Zoodle (zucchini) Spaghetti

We all know that pasta is a big fat no-go on the LC diet.  Some people like alternatives such as Shirataki. I tried Shirataki noodles once. I have no idea how people eat that stuff. It’s horrible in my opinion. It’s nothing but a rubbery wanna-be. That’s not how I roll. But this Keto Spaghetti with Zucchini and Sausage Meat Sauce is exactly how I roll!

Spaghetti squash is a great alternative and one I use a lot. The problem is that I prefer the flavor when it’s been roasted and that’s not an option on nights when I need a quick dinner. So for those evenings when I don’t have extra time and the family is asking for spaghetti, I use zoodles for myself!

You probably know this, but (in case you don’t) zoodles are Julienned zucchini. They’re super easy to make and very fast to cook. Zucchini is a lot like eggplant in that it doesn’t have much of its own flavor and absorbs the flavor of other things it’s served with. So it’s a great alternative to pasta. I simply slide the zucchini back and forth across my Mandoline and in under a minute the entire zuc is zoodled!

I typically microwave them for a few minutes. Zucchini has a high water content, so I also put a paper towel in the bowl first (yes under the zoodles) to absorb some of the water. Or just throw the zoodles in a strainer to get rid of that water.  Or don’t. Sometimes I don’t. Like yesterday. In this post’s feature photo you can see how the excess water has leaked out around the edges of the zoodles. It’s not a very big deal and doesn’t effect the flavor. It’s just not nice looking.

If you don’t yet have a Mandoline slicer, bite the bullet and spend $20 bucks for one. You can also use this to make long wide strips of zucchini used to make keto lasagna in seconds.

I bought the Yakatto Mandoline slicer and I love it: I used it last night on two zucchinis. I sliced one into strips to make a zucchini lasagna and I turned the other one into zoodles for spaghetti.  The recipe below calls for 6 zucchini because it’s based on 6 servings. But I usually don’t make six.

So there you have it.  Zoodles have restored our weekly spaghetti dinner tradition!

Here are a few other details about my ingredients and the technique I most frequently use:

Let me start by sharing a dirty little secret: I still make regular pasta for my family who isn’t strict LC/keto like me. With the sauce recipe below, we serve 3 of us and have enough sauce and pasta for left overs. I make 2 servings of left over pasta spaghetti for them and use the rest of the sauce  to make zucchini lasagna for me.

Sausage is best in this recipe when it’s over cooked – it creates a very flavorful, almost smokey tasting sauce. My family prefers a lot of meat in our sauce (all low carb’ers should) and I use Jimmy Dean’s Premium Pork Sage Sausage. When browning it, I recommend that you allow it to stick a bit and slightly burn occasionally. Then scrape the charred meat off the bottom. We also like it in large chucks.

To accomplish this, I use a wooden spoon to turn the meat over in large pieces (vs stirring it) and I don’t break it into smaller pieces until it’s almost completely cooked. If your family likes prefers very small pieces (like ground beef meet sauce), then you’ll want to stir the sausage frequently and a bit aggressively. As it browns, it will naturally break apart into tiny pieces. Regardless, over cook it and let it burn a bit.

The tomatoes and paste I use are Muir Glen’s organic no sugar added. To me they are much fresher tasting than other name brands. My grocer stocks them (I feel lucky about that and hope you are too). If you can’t find them locally, the exact ones I purchase are also available through Amazon Pantry. Here are links to the cheapest options I found on Amazon at the time of this post:

Muir Glen Organic Whole Tomatoes – pack of 12 | Muir Glen Organic Tomato Paste – pack of 24.