed in if you prefer).
• Enjoy with my yummy Cheese Toast and side salad for a complete, wholesome, satisfying meal!

ZUCCHINI SPAGHETTI WITH HOMEMADE MEAT SAUCE

Steps:

• In a medium sized saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add onion and carrots to saucepan. Let cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until onions are translucent and the carrots begin to soften.
• Add meat to saucepan and let cook until no pink remains.
• Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, spices, and 1 tablespoon fresh basil to the pan and mix well.
• Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning and remove from heat.
• In a large skillet, heat remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in zucchini noodles and big pinch of salt and pepper and let cook for 2-3 minutes. The zucchini noodles will continue to cook once you take them off the heat.
• Transfer zucchini noodles to a plate, and top with meat sauce, fresh basil, and parmesan if using and serve immediately.

ZUCCHINI MEAT SAUCE WITH PASTA

Steps:

• Cook pasta in 8-quart pot according to package directions; drain. Keep pasta hot.
• Brown meat in 6-quart pot over medium-high heat. Season with salt and pepper, if desired; drain. Add onions; cook until tender. Stir in spaghetti sauce and undrained tomatoes; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. (Pour half of sauce into freezer container; cool, cover and freeze for another meal.).
• Add zucchini to remaining sauce; cover and cook over medium heat 7 to 10 minutes or until zucchini is tender. Serve sauce over hot pasta. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and garnish, if desired.

ZUCCHINI "FETTUCCINE" WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Trim and peel the zucchini, then use a mandoline or a vegetable peeler to thinly slice lengthwise into wide ribbons (stop when you get to the seeds). Cut the ribbons into 1/4-to-1/2-inch-wide strips to make them look like fettuccine. Transfer to a colander and toss with 3/4 teaspoon salt; let drain in the sink, tossing occasionally, about 30 minutes. Rinse well and pat dry.
• Meanwhile, peel the tomatoes using a sharp vegetable peeler, then halve horizontally and squeeze out the seeds. Puree 1 tomato with the olive oil, garlic, jalapeno, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a food processor or blender. Transfer to a bowl. Chop the remaining 4 tomatoes and add to the bowl; add the pine nuts, basil, oregano, and salt to taste.
• Divide the zucchini among bowls and top with the tomato sauce. Top with more pine nuts and drizzle with olive oil.

THAT ZUCCHINI SPAGHETTI STANLEY TUCCI LOVES (SPAGHETTI ALLA NERANO)

Steps:

• Place sunflower oil in a deep fryer and heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Slice zucchini into 1/8-inch rounds.
• Add some zucchini to the hot oil and deep-fry until lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a single layer on paper towels to drain and repeat to cook remaining zucchini. Let zucchini cool to room temperature.
• Transfer cooled zucchini to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate, 8 hours to overnight.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until it's 2 minutes away from being tender yet firm to the bite, 9 to 10 minutes.
• As you are cooking the spaghetti, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to release juices, soften, and break down, 3 to 5 minutes. Add a couple splashes of the pasta water to the zucchini, but don't overdo it. Break zucchini into small pieces with the edge of a spoon or spatula. Reduce heat to low and toss in basil and butter; stir until butter melts.
• Grab spaghetti with tongs and transfer it right into the sauce; stir until coated. Mix in Pecorino Romano and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses. Add a final splash of pasta water and adjust salt if needed.
• Serve with more grated cheese and fresh basil.

CARAMELIZED ZUCCHINI PASTA

Steps:

• In a large (at least 12-inch) cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter and oil. When it's foaming, add the zucchini, garlic, the basil stems and half the basil leaves. Season with 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cover and cook until pooling with liquid, 5 to 7 minutes. Uncover and cook until the liquid evaporates and the zucchini starts to sizzle, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Continue to cook until the zucchini is very soft, dark green, and reduced to about 1 cup, another 20 to 25 minutes. When you see a build up of browned bits on the skillet, add a couple tablespoons of water and stir, scraping up the browned bits. Repeat anytime more browning occurs. If you see burning, deglaze with water and lower the heat. (Caramelized zucchini can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to a week; it also freezes well.)
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When the zucchini is about done, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve 2 cups of pasta water, then drain the pasta. If the zucchini is ready before the pasta, keep cooking it; the zucchini will only get better the longer it cooks.
• When the pasta's drained, remove the herb stems from the zucchini. Reduce the heat on the zucchini to medium, then add the pasta, 1 cup pasta water, and the Parmesan. Stir until the pasta is glossed with sauce. Add more pasta water as needed to thin the sauce. Stir in the lemon juice and remaining basil, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with more basil, Parmesan and black pepper.

LASAGNA WITH ZUCCHINI AND MEAT SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Cook meat, onions and peppers in large skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat 4 to 5 min. or until meat is browned and onions are crisp-tender. Add pasta sauce; mix well. Simmer on medium-low heat 20 min. or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, mix egg and ricotta in small bowl.
• Spread 1/4 of the meat sauce into bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Layer 3 lasagna noodles, 1/3 of the zucchini slices, 1/3 of the ricotta mixture and 1/4 of the meat sauce. Repeat layers 2 times; top with remaining noodles. Cover with foil.
• Bake 35 to 40 min. Uncover; sprinkle with Parmesan and mozzarella. Bake, uncovered, 10 min. or until cheese is melted.

ZUCCHINI 'PASTA' WITH FRESH TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• To make the sauce, heat the olive oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the diced zucchini and cook until browned, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, parsley, basil, salt and pepper and cook until heated through, about 1 minute longer.
• To make the pasta, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place the halved zucchini on a work surface, cut side down, and slice lengthwise into thin strips. Place in the pot and cook for 3 minutes. Drain well. Place in a large bowl, sprinkle with the salt and toss with the tomato sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Divide among 4 plates and serve immediately.

ZUCCHINI-TOMATO PASTA SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, melt butter with oil over medium heat. Add onions, cook and stir until tender, 5-7 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, zucchini, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until zucchini is tender and sauce reaches desired consistency, 50-60 minutes. Serve with pasta.