Zoodles, zoodles, zoodles are oodles of fun. Okay apologies for the really lame word play, but this recipe is so much fun to make and I’m excited to share it with all of you today. Raw Beet Marina Sauce with Zucchini Noodles (a.k.a. zoodles) is a completely raw dish made out of only fresh raw vegetables and ingredients, which means it’s very easy on our digestion, full of fiber, and contains the maximum amount of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and hydrating water content. Okay, and let’s not forget to mention, it’s gorgeous!
This all raw dish is inspired by Halloween, it reminds me of Medusa’s snake-like hair and beet red marinara sauce reminds me of…well I’ll let your imagination fill in the blank here, nonetheless it’s beautifully red and delicious! This is a fantastic recipe to share for your Halloween parties, to get the kids to enjoy their vegetables, and simply to have fun with! To be honest, I eat this dish year round especially when I’m in the mood for a quick, simple, and satisfying dinner because it’s incredibly easy to make and delicious. The Raw Beet Marinara Sauce has a slightly sweet, earthy, and tangy taste to it with the combination of sun-dried tomatoes, raw tomatoes, beets, maple syrup (as a sweetener) and familiar marinara spices.
What are zoodles? Zoodles is my way of saying noodles made out of zucchini. Zucchini is an incredibly versatile vegetable as you’ve seen with GF Zucchini Bread. It also has the ideal texture reminiscent of noodles, they’re flexible and have an “al dente” type of texture to them when eaten raw. Also note, this dish doesn’t have to be eaten raw if this is a little too adventurous for your tastes, you can lightly steam the zucchini noodles for two minutes and warm the marinara sauce on the stove until warm. I do urge you however, to try this dish raw first!
Zucchini isn’t the only star in this recipe though, beets are! Gorgeous, vibrant, slightly sweet, earthy red beets. If you’re not a big fan of beets, start out with this recipe to introduce yourself to them! It’s slightly sweet from the sun-dried tomatoes and maple syrup (to sweeten) but also tangy and earthy from the sun-dried and raw tomatoes. Beets are loaded with folate, manganese, potassium, vitamin C, magnesium, copper, iron, and antioxidants that are especially important for helping your body carry out it’s natural detoxification functions, mainly the liver with their betalin pigments.
Beets support detoxification mainly in Phase 2 detoxification (there are two phases), which involves the enzyme glutathione-s-transferase a.k.a. GST. GST’s basically work to “catch” and “hook up” unwanted toxic substances in our bodies with nutrients- this allows the toxins to become water soluble and neutralized from the nutrients, therefore safe for the body to excrete through your urine or other processes.
A note about detoxification: detoxification is a daily practice and a life long habit, which I strongly practice and recommend to my clients as well. Detoxification can’t occur simply by doing a “cleanse” for one week- our bodies actually do a tremendous job at detoxifying our bodies through multiple channels if we give them the space, nutrients, proper practices to enhance, and time to do so. So I’m challenging you today to toss the gluten, the processed pastas, and have some fun in the kitchen making these nutrient dense Zucchini Noodles (zoodles) with Raw Beet Marinara Sauce.
Uses // You don’t have to limit this Raw Beet Marinara to just zucchini noodles, my sweet just made a gluten free pizza using this Marinara as the “pizza” sauce and loved it! You can also use this as a dipping sauce for vegetables, spread on a gluten free wrap to make a mini pizza, or simply use with your favorite fresh pastas.
Inspired by many other bloggers, cookbook authors takes on raw marinara sauces with a beet infusion for this season!
- 6 zucchini, through the spiralizer/mandelin/vegetable peeler
- 3 cups tomato, blended
- 1 cup of sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 large red beets (about 1/2 cup), chopped and peeled
- 3 tablespoons of yellow onion, chopped
- 3 tablespoons of maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons of Nama Shoyu (a gluten free soy-like sauce)
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 3 large cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons of thyme (to taste if using dried)
- 2 tablespoons of oregano (to taste if using dried)
- sea salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- stevia to sweeten (optional)
- Simply combine all ingredients into a Vitamix or high speed blender or food processor until combined.
- You have the choice to leave the sauce thick or blend longer for a thinner consistency.
- Please be sure to taste along the way and make seasoning adjustments to fit your taste. Every tomato, beet, etc. will taste different depending on your region and quality.
- Keep and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Enjoy!
What you’ll need // This is the kitchen appliance I use to make zucchini noodles, a spiralizer. You can also use a mandolin, vegetable peeler (for larger noodles), or this spiralizer.
ZUCCHINI NOODLES Instructions //
Cut the end off each zucchini, one at a time.
Depending on your spiralizer model, lock in the zucchini standing straight or side ways. Use the directions for your spiralizer machine.
If using a peeler, simply run the vegetable peeler long ways to create thin zucchini strips.
If using a mandolin, use the thinnest blade and run the zucchini long ways to create thin strips.
ASSEMBLY //
In a large bowl, place the zucchini noodles at the bottom and pour the Beet Marinara on top.
Top with nutritional yeast (optional) for a cheesy flavor.
I challenge you to make this for yourself or share it with your family this coming week for Halloween. Share below your experiences of how you or your family liked this recipe!
Happy zoooooodle-ing,
xo McKel
