Zucchini Noodle Pasta with Lentil Bolognese - gluten and sugar free, plant based, keto

​A tasty, easy to make alternative to ​regular pasta that uses zucchini as the noodles!

The Bolognese sauce is made with lentils, tomatoes, spices and other veggies to add more nutrition to this pasta. Top with nutritional yeast for more vitamins and other micronutrients to make a deeply nutritious dish.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes

Recipe below:

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Ingredients

Zucchini noodles

• 2 large green zucchinis
• 1/2 cup water

Bolognese sauce

• I.5 cups cooked green lentils (or 1 can)
• 1 can pasta sauce of choice (or 1 can crushed tomatoes)
• 1 small onion (or 1 tbsp onion powder)
• 2 cloves garlic (or 1 tsp garlic powder)
• 4 cremini mushrooms
• 1 cup chopped kale (or spinach)
• 1 tsp real salt (preferred salt of choice is either Celtic or Redmon real sea salt)
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp turmeric

Toppings

• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp ground flax seed
• chili flakes as desired (leave out if you don't like spicy)

Instructions

1. Finely chop onions, garlic, mushrooms, and kale.
2. Combine above with lentils and remaining spices into a pot with the pasta sauce.
3. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce and let simmer for 20 minutes until the veggies are cooked down and soft.
4. While the pasta sauce is cooking, prepare the zucchini noodles.
5. Wash the zucchini thoroughly, removing any deformities on the skin. With the remaining skin intact, julienne the zucchini with a Julienne Peeler to form long noodles. Keep going until only a small portion of the middle zucchini is left. Hand chop whatever you cannot peel.
6. Boil 1/2 water in a shallow pan and place in water. Steam for up to 5 minutes until the desired texture is achieved (I do a full 5 minutes because I like the noddle soft).
7. Once desired texture is achieved, strain noodles. Spoon noodles onto plate and top with sauce.
8. Garnish with toppings as desired.

Major micro and macro nutrients your get out of this dish (major is defined as the highest ranking nutrients for the respective food)*
 
Zucchini

• micro: folate, vitamin A, C
• macro: water

Green Lentil

• micro: iron
• macro: protein, fiber

Kale

• micro: calcium, ribolfavin
• macro: fiber

Mushroom

• micro: copper, niacin, pantothenic acid, riboflavin
• macro: protein

Nutritional yeast

• micro: iron, niacin, potassium, riboflavin, Thiamin, and vitamin B12, B6
• macro: protein, fiber

Onion

• micro: vitamins B6, C
• macro: fiber, water

Garlic

• micro: copper, thiamin, selenium and vitamins B6, C

Turmeric

• micro: copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, zinc
• macro: fiber, pantothenic acid, riboflavin and vitamin E, K

Paprika

• micro: copper, fiber, iron, niacin, manganese, pantothenic acid, riboflavin and vitamins A, B6, E, K.

Flax seed

• micro: iron
• macro: fiber, protein

 *nutritional breakdown source: ​www.nutritionvalue.org/contact.php