Crockpot Cauliflower Bolognese with Zucchini Noodles
Try this Crockpot Cauliflower Bolognese with Zucchini Noodles recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Crockpot Cauliflower Bolognese with Zucchini Noodles recipe, or contribute your own.
- salt and pepper to taste
- for the pasta:
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 small garlic cloves minced
- 2 tsp dried oregano flakes
- 3/4 cup diced red onion
- for the bolognese:
- 1 head of cauliflower cut up into florets
- 1 tsp dried basil flakes
- 2 14 oz cans diced tomatoes no salt added
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth low-sodium
- 5 large zucchinis blade a
- Carbohydrate 9.2950254375 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.1869714375 g
- Fiber 3.48093000729084 g
- Protein 2.6619955625 g
- Saturated Fat 0.039221375 g
- Serving Size 1 1 -6 (164g)
- Sodium 105.451802083333 mg
- Sugar 5.81409543020916 g
- Trans Fat 0.0499545625 g
- Calories 43 calories
Step-by-step
- Place all of the ingredients for the bolognese into a crockpot.
- Place the crockpot on high and let cook for 3.5 hours.
- When done, smash the cauliflower with a potato masher or fork until the florets break up to create a "bolognese."
- Spoon the bolognese over bowls of zucchini noodles.
Raw vegetable weights rarely account for trim loss, meaning the single head of cauliflower listed in the ingredients will yield roughly four cups of florets once the core and tough outer leaves are discarded. Slow cookers operate through prolonged, moist heat that breaks down dense cellular walls without requiring added fats, but this retention of moisture demands attention before serving. Standard slow cooker inserts hold six quarts, which provides sufficient headspace for the tomatoes and broth to bubble without splashing over the rim during the three and a half hours of high heat.
Processing zucchini into strands requires a mechanical spiralizer fitted with a blade that produces quarter-inch thick ribbons, ensuring the vegetable maintains structural integrity when warm sauce hits the bowl. Raw zucchini naturally contains over ninety percent water by weight, so salting the noodles twenty minutes prior to assembly and pressing them in clean kitchen towels prevents the sauce from becoming watery on the plate.
Crushing the cooked brassica directly in the ceramic insert using a standard metal potato masher creates the characteristic ragged texture required to mimic traditional meat sauces. This mechanical action releases trapped internal steam and allows the reduced tomato solids to coat the vegetable fibers evenly.
Leftovers should be stored in airtight glass containers for no longer than three days in a refrigerator set at 38 degrees Fahrenheit. Reheating requires draining any accumulated liquid from the container and warming the mixture gently in a sauté pan over medium-low heat for five minutes to evaporate residual moisture.
