Zucchini Pasta with Lentil Bolognese

🥘 Ingredients

• Vegan Parmesan Cheese (optional)
• basil
  1 tsp
• carrots
  3 medium
• coconut sugar
  1 Tbsp
• garlic
  4 cloves
• marinara sauce
  26 oz
• olive oil
  1 Tbsp
• oregano
  1 tsp
• red lentils
  3/4 c
• red pepper flake
  1 pinch
• salt
  1 pinch
• shallot
  1 medium
• water
  1/2 c
• zucchini
  2 medium

🍳 Cookware

• large rimmed skillet
• mandolin or vegetable

1. 1

   Heat a large rimmed skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add olive oil , shallot , and garlic . Sauté for 2 to ⏱️ 3 minutes , stirring frequently, until slightly softened and fragrant. Turn down heat if browning.

   olive oil: 1 Tbsp, shallot: 1 medium, garlic: 4 cloves
2. 2

   Add carrots and a pinch of salt and stir. Cook for 3 to ⏱️ 4 minutes more, then add marinara sauce and stir to coat.

   carrots: 3 medium, salt: 1 pinch, marinara sauce: 26 oz
3. 3

   Add red pepper flake , basil , oregano , coconut sugar , water , and red lentils . Increase heat slightly and bring mixture to a simmer, then reduce heat to low/medium-low, cover, and continue cooking until lentils are tender - stirring occasionally - about 17 to ⏱️ 20 minutes . Add a bit more water if mixture gets too thick.

   red pepper flake: 1 pinch, basil: 1 tsp, oregano: 1 tsp, coconut sugar: 1 Tbsp, water: 1/2 c, red lentils: 3/4 c
4. 4

   Once lentils are cooked, taste and adjust seasonings as needed, adding more salt to taste, coconut sugar for sweetness, red pepper flake for heat, or herbs for flavor balance.
5. 5

   While the sauce is cooking, spiralize your zucchini into noodles using a tool such as this or this. Alternatively, you can use a mandolin or vegetable peeler, or simply cook up your favorite pasta.

   zucchini: 2 medium
6. 6

   Serve the pasta over noodles of choice (I opted for raw zucchini noodles - so good!) and garnish with desired toppings - I prefer Vegan Parmesan Cheese (optional) and red pepper flake.

   Vegan Parmesan Cheese (optional)
7. 7

   Sauce will keep in the refrigerator up to 3 days or in the freezer 1 month.