ZOODLES BOLOGNESE

Bolognese is one of those comforting dishes that is always a crowd-pleaser, but even if you don't have a crowd, you can still make a big batch and freeze leftovers for a quick and easy meal any time you want!

We love to serve ours over zoodles because it helps us avoid the unnecessary unrefined starch in traditional pasta. It also allows us to get in our non-starchy vegetables without having to think about it!

Trust us, the sauce is so hearty you won't even miss real pasta! And if you’re out of zucchini, just sub in some spaghetti squash. Even serving this over a bowl of roasted veggies and quinoa would be delicious as well!

INGREDIENTS: serves 4

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 5 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 large yellow onion, diced

• 2 carrots, diced

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tbsp tomato paste

• 2 lbs lean ground beef

• 2 1/2 28-oz cans diced tomatoes

• 1/2 tbsp dried oregano

• 1/2 tbsp dried basil

• 1/2 tsp red chili flakes

• 1/2 tsp salt

• Black pepper

• 2 bay leaves

• 4 zucchini, spiralized

1. Pour 2 tbsp oil into the bottom of a stock pot or dutch oven and turn heat to medium-high. Add in garlic, onion, carrots and 1/2 tsp of salt and sauté.

2. After a few minutes, add in tomato paste and mix to coat vegetables.

3. Once vegetables are tender, 5-7 minutes, add in ground meat. Using a potato masher, break up meat into small pieces and mix with vegetables, allowing the meat to cook through.

4. Once meat is cooked, pour in canned tomatoes and bring to a boil. Then reduce to a simmer and add in oregano, basil, chili flakes, salt, pepper, and bay leaves. Mix and allow the sauce to reduce till you reach your desired consistency. We like ours quite thick, which takes 1.5-2 hours to cook down. When sauce is done, remove bay leaves to serve.

5. When sauce is almost done cooking, pour 2 tbsp oil into a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add in zucchini noodles and cook until zucchini is tender, about 3 minutes.

6. To serve, portion zucchini noodles at the bottom of a bowl and ladle the bolognese sauce on top.

4Q Journaling Guide: This would be considered a completely balanced lunch or dinner.