Husband to me in front of guests: “Honey, why don’t you show everybody your spiralizer?” {Because who doesn’t want a demo of your new kitchen gadget when they’re invited to dinner?} Meanwhile, I secretly cringe, wondering if this question ranks right up there with “Honey, why don’t you pull up the video of Buffy’s dance recital so our friends can watch it?”
However, I can say after several appearances by the spiralizer that it’s a huge hit.
How did this seemingly unnecessary and perhaps faddish gadget make it into my kitchen?
Well, I don’t run enough marathons {translate :: zero} to justify the amount of pasta I’d like to consume. So when I saw recipes popping up on the web for zucchini pasta, I had to investigate. Turns out, folks were either replacing traditional pasta with zucchini ribbons {fine strips of the humble vegetable, made with a peeler} or zucchini “spaghetti” made by the spiralizer {or a julienne peeler}. Let me just tell you, it’s a game changer!
In addition to this zucchini “pasta”, we’ve spiralized potatoes, sweet potatoes, cucumbers and carrots – great for unfried “fries” {in the case of the potatoes} or a delicious summer salad {cukes and carrots}.
The last time I did a demo with a potato, my friend Doug grabbed a bowl, sprinkled the spirals with olive oil, salt and pepper, and headed for the grill. We didn’t see him for awhile, but when he returned, we had a snack that vanished in seconds!
My go-to recipe for an easy weeknight meal is Zucchini Pasta with Turkey Meatballs. Because I make the meatballs in big batches, I always have some in the freezer. Same goes for the sauce.
It’s so delicious, you’ll definitely want a second helping. And go ahead – it’s good for you!
- 5 Medium Zucchini
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1½ cups yellow onion, diced
- 2 tsp garlic, minced
- 3 cans {14½ oz each} crushed tomatoes {such as Muir Glen Fire Roasted}
- ½ cup minced fresh parsley
- 1 Tbs sugar
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- salt to taste
- Turkey Meatballs
- Trim ends of zucchini and cut on spiralizer, or peel with a julienne peeler. The zucchini will be in very long strips, so trim to "spaghetti length" if desired. Sprinkle with a little salt and let sit for about 5 minutes. {This helps draw out excess water}. Pat dry with paper towels.
- In large pan, sauté onions in oil over medium high heat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add 12 cooked meatballs {or more, depending on size} to sauce, and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until heated through. {Frozen meatballs will take longer}
- While meatballs and sauce are simmering, heat a large sauté pan to medium. Place zucchini in pan and spread out. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 7 minutes, until thoroughly heated.
- Place zucchini in serving bowl, top with sauce and meatballs.
Want one? I get to give one away!
I contacted the Spiralizer folks after I became addicted to mine, and they graciously offered to send me one to give to a Raisin & Fig reader. How cool is that?!
You’ve got a lot of ways to win, so have at it, and good luck.
{If you pick one up, check out “Inspiralized.” It’s a great website with TONS of recipes to try!}
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