Let’s revisit an oldie but a goodie recipe, this vegan bolognese over zucchini noodles, made with walnut taco meat.
This recipe originally published in 2013. I can’t believe I’ve been at this for 9 years! This year will be my 9 year blogiversary, and I can’t believe how far I’ve come. We’re a few weeks away from it, and although I’ve evolved as a recipe writer and person, I still go back to some of the classics and it reminds me why I started.
This recipe is easy to make and a crowd pleaser. Frankly, if I was redoing this completely, I would slice the zucchini into cubes and top this with cheese and baked it into a zucchini taco skillet kind of meal. Maybe I will try that next.
If you’ve been missing the zucchini noodle recipes, give this a try! And if you love vegan meat alternatives, this lentil taco meat would go well here also!
If you’ve missed the zucchini noodle recipes, bring it back with this one. Top with some tortilla strips for extra crunch!
Vegan Taco Bolognese Zucchini Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large garlic clove minced
- 1/2 cup diced white or red onion
- 1 teaspoon minced jalapeno
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 14.5 oz can peeled whole tomatoes drained
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 3 large zucchinis or 4 medium spiralized into spaghetti noodles
- 1/2 cup halved medium black olives
- 1 avocado insides sliced
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 1 lime quartered to serve
For the taco “meat”
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1/2 teaspoon chile powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the walnuts into a food processor along with all of the spices, season with salt and pepper and pulse until chunky-ground. Set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once oil is shimmering, add in the garlic, onion and jalapeno and cook until onions begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir to combine for about 1 minute. Add the walnut mixture and crush the tomatoes by hand (from the canned tomatoes.) Stir to combine and cook for 10 minutes to let flavors develop. Fold in the corn and let cook for 1 minute to heat through.
- Transfer the tomato sauce mixture to a bowl and set aside. Add the zucchini noodles to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes or until warmed through and slightly wilted. Add back the tomato mixture and stir to combine thoroughly.
- Divide the pasta into four bowls, garnish with olives, avocado and cilantro and serve with lime wedges.
comments