Zughetti and squash sauce with a side of veggie balls.

The hubby and I were on the lookout for some quickie meal ideas, and since we had just gone to the market, we had a few extra ingredients on hand, one of which being zucchini. We wanted something simple, yet comforting, and what is more comforting than spaghetti and meatballs...? Zughetti and veggie balls of course! I've always had an interest in using zucchini in place of traditional spaghetti noodles, and now that we're on the GAPS diet, it seemed like the perfect time. I thought it was a fun idea, and since I was planning to quickly and lightly stir-fry the noodles, thought it would be just the thing to star in our quickie dinner.

It was also a bit of a leftover meal, using up some of the older ingredients that had been lingering about the kitchen, in particular these two acorn squashes that had been threatening to become permanent fixtures if they weren't used sooner than later. So it was decided, squash sauce to top the zughetti noddles! The recipe for the sauce comes from MarthaStewart.com, and with only minor modifications, primarily the use of coconut milk in place of half-and-half, the dish was rather GAPS/paleo friendly. I was also quite liberal in my use of garlic (as always), caramelizing the cloves**, and adjusting the rest of the ingredients accordingly to accommodate the large amount of squash we had. Sticking with the theme of simplicity, instead of pealing and cubing the squash as the recipe suggested, I simply cut the squashes in half and sprinkled in my seasoning and oil, letting them cook open side up. Overall it worked out quite well. The sauce was delicious, and went amazingly well with our second attempt at the Detoxinista's Meat(less) Balls. What pulled it all together though, was how we topped everything off with the amazing leftover slow-cooker chicken we had made earlier in the week.

It turned out to be quite an amazing meal. Not necessarily the quickest, but considering what was all made, the effort was fairly minimal. And as a bonus, we finished off the last of our fouxtatoes/cauliflower hummus, which made for another great serving idea for the veggie balls. Definitely need to try doing the veggie balls falafel style!

I LOVE garlic, and really, is there anything roasted garlic doesn't go with?

While zucchini noodles are great on their own, a quick stir-fry can really make the flavor shine!

Delicious.

The Recipe

• 1 large zucchini (for the noodles)

• 1 medium butternut squash, about 1 1/2 pounds (I used acorn squash)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic*
• 5 cloves garlic (very rough estimate)
• 1 heaping tablespoon coconut oil (or desired fat for caramelizing)
• 1 cup coconut milk (original recipe calls for half-and-half)

The Process

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Using a large, sharp knife, trim ends; halve squash crosswise to separate bulb from neck. Peel with a vegetable peeler. Cut both pieces in half lengthwise. With a spoon, scoop out seeds; discard. (To simplify, cut squash in half, remove seeds and prep each open half. Bake open side up. and proceed to step 4.)
3. Cut squash into 2-inch chunks; transfer to a small rimmed baking sheet. Toss with oil and sage; season generously with salt and pepper. Scatter garlic around squash. (*If cooking as whole halves, sprinkle minced garlic on each half.)
4. Roast until squash is very tender, about 40 minutes, tossing once halfway through. Remove and discard skin from garlic.
5. *While squash is cooking, begin cooking garlic cloves on a low setting, stirring occasionally. (The goal is to slightly caramelize.)
6. Transfer squash and garlic and onion mixture to a food processor; puree. With motor running, add coconut milk through the feed tube; process until smooth. Add 1 to 2 cups water (I did not add water as I like a thicker sauce); continue to process until smooth, adding water to thin if necessary. Season again generously with salt.

Serve over zughetti, veggie balls, or anything else you're looking to spice up, and enjoy!

**I have grown to love Sam's Club's Fresh Peeled Garlic. It's a huge bag of garlic already prepped for cooking. What more could you ask for?!