At the end of the day, one of my favorite dishes is a big pile of spaghetti with tomato sauce and mozzarella. With zucchini soon reaching their peak season, it’s an easy transition to make this dish healthier. Replace the spaghetti with freshly spiralized zucchini (aka “zoodles”). Add a little creaminess and fresh basil to really enhances the flavor. It has become one of my favorite dishes on rotation!

 If you have not used a spiralizer, oh they are so fabulous!! I use mine most frequently for making zucchini noodles, but they also come in handy for recipes with other vegetables:  curly fries, sweet potato noodles, beet noodles, and so much more. I bought mine on Amazon and it came with three different sized blades. Simply place your food on the prongs of the spiralizer and turn the crank. One medium-sized zucchini can make a bowl of zoodles.

This dish is pretty filling in itself, but to for extra protein I will occasionally add a meat ball on top. Serve it by itself, or pair it with a side salad, roasted eggplant or garlic bread for a complete meal! Hope you all love this as much as I do! 

Creamy Tomato-Basil Zoodles

Ingredients:

• 2 medium-sized zucchini, stems removed
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes, drained (plus 1/4 cup tomato sauce, optional, for thinning sauce)
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 3 tbsp cream cheese
• 3-5 fresh basil leaves,  + more for garnish
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella

Directions:

• Using a spiralizer, make zucchini noodles. Place in bowl and set aside.
• In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add diced onion and cook until transparent. Add garlic and cook for one minute.
• Add tomatoes (plus tomato sauce, optional) and crushed red pepper to pan. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn heat to low. A few minutes prior to serving place cream cheese and basil into pan and mix into tomatoes.
• Place zoodles onto individual serving dishes. Spoon tomato mixture over zoodles. Top with mozzarella cheese. Garnish with fresh basil. Serve immediately.

(Inspired by Weight Watchers healthy entrees)

Live your life joyfully so,

Ashley