Farmer's Spaghetti with "Noodles"

NO CANS? NO PRESERVATIVES? NO PACKAGES? NO SODIUM?

Do you have any idea how much sodium is actually in one can of tomato sauce? While you are in the grocery store, you pick up the can and take a look at the back. You read the calories. You see a bunch of numbers. Then you pick up another can to compare. All looks the same. So now it comes to price. You make your choice, check out, go home and make dinner. This was my life. I took for granted those numbers that I'd look for at the back of the can. Honestly, I didn't even know what I was looking for. Your daily recommended intake of sodium is 1500mg, so what is just 20mg per serving? In one 8oz can of Hunts Tomato Sauce, there are 3.5 servings per can. That's 70mg of sodium per can. How many 8oz cans do you use to make spaghetti sauce? Four (280mg of sodium)? Five (350mg of sodium)? For a big party? Ten (700mg of sodium)? Twenty (1,400mg of sodium)?

Read this article from the Mayo Clinic on how the food industry deceives every one of us with labels like "no sodium," "low sodium," or "salt-free." Learn other names companies use to disguise the "s" word. The article even shares with you tips on how to cut down on your sodium intake.

After tasting this completely can free, preservative free, SODIUM free meal, I was absolutely astounded at the amount of sodium that is in one can and how little it actually appears to be. I dare you to make this recipe and see for yourself.

Farmer's Spaghetti with "Noodles"

Spaghetti Sauce:

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour and 5 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour and 20 minutes

"Noodles":

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Cook Time: 35-40 minutes (depending on size of spaghetti squash)

Total Time: 37-42 minutes

Makes 8-10 servings

Ingredients

Sauce:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 celery stalk

1 carrot

10-12 gloves garlic

1/2 yellow onion

salt/pepper to taste

8 tomatoes

1/2 cup vegetable broth

1/4 cup fresh basil

1/2 zucchini

1/2 yellow squash

1 bell pepper

tray of mushrooms

"Noodles"

1 spaghetti squash

Directions

"Noodles":

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Very carefully, split open the spaghetti squash length wise.

Remove the seeds. You can save the seeds and make something like this.

Stick in the oven at 375 degrees rind side up for 35-40 minutes, depending on the size of the squash. 

Remove from the oven and let cool. Grab a fork and pull downwards towards the stem. The "noodles" will peel off and appear as angel hair pasta.

Spaghetti Sauce:

In a medium saucepan, add olive oil. Add and saute celery, carrot, and onion on medium high heat for about five minutes. Add half the garlic.

Dice tomatoes and add to the food processor. Finish sauteing veggies and add to the food processor. Puree. 

If you have a small food processor and require two rounds of pureeing (like me), add basil and 1/2 cup of vegetable broth with your second round. If you can fit everything into the food processor in one round, add basil and 1/2 cup of vegetable broth then.

After pureeing, add to a pot. Cover and cook for 25 minutes on medium heat.

Dice yellow squash and zucchini. Saute in saucepan with 1 tbsp of olive oil on medium high heat. After vegetables begin to break down, after about five minutes, add green bell pepper, the rest of the garlic, 1/2 yellow onion, salt and pepper to taste. Cook for three minutes. Add mushrooms. Cook for two minutes. Add the veggie mix to the tomato puree and cook, covered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Make your plate! Put some "noodles" on your plate then top with the spaghetti sauce!

***Besides the fresh taste of all the veggies, the first thing I noticed was how UN-salty this spaghetti was! So here I am once again daring you to try this recipe so you yourself can taste just how sodium filled our canned foods have become. Taste the difference!!