Zucchini Ribbons with Homemade Tomato Sauce

So...I've been MIA for the entire summer! I know - I'm so incredibly sorry! The summer months were hectic and went by entirely too fast! I found myself constantly thinking, 'I need to blog about this', or 'I bet my blog followers would love this'! I had the greatest intentions, but my follow-through was shameful!

Anyway, school is back in session and the routine has been established again. Things are starting to calm down a bit and I feel like I can finally breathe again. Phew!

So, today I have a great, healthy, meatless recipe to share! I was really surprised by how delicious this dish was! The entire family asked for seconds - that's never a bad sign.

Zucchini Ribbons with Homemade Tomato Sauce

My garden has exploded with tomatoes lately and I really didn't feel like canning them, so I decided to make this simple tomato sauce. I also had two zucchini and green peppers from the garden that needed to be used up. Let's get to the recipe!

Ingredients

For the Sauce

-6 medium sized tomatoes of your choice (I used some heirloom and some roma), chopped (as fine or as chunky as you'd like)

-1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

-1 small (or 1/2 large) sweet onion, chopped

-2 small (or 1 large) green pepper, chopped

-3 cloves garlic, chopped (or less depending on your preference)

-salt & pepper to taste

-1 teaspoon dried oregano

-1 teaspoon dried basil

-1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

For the Zucchini Ribbons

-1 large (or 2 small) zucchini

-salt & pepper to taste

-fresh grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

Add the tomatoes, olive oil, onion, green pepper, garlic and seasonings to a heavy sauce pan and stir to combine. Turn heat on medium-low and bring to a boil. Once bubbling, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for at least one hour. After one hour, remove from heat and let sit for at least ten to twenty minutes with the lid still in place. 

Using a vegetable peeler, start peeling strips of the zucchini lengthwise until you can't peel anymore then set aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil with salt and pepper. Once boiling, add zucchini and stir for 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and drain, then blot with clean paper towels to absorb some extra moisture. 

To serve, place zucchini ribbons on plate then spoon tomato sauce over top. Garnish with fresh grated parmesan cheese and that's it! 

This sauce recipe is incredible versatile and can be adjusted to make a larger or smaller batch - it all depends upon your preference. It freezes really well, so if you make a large batch, you can most definitely freeze the leftovers for a later date. 

If you decide to give this recipe a shot, let me know how you like it! I had intended on trying some quinoa meatballs with this dish as well, but I ran out of time! So...be on the lookout for a quinoa meatball recipe soon! 

See you soon! Ciao, bellas!