zucchini noodles

I wanted to share this dinner that I made recently because it was quick, easy, and very tasty.   It's an assembly style dish, you cook each of the layers and when you get to the last layer dinner is done.  Most of the time is spent in prep-work, the actual cooking doesn't take too long.  I do keep the dish in the oven in between layers (set to 250 degrees) to make sure everything stays warm.

This recipe came out of a need to provide a meal for someone who follows a gluten free diet.  Many people are avoiding gluten these days.  And while there are certainly a number of gluten free pasta options out there, quite a number of people are also not getting enough vegetables.  I think this idea is a delicious way to add more veggies to the diet.

Zucchini noodles.  So yummy and so easy to make.  The best part is that you can even use the oversize-on-their-way-to-baseball-bat sized zucchini.  Wash the zucchini, trim both ends, and using a vegetable peeler begin to peel long strips all the way down the length of the zucchini.  After several strip rotate the zucchini one-quarter turn and make more strips, rotate again, repeat.  This helps to make thin enough strips width-wise.  I peel all the way down to the seeds but don't peel the seeded part of the zucchini.

Here's the recipe for you to enjoy.

Zucchini Noodles and Sausage 

1 package pre-cooked, chicken cilantro sausage
1 large zucchini, turn into noodles, dice the center part
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large sweet onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large tomato, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup minced cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the skillet
Add 1/2 of the diced onion and the garlic
When the onion starts to soften turn down the heat slightly and add the zucchini
Toss and cook the zucchini for approximately 5 minutes until it is coated in oil and warmed through
Place zucchini and onions into a serving dish
Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet
Add the rest of the onion
When onion starts to soften add bell pepper, diced zucchini center, tomato, and tomato paste,
Saute until bell pepper starts to soften
Add salt and pepper to taste
Spoon mixture over zucchini noodles

Place sausage in the skillet and heat until browned on the outside
Remove sausage from skillet and slice into bite sized pieces
Sprinkle sausage pieces on top of dish
Garnish with cilantro

Note:  if necessary you can make this dish ahead.  Simply reheat in a 300 F degree oven for about 20 minutes until all of the ingredients are warmed through