Many years ago I reluctantly gave up pasta forever (well, there are cheat days once a year or so) and I have missed it every single day since that foolish decision was made.
Alas I sometimes brave the pasta cooking process anyways, swallowing my urge to gobble it all up myself, torturing myself for Vincent’s sake (lucky bastard!).
This time I whipped out my handy Spiralizer and made zucchini noodles for myself too, so for a change I could flavour the pasta sauce with actual salt and not my own tears as I usually do while weeping at the sight of its deliciousness.
Who’s hungry? Vincent, myself and our lovely friend Adriaan. But naturally we want seconds, so this recipe can serve 4 or 5 people.
Ingredients
- 320 g ground beef
- 300 g carrots, sliced or diced
- 200 g green beans, halved
- 1 red onion, diced
- 50 g shimeji mushrooms
- 200 g zucchini, spiralized into zoodles
- 500 g penne pasta
- 390 g arrabiata pasta sauce
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 410 g Italian style canned tomato, oreganum & basil mix
- 1 tbsp chilli & garlic seasoning
- 2 tbsp freeze dried basil
- salt & pepper
Oodles of zoodles
If you’ve got a kitchen toy that can make zoodles, whip it out and get to it.
Sauce it up
Start getting saucy by heating some olive oil in a deep frying pan or saucepan and then adding the carrots, onion and green beans to it.
Stir it and then spice it up. Add a generous sprinkle of basil, chilli and garlic seasoning, salt and pepper.
Add the mushrooms.
Stir it well and let it sauté until the onions are translucent. Then add the ground beef.
Spice it up again using the basil, chilli & garlic, salt and pepper.
Stir well and allow the beef to cook before adding the arabiatta pasta sauce and canned tomato mix.
Add the arabiatta sauce and tomato mix. Give it a good stir. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes (or just until your pasta is cooked).
Sauce up your throat with a glass of wine. We’re having Woolworths’ Cape Juicy Red.
Cook the pasta
Boil water in a pot on the stove. Add salt and a dash of olive oil. Chuck the penne pasta into the boiling water and cook for 12 minutes.
Heat some olive oil in a pan and add the zoodles. Cook for 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
The sauce should look something like this by now.
Build a bowl
Layer 1 — pasta.
Layer 2 — sauce.
Layer 3 — cheese.
Try my recipe!
Pasta Alla Jana
A rugged pasta with lots of veg and a meaty feel-good sauce. This recipe includes two bowls of penne pasta and one bowl of zoodle pasta for a carb conscious eater. Just ignore the zoodles parts if you're happy to stick with real pasta.
Ingredients
- 320 g ground beef
- 300 g carrots, sliced or diced
- 200 g green beans, halved
- 1 red onion, diced
- 50 g shimeji mushrooms
- 200 g zucchini, spiralized into zoodles
- 500 g penne pasta
- 390 g arrabiata pasta sauce
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 410 g Italian style canned tomato, oreganum & basil mix
- 1 tbsp chilli & garlic seasoning
- 2 tbsp freeze dried basil
- salt & pepper
Directions
- If you’ve got a kitchen toy that can make zoodles, whip it out and get to it.
- Start getting saucy by heating some olive oil in a deep frying pan or saucepan and then adding the carrots, onion and green beans.
- Stir it and then spice it up. Add a generous sprinkle of basil, chilli and garlic seasoning, salt and pepper.
- Add the mushrooms and stir well.
- Sauté until the onions are translucent. Then add the ground beef. Spice it up again using the basil, chilli & garlic, salt and pepper.
- Stir well and allow the beef to cook before adding the other wet ingredients.
- Add the arabiatta sauce and tomato mix. Give it a good stir. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes (or just until your pasta is cooked).
- Boil water in a pot on the stove. Add salt and a dash of olive oil. Chuck the penne pasta into the boiling water and cook for 12 minutes.
- Heat some olive oil in a pan and add the zoodles. Cook for 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Dish up and dig in! Don’t forget to grate some cheese on top.
Jana Cooks 