Spiralized Zucchini and Squash with Ground Turkey
I can get lost on Pinterest. I will log on to look up ONE thing and lose ONE hour instead. But, as I look for more food recipes, I am constantly finding spiralizer recipes so I broke down and invested in a spiralizer. I bought one from Amazon.
I think it was well worth the investment since I love veggies and am always looking for ways to spice them up. It is a juicer, spiralizer, and mandolin. Who is now winning at this cooking gig? This girl.
But, I will admit that anytime I try an alternative to pasta, it is always a bigger hit for me than Chris. Needless to say, Chris said this recipe was "good', but I think he would have preferred real pasta. But, I do not have his metabolism and I thought that the recipe had a good texture and I felt less guilty eating it.
Ingredients:
3.5 lbs. small zucchini (and yellow squash), cut into noodle strips with a spiralizer or mandolin
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium red onion, minced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
4 oz. mushrooms, sliced (I am not a fan of mushrooms so I left them out).
1 lb ground turkey
3 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/4 cup prepared pesto or make fresh pesto (I prefer homemade pesto, see below).
1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, or more to taste
Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, or to taste
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Homemade Pesto (Optional):
2 cups packed basil leaves (clean and dried)
1/4 cup pine nuts or walnuts (I did not add these due to my nut allergy).
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic​
Instructions:
Make the squash and zucchini noodles using a spiralizer.
In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and saute the zucchini noodles until tender, stirring regularly, about 2-3 minutes. Lightly salt and pepper; set aside.
In the same pan over medium-high heat, add olive oil, onions, mushrooms, and garlic. Cook until translucent. Set aside.
In the same pan over medium-high heat, cook the ground turkey until light brown, about 5 minutes. Lightly salt and pepper.
As the turkey is browning, prepare fresh pesto (optional). Throw all ingredients into a blender. I recommend starting out slow with the garlic to ensure that it meets your liking. Add more pesto ingredients if necessary for your liking.
Add tomato paste, prepared pesto, and tomato paste to the meat and mix together.
Add in the onion and mushroom mixture to the meat; gently stir and heat on low heat for about 2-3 minutes.
Serve the sauce over the zucchini noodles. Sprinkle with Crushed Red Pepper Flakes and Parmesan cheese.
Chris' rating: 3.5. But, like I said, I enjoyed this meal much more than him and I think it is worth trying and making up your own mind.