Vegetable Spaghetti
I love making vegetable spaghetti for dishes such as Meatballs, Bolognese, Pad Thai or Laksa. This technique was taught to me when I first started my chef’s apprenticeship in a French influenced fine dining restaurant headed up by executive chef Neil Jackson. A great alternative to traditional pastas and they have the added benefit if being nutrient dense as well as being gluten free. There are no nasties, just the good vegetables and a healthy dose of fibre, vitamins and minerals.
I like to use firm vegetables such as zucchini, carrot, pumpkin, daikon radish, sweet potato or leek, no boiling required, just cook in the pot with a little olive oil over a low to medium heat for 5 minutes. Add a splash of stock for extra flavour if you like, finish with lots of freshly chopped garden herbs and you have the most delicious spaghetti you’ve ever eaten. Toss through tomato based or meat sauces like Bolognese, Napolitana or Tuna Puttanesca, stir through a spoon full of basil pesto or finish simply with a hint of Parmesan. Bon Appetite !
GREEN ZUCCHINI SPAGHETTI
Time it takes 5 minutes
Serves 2
500 g - 4 zucchini, cut into thin strips on a mandolin or julienne peeler
black pepper + freshly chopped parsley and a squeeze of lemon.
Saute zucchini in a pan over a medium heat with a little olive oil.
Season with a little lemon, sea salt and black pepper.
Add fresh herbs if you wish.
Divide between serving plates and serve with bolognese, roasted salmon or basil pesto.
Enjoy.
Nutrition per serve:
Protein: 3 g
Fat: 3.2 g
Carbs: 4 g
kilojoules: 240
Calories: 56
ORANGE PUMPKIN SPAGHETTI
Time it takes 5 minutes
Serves 4
750 g – 1 butternut pumpkin, peeled and cut into thin strips on a mandolin or julienne peeler
black pepper, fresh herbs + a squeeze of orange juice + spinach leaves
Saute pumpkin in a pan over a medium heat with a little olive oil for 3 minutes, alternatively
blanch for 1 minute in boiling water then drain.
Season with a little orange zest, olive oil, sea salt and black pepper.
Add fresh herbs and baby spinach leaves if you wish.
Divide between serving plates and top with grilled chicken breast, grass fed beef or fish
Enjoy.
Nutrition per serve:
Protein: 3.9 g
Fat: 4 g
Carbs: 12 g
kilojoules: 341
Calories: 81
LEEK SPAGHETTI
Time it takes 5 minutes
Serves 2
160 g – 2 leek, cut into thin strips with a knife
black pepper + freshly chopped parsley and a squeeze of lemon.
Saute leek in a pan over a medium heat with a little olive oil until tender.
Season with a little lemon, sea salt and black pepper.
Add some green peas, asparagus, spinach and fresh herbs if you wish.
Divide between serving plates and serve with fish or chicken.
Enjoy.
Nutrition per serve:
Protein: 1.6 g
Fat: 2.7 g
Carbs: 3.2 g
kilojoules: 180
Calories: 43
CARROT SPAGHETTI
Time it takes 5 minutes
Serves 4
4 carrots, cut into thin strips on a mandolin or julienne peeler
black pepper + freshly chopped parsley and a squeeze of lemon.
Saute carrots in a pan over a medium heat with a little olive oil.
Season with a little lemon, sea salt and black pepper.
Add fresh herbs if you wish.
Divide between serving plates and serve with roasted eggplant, capsicum, Persian feta, chickpeas and baby spinach leaves.
Enjoy.
Nutrition per serve:
Protein: 1 g
Fat: 1.4 g
Carbs: 6.6 g
kilojoules: 177
Calories: 42
GOLDEN SWEET POTATO SPAGHETTI
Time it takes 5 minutes
Serves 4
2 sweet potato, peeled and cut into thin strips on a mandolin or julienne peeler
black pepper + freshly chopped parsley + a hint of nutmeg or cinnamon.
Saute sweet potato in a pan over a medium heat with a little olive oil.
Season with little salt and freshly ground pepper.
Add fresh herbs if you wish.
Divide between serving plates and serve with bolognese osso bucco, medium rare grass fed beef or mushroom + spinach ragout.
Enjoy.
Nutrition per serve:
Protein: 2.4 g
Fat: 1.4 g
Carbs: 17 g
kilojoules: 384
Calories: 91
After creating this post, I cooked up all the vegetables for dinner and we ate the vegetable spaghetti with a lovely piece of steamed white fish.
Cook leeks first then add the rest of the vegetables to the pot.
Contact Teresa Cutter
That looks positively delicious. :o)
I love this idea … but how do you get your strips to be so long?
Hi Teresa,
This looks stunning – however i dont have a mandolin or julienne peeler….YET!
Any suggestions so i can make this tonight?
Vaso
Yes you can use a vegetable peeler if you haven’t got a mandoline…won’t look as great, but it will do the job.
Love this. Looks so healthy,especially combining all together. Definitely will try.
The strips are as long as the vegetable…cut vegetables long and slide along the mandoline for long strips… x
Righto this looks yum. Need to go buy myself a julienne peeler!
I’ve researched mandolins – so many choices and a big variance in prices – would you mind sharing your recommendation? Many thanks.
This is a genius idea! I made it out of carrot, zucchini and leek, and served it with some homemade lean beef and vegie meatballs and a drizzle of passata. I think I prefer it to normal spaghetti!
Fabulous Idea! A great way to satisfy those pasta cravings.
Do you de-seed the Zucchini first?
I do zucchini ones, place them in a bowl and pour over a homemade chicken stock infused with asian flavours. I add a small amount of cooked asian pork or chicken mince to the top and add yummy fresh items like bean shoots, spring onion etc. A very healthy alternative and my hubby who doesn’t like zucchini nor noodles absolutely loves it. Thanks Teresa for the idea – it is something you can use in a lot of different cuisines.
hi Teresa,
I bought a mandolin but it doesn’t cut very good cut like yours in the picture :(
any ideas on a good brand one?
I really want to make it like yours :)
cheers
Hi, i have wanted to do this for a while, what a good way to sneek veggies into a bolognese.
Can you use egg plant? i think the white of the eggplant would look nice with a bolognese and would be easer to fool people with. but i dont know if it would be as healthy as the other veg.
also can you steam them rather than boil?
Fantastic,I have always wanted to do this now I can see that it is sooo easy.Love the idea that it is wheat free, gluten free….Paleo lifestyle food
Will have to buy the mandolin!
To those asking about cheap mandolins/ julienne peelers – I picked up a Jamie Oliver julienne peeler and vege peeler set from Target for less than $15. The julienne peeler is fabulous for this dish!
I made these tonight with leeks (never used leeks before tonight) and zucchini. I sautéed the vegetables (in coconut oil) and used a good jarred sauce ( with added herbs from my garden.) my hubby grilled some sausages and we cut them and put them on the sauce and noodles. One of the best tasting and easiest meals I have made in a while. This one is a definite keeper!
Oh, my mandolin is a Benriner. I have seen it as inexpensive as $15 all the way to $50. It depends where you purchase it. Mine has three blades.