A Healthy Alternative For Your Beloved Spaghetti!

It’s National Spaghetti Day!

Creating new healthy eating habits, or getting back to old ones, can be a struggle for anyone. But, because we’re on a mission to clean up our act and #eatpurely this new year, we’re relying on healthy swaps!

Rather than giving up some of our favorite comfort foods, we’re just tweaking the recipes — incorporating more veggies and nutrient-rich ingredients and (most importantly) leaving out the bad ingredients! You don’t have to follow a diet to be healthy. Eating Purely can be done by focusing on vegetables and kicking inflammatory foods to the curb. Some of the biggest inflammatory offenders are refined sugars, processed foods, wheat (or any gluten-containing ingredients), bad oils/fats (such as hydrogenated oils, trans fats, oils high in omega-6s), excess animal protein and dairy. For more on our Eating Purely Principles check out Elizabeth’s Eating Purely Cookbook, available on Amazon.

One of our favorite kitchen tools that aid in making healthy swaps is the veggie spiralizer! This innovative gadget allows you to replace pasta and refined carbs with fresh veggies. You can spiralize beets, zucchini, squash, sweet potatoes — you name it, with just a few turns of the hand. You can purchase a veggie spiralizer at Bed Bath & Beyond, Williams-Sonoma, + Amazon.com.

Now, let’s get to one of our favorite spiralized zucchini pasta recipes so that you can dig into some delicious, yet ultra-nutritious pasta bowls in 2016! Happy #NationalSpaghettiDay!

Creamy Tomato Zucchini Pasta

Ingredients:

vegetarian, gluten-free

2 zucchini, spiralized

Sauce:
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 large heirloom tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 avocado
1 cup grilled onions, chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
3 tbsp basil, chopped
Maldon sea salt to taste
Parmesan to taste

Directions:

In a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and garlic. Sauté until fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and grilled onions. Saute for 7-10 minutes. Add in avocado and tomato paste. Simmer on low for 20 minutes. Add in basil and salt and simmer for 3-5 more minutes. Pour into a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Pour back into skillet with zucchini noodles. Toss and serve with basil and Parmesan.

For more Purely Elizabeth recipes check out our mini-magazine + Eating Purely Cookbook!