Butternut Squash Zucchini ‘Pasta’

Since I started my elimination diet I’ve also adopted Meat Free Monday. We’re always being told that we eat too much meat so I thought since I’m getting healthy anyway, why not? And now I really look forward to experimenting on Mondays with vegetarian meals.

Pumpkins are everywhere at the moment and they’re also one of my favourite vegetables so I wanted to make a different meal using pumpkin, and this ‘pasta’ is the result.

It’s gluten free, dairy free (aside from the cheese garnish), refined sugar free and 100% good for you. Creamy and delicious like a pasta should be, except with zucchini noodles, also known as zoodles, instead of pasta giving you an extra serve of veggies for the meal.

Butternut Squash Zucchini ‘Pasta’

1 butternut pumpkin
1 red capsicum
1 garlic clove
3 tbsp coconut cream
3 tbsp vegetable stock (I made my own)
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste
6 button mushrooms halved and sliced
4 zucchini
1 onion diced
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Grated cheese to top

Preheat the oven to 180℃.

Peel and chop the pumpkin into cubes.

Place pumpkin cubes, whole capsicum and garlic on a oven tray and drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil.

Bake for 40 minutes or until pumpkin is soft.

Meanwhile using a spiralizer cut the zucchini into noodles. Alternatively you can thinly slice them into noodles.

In two frying pans heat 1 tbsp of oil each on medium.

Fry the onions and mushrooms in one pan and the zoodles in the other until soft.

When the pumpkin is ready, remove from oven and put in a bowl.

Chop the stalk off the capsicum, remove the seeds and add to the bowl.

Add the garlic to the bowl.

Add stock and coconut cream.

Using a stick blender, blitz the pumpkin until it makes a saucy texture. If necessary add more stock and cream.

Season to taste.

Add sauce to zoodles and add mushrooms and onions. Mix well.

This will serve 3-4 people, top each serving with a little cheese if desired.

Hope you enjoy this recipe, it’s become a regular on my menu.

Today was the first day of Junk Free June for me, a fundraiser for The Cancer Society of New Zealand. I am giving up all forms of chocolate for the month as that is my only vice at the moment and I tend to overdo it. My aim is to raise at least $200 for this very worthy cause. If you would like to sponsor me, please do so here

Smiles and sunshine
Katie