Courgetti Bolognese is a healthy twist on the classic Italian dish, replacing traditional pasta with spiralized zucchini, also known as ‘courgetti’ or ‘zoodles.’ This dish combines the rich, savoury flavours of conventional meat bolognese sauce with courgette/zucchini noodles’ light and fresh texture. It’s a low-carb, gluten-free option perfect for those looking to enjoy a hearty meal without the heaviness of pasta.
Now that it’s officially Autumn, I find that my desire to exercise diminishes, and my desire to consume copious carbohydrates increases—total hibernation mode. This does not bode well for fitting into my jeans, but hey ho, it’s a cycle I go through, and come the New Year after the Christmas indulgences, I tend to snap back into a healthier routine with renewed energy and vigour.
You may have noticed a spate of high-carb recipes on the blog lately. Gone is the desire for light summer salads, and I embrace the warming, filling option of pure comfort food. Here, I want to share with you a lower-carb option that I enjoy without feeling like I’m missing out on anything.
Spiralized courgettes, aka courgettes in the UK or zoodles in North America, are a fairly new thing to me. I learned about them last Autumn at the Shetland Food Fair when raw foodie Heather Moncrieff did a (non) cookery demonstration in the main hall. I taste-tested her creation—raw courgette with pesto—and was converted!
How to make ‘courgetti’ ‘zoodles’
To make life easy, use a spiralizer.
I’ve tried out a few spiralizers. I have a small kitchen with very limited storage space, so a small one (link in printable recipe equipment list) is ideal for me. It’s small enough to fit in a kitchen drawer, super easy to clean, and has two settings: ribbons and spaghetti spirals.
Best of all, there’s no waste. You simply cut off the ends of your courgette, cut it in half, pop it in the tube and twist the unique food pusher (burning calories with elbow power!), and out comes perfectly formed courgetti!
The reversible blade is also far away from fingertips, which anyone who has spiralized their fingertips will appreciate (I may have done this on another model spiralizer!).
Do you cook courgetti or leave it raw?
Now, the big question – do you cook your courgetti, or do you leave it raw? Personally, I prefer to leave my courgetti raw, especially in this bolognese recipe as I feel the heat from the sauce warms up the courgetti sufficiently to take away that ‘raw’ feeling but without compromising the spiral structure.
Some folk, however, prefer it to be cooked. You can gently saute the spirals in a pan with a little oil, or simply place your courgetti in a colander and pour over a freshly boiled kettle of water.
Some people like to peel their courgettes first too, but I like to leave mine unpeeled as I like the green colouring.
Recipe Difficulty Levels
Easy
Requires basic cooking skills and ingredients you most likely already have in your kitchen.
Moderate
Requires more experience, preparation and/or cooking time. You may have to source special ingredients.
Challenging
Recipes requiring more advanced skills and experience and maybe some special equipment.
Courgetti Bolognese Recipe: Healthy Low-Carb Pasta Alternative
Ingredients
for the bolognese
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 celery stick finely chopped
- 0.5 carrot peeled and finely chopped
- 0.25 courgette finely chopped
- 500 grams lean steak mince
- Shetland sea salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 400 grams tinned chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 150 ml good quality beef stock
- 1 handful fresh basil leaves torn
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
for the courgetti
- 2 medium courgettes
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Equipment
Instructions
- Heat 1 tbsp sunflower oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat.
- Add 1 medium onion, finely chopped, 2 cloves garlic, crushed, 1 celery stick, finely chopped, 0.5 carrot, finely diced, and 0.25 courgette, finely diced. Cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Add 500 grams lean steak mince and fry, stirring frequently, until the mince is browned all over. Season well to taste with Shetland sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Add 2 tbsp tomato puree, 400 grams tinned chopped tomatoes, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce and 150 ml good quality beef stock. Reduce the heat and leave to simmer with the lid off, for approximately 15 minutes, or until the sauce is thick and reduced. Stir in 1 handful fresh basil leaves, torn and 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped.
- Spiralize 2 medium courgettes. You can serve them raw or place them into a colander and pour over a kettle of boiling water. This will take away the 'raw' taste without compromising their structure.
- Divide the courgette between four plates, top with a spoonful of bolognese and sprinkle with cheese, if desired. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Other low-carb recipes to try
Other courgetti recipes you might like
Tuna ‘Meatballs’ with Courgetti, Spaghetti & Tomato Sauce from Family, Friends, Food
Clams & Samphire with Garlic & Chilli Courgetti by Natural Kitchen Adventures
Courgetti with Coconut Milk & Sun-dried Tomatoes by Recipes from a Pantry
Spiralized Vegetable Noodles with Smoked Tofu & Spiced Peanut Sauce by Supergolden Bakes
Roasted Corn, Sweet Potato Noodle and Avocado Salad with Toasted Buckwheat Dukka
Honey-Harrisa Greens with Black Bean Pasta by Kellie’s Food to Glow
Homemade Fish Fingers, Paprika-Spiked Potato Wedges & Tartare Sauce
Thank you for the tip on ‘cooking’ the courgetti with the kettle of water. I have been wanting to try courgetti for ages but wasn’t quite convinced by other methods I have read about to prepare. The spiralizer is about to be dusted off and prepared for use!! Thank you!
That spiralizer looks far easier to use than the one my mum’s been testing out for me… I’ll have to point her in that direction!!!! I love courgetti…. such a genius idea! Like you I love to comfort eat at this time of year so things like this are a little light relief from the stodge 😉
I really like the idea of replacing the pasta with the courgetti, a much healthier option.
I really want a spiralizer but the hubby thinks its just a fad and won’t get used 🙁
Oh I love making courgetti!! It really does go lovely with Bolognese!
I’ve always wondered how to stop making courgetti from being soggy- I will try the kettle trick! Love this recipe, such a healthy creation.
Love zoodles or courgetti, they taste so light and refreshing compared to pasta. Its a really good substitute for people who are on a gluten free diet too. 🙂
This is such a lovely meal and so healthy. I have been put off spiralisers as I have so many gadgets but this one is great as it’s so compact. Just the right size to stash away!
I love courgetti and I certainly know how dangerous the usual pencil-type spiralisers can be. I love that this one is safer!
I love courgetti – have been experimenting with squash and sweet potato noodles too which are yummy for winter. Loving the handheld spiralizer!
I love courgette, never had it with bolognase though so I’ll certainly try that! The spiralizer looks great!
Beautiful! We love substituting pasta with courgettes, we often do ribbons with the mandolin rather than spirals, but the result is similar. It’s such a light option. Yours look perfect!
I can see myself eating this. Looks very delicious.
I actually could fit that thing in my tiny apartment kitchen… Most I’ve seen wouldn’t make sense.
And pouring boiling water over is a great idea! I’ve assumed that, if I ever went that route, I’d saute mine, but scalding would just soften them enough…
Your sauce sounds good, too!
I’m just this moment blogging about my first attempt – Courgetti with Cashew Pesto. It was delicious! I’m definitely a convert! H x
Now thats a handy tool. Love learning about products, that make my day-to-day life easy.
I need to get one of those spiralizers!
What a gorgeous and healthy meal! That Zyliss Spiralizer looks so easy to use – very nice video. It reminds me of my mother’s cookie press.
This recipe is a great way to have your comfort food and not break the calorie bank. Win/win. And I like how compact the spiralizer is. Nice for a small kitchen.
I love pasta, but hate how it bloats – so this looks perfect for me!
This spiralizer looks so simple to use. Love this recipe, great idea to cut down on the carbs
That spiralizer looks so much easier than the machine I have, I need one!
I love this, it is a great way to cut the heavy carbs. Looks delicious
This looks so flavorful. love that you use the veggie noodles. This would be my ideal lunch!
I love eating courgetti this way. It’s such a light and tasty alternative to pasta.
It’s so nice to see a more “indulgent” courgetti/spiraliser recipe (with garlic bread!)! No feeling of deprivation with this well-flavoured sauce.none whatsoever! Thanks for sharing my link too.
I have still to try courgetti like this but I recently tried courgetti fries when out at a restaurant and they were really nice!
I had courgette noodles for the first time and they were surprisingly good. I had them in a salad and it was delicious.