Being Italian and not being able to eat pasta* is somewhat of a tragic thing. But honestly? This “pasta” dish is so incredibly satisfying, that I barely notice the difference. Noodles, schmoodles. A rich, flavorful sauce is where its at. And as for those noodles, zucchinis make a fantastically fresh alternative to traditional gluten-dense noodles and hello – they’re fun to make. Older child activity perhaps?
Sausage & Zucchini Ribbons
- 2 medium-sized zucchinis, peeled into ribbons
- olive oil
- 1 pound organic Italian sausage (confirm with the butcher that it’s dairy, sugar, soy and grain-free)
- 1/2 sweet onion, chopped
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 can diced organic tomatoes (or 4-5 diced garden tomatoes)
- 1/2 can organic tomato paste
- Italian seasoning
- sea salt and black pepper
Sauce: In a large cast iron skillet, heat a few glugs of olive oil and saute the onion and garlic until golden. Add sausage and cook over medium-heat high until no longer pink. Add tomatoes, paste, 1/2 can water or stock, several more glugs of olive oil and seasonings to sauce. Simmer.
Zucchini Ribbons: Scrub zucchinis and cut off ends. Using a vegetable peeler, slice zucchini into long ribbons. When the ribbons become wide, rotate zucchini. Repeat on all sides. In a large pot, heat (salted) water to boiling. Drop zucchini ribbons in water and cook for one minute. Run cold water over ribbons; drain. Incorporate into sauce, reheat and serve while hot.
I served this alongside a green salad with homemade balsamic dressing. Mangia!
For a meatless zucchini ribbon dish, try this recipe from last year.
What dishes are you cooking up this summer?
* In the land of pizza and pasta, Italy is highly accommodating to those with gluten sensitivities – travelers and citizens alike. At a very young age, children are screened for Celiac Disease, which affects a not-so insignificant amount of citizens. Those with Celiac are actually given a stipend from the government for their food because gluten-free food costs more (apparently the selection is much better than in the States), and they are given multiple days off per month to shop for their food. So like, I want to move to Italy. Actually I should say, we want to move to Italy. Hmm…
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10 Responses to “sausage and zucchini ribbons”
I have been wanting to try this, mostly because I have more zucchini than I know what to do with! I am also very happy to see that am not the only one who measures their olive oil in glugs! I too, want to move (back) to Italy.
Carla recently posted..this moment
When and where and why did you live in Italy? Are you Italian? Super curious…
I think my mom would love this. She is an amazing cook. I am mostly a failure.
My mom rocks!
Harshie recently posted..Begin to think positively and confidently
looks very tasty:) thx for sharing.
Adin recently posted..Buying Casio Men’s PAW2000-1CR Pathfinder? Read this first!
You had me at sausage!
This looks delicious. We have a zucchini in the fridge and I’m going try ribboning it for lunch today.
I also really like the idea of using paste & canned tomatoes over store bought sauce…store bought always makes me feel sick afterwards.
Yum! It looks fabulous!
What??? Italy gives citizens extra money and time off b/c they are gluten intolerant?!? I NEED TO MOVE THERE WITH YOU!!
That is the perfect dish for this upcoming diner date with my husband.. Thanks for the idea..
Hanie recently posted..Dominos menu
Yum! Made this earlier this week and it was fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe!
http://alifesustained.blogspot.com/2011/09/sausage-and-squash.html
on September 26th, 2011 at 3:06 am #
[...] More often than not, impromptu dishes, thrown together without much forethought, turn out to be the most delicious. Such was this simple dish, prepared and served within 20 minutes on a particularly busy, stressful day last week. It had me reaching for the camera, and scrambling to find a scrap of paper to scribble down the recipe before it left my brain for good. This is absolutely fabulous on its own, but could also make an excellent soup with the addition of a quart of vegetable stock, or even spooned over zucchini ribbon pasta. [...]