marinara sauce recipe

Zucchini Noodles with Marinara Sauce Recipe

by
zucchini noodles

This zucchini noodles and marinara sauce recipe is super simple to cook. The marinara sauce will pair great with any pasta, even a gluten free faux zucchini pasta, which is really just raw zucchini cut into noodles, but your taste buds will trick your brain into believing otherwise. Thin sliced ribbons of zucchini will act just like egg noodles, except when it comes to racking up the calories.

What You Need To Make Zucchini Noodles with Marinara Sauce

2-3 ZUCCHINI
1 lb ground SAUSAGE
1 ONION
crazy amount of GARLIC
½ GREEN BELL PEPPER
1 15 oz can DICED TOMATO
1 15 oz can TOMATO SAUCE
2-3 tsp ITALIAN SEASONING
RED PEPPER FLAKES (to taste)
½ up PARSLEY (chopped, optional)
SALT and PEPPER (to taste)
OIL for sauteing

zucchini noodles
Add thin sliced raw zucchini to hot marinara for a great gluten free faux pasta

How To Make Marinara Sauce with Zucchini Noodles

  • In a large skillet, heat oil on medium heat.
  • When pan is hot, add sausage. Sometimes I’ll shape sausage into meatballs before adding to the skillet and other times I’ll just divide the sausage once it’s in the pan; whatever works for you is the right way.
  • Brown the sausage for a few minutes and then add the onion, garlic, and peppers.
  • Continue sauteing for 3-4 minutes.
  • Add herbs and salt and pepper to taste.
  • Add canned tomato and about ½ can of water.
  • Mix well and bring the skillet up to a bubble.
  • Reduce to a low simmer and cook 20-30 minutes. Add water as desired.
  • While sauce simmers, wash and peel 2-3 zucchini into thin noodles. I find a simple vegetable peeler to be the easiest method for slicing zucchini into thin, egg noodle like strips.
  • After sauce simmers, adjust seasoning as desired and stir in the chopped parsley. The parsley is optional, but adds a great color to the sauce, especially if you’re serving the marinara sauce over traditional noodles.
  • Remove the skillet from the heat and stir sliced zucchini noodles into the marinara sauce.
  • The thin zucchini will readily heat through in the hot marinara sauce and no more cooking is required.
  • Serve immediately (and top with Parmesan cheese if you like!)
zucchini noodles
raw ribbons of zucchini make a perfect pasta substutute

Give this very tasty marinara sauce with zucchini noodles recipe a try and let me know what you think, and bon appétit!

For another great noodle dish, check out this Gluten Free Tofu Lasagna
gluten free tofu lasagna

Thanks for checking out the recipes. If you like what you see, share it with your friends and family on social media, I appreciate it!
–Chef Buck

Share and Enjoy !

Pizza Sauce and quick flatbread pizza recipe

by
pita pizza

You can make a delicious pita pizza with homemade pizza sauce super fast. Flatbread pizza is cheap, and healthier than store-bought pizza, and Movie Night wouldn’t be Movie Night without it. It’s easy to make and easy to clean up and tastes great, so that’s perfect, right?

Pizza Sauce Recipe Ingredients:

1 15oz can TOMATO SAUCE
2-3 Tbsp dried OREGANO
1 Tbsp dried BASIL
2 tsp dried THYME
2 tsp GARLIC POWDER (more if you love garlic)
SALT and PEPPER to taste (also, a little dried jalapeño can give the sauce a nice kick)

–The sauce you make at home will be tastier than the sauce you buy in the jar at the store; you can make it your own, add the herbs you like, as much or as little as you like.

PITA BREAD – Any kind of pita or flatbread will do, we use whole wheat. Rubbing olive oil around the edges of the pita will make a tasty edge (I like it that way!), but it isn’t necessary to do so. One pita makes a nice personal pizza size. For two people, we usually make 4 or 5 assorted pita pizzas, cut them in half, and have a mini-buffet.

TOPPINGS?…there’s no end to the possibilities. Pita pizzas are a great way to experiment with topping ideas.

Pour tomato sauce into a bowl and add oregano, thyme, basil, and garlic powder (salt and pepper can be added if desired…but check can to see if tomato sauce is already salted). For sauce with a kick, add some dried jalapeño. Mix ingredients well.

Rub olive oil around the edges of your pita for a tasty crust (optional). Spread sauce over pitas and then add toppings. It’s usually a good idea to start with a little cheese on the bottom and end with more cheese on the top –what goes in between is up to you (leftovers in the fridge often make great pizza toppings! Ever have a meatloaf pizza?).

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes (this is a good cooking time if you like to pile on the toppings…for faster cooking, bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes…it’s quicker, but quicker isn’t always better)

buffalo chicken pizza
buffalo chicken pizza recipe

Pizza Topping Ideas:

Chef Buck loves –
SPINACH (this topping should go on first, so it doesn’t dry out), FETA CHEESE, TOMATO SLICES, MOZARELLA CHEESE, and extra HERB topping.
Camera Girl loves –
MOZZARELLA CHEESE, RED PEPPERS, ARTICHOKES, PEPPERONI, and FAKE SAUSAGE.

ARTICHOKE is a great topping (just keep a can in the cabinet). SHRIMP makes a nice change-up. And trying different CHEESES is always a good idea. HAVARTI and RICOTTA are two cheeses we use often—they can bring a fresh taste to the PEPPERONI blues.
Keep a jar of PIZZA SAUCE in the fridge and some PITAS in the freezer and dinner is always only moments away.

Give this simple pizza sauce and pita pizza idea a try and let me know what you think, and bon appétit!
If you’re new to home cooking, get a bunch of spices, pots and pans, and start experimenting with different recipes. It’s a healthy hobby that will save you money in the long run. Check out current prices for Complete Kitchenware Sets on Amazon as well as Complete Starter Spice Kits. Or go to a thrift store! I’ve found some of my favorite kitchen gear at second-hand stores.

For another tasty movie night type dish, try this Ultimate Nachos Supreme Recipe.

best nachos recipe
This is a fantastic Nachos Supreme dish, and a giant pizza pan makes a great dish for cooking and serving.

Thanks for checking out the recipes, sharing, and commenting, I appreciate it!
–Chef Buck

Share and Enjoy !

Follow Me!

Share