.jpeg)
I love pasta. My family loves pasta even more. Weekly Italian nights are a tradition in our family and probably the one meal where everyone wants seconds.
When I first went aip, I mourned Italian Food. I really did. Not only could I not have grains but I also couldn’t even have tomato based sauces. I spent many a pasta night not eating at all. But then, I snapped out of it and decided to do something about it. I’d make my own!
Now, I have two versions of sauce depending on how much time I have. These aren’t exact recipes so bare with me. I cook to taste and rarely ever measure (even when baking).
1. No-mato sauce!
Carrots or squash, celery, onion, garlic, mushrooms, salt, bone broth, beets (gives it a red color-you can’t taste them), basil, oregano, thyme. I add everything to my instant pot and cook on high for ten minutes. Then pour everything into my blender and purée.
Use whatever veggies you have on hand! Tweak it as much as you want. It’s really forgiving and very flexible.
2. Canned pumpkin, bone broth, salt, garlic powder, basil, oregano. This is my super speedy sauce recipe. Feel free to jazz it up and add more veggies to it. Mix it all up, heat in the microwave until hot and that’s it!
What about the noodles? I use zoodles or sphaghetti squash. I love both equally. Zoodles cook MUCH faster however- so for a fast meal, go with those.
For sphaghetti squash, you’ll want to cut your squash in half and place in a baking dish with a little water in the bottom of the dish. Bake at 350 until tender and soft. Scoop out seeds and discard. Then scoop out all the inside “noodles”. That’s it!
For zoodles, you’ll need to buy them already spiralized or you’ll need to do it yourself. It’s super easy and you can grab an affordable spiralizer on amazon. Zoodles can be eaten raw but I prefer to lightly steam or sauté mine just under tender. They will turn to mush if you over cook them.
To add protein, I add cooked ground chicken. That’s my go to but feel free to do shrimp or whatever protein you would want.
For the fastest pasta meal EVER, use your instant pot. Cook your ground chicken on the sauté setting. Once cooked through, add your zoodles and your sauce ingredients from the sauce #2. Cover with the lid and seal. Keep it on sauté. It will come to pressure and then immediately turn off. Release pressure and mix well. Then, eat :).
Don’t be afraid of pasta night! Experiment with different sauces and you’ll find the perfect one for you!
