A few weeks ago by pure accident, a fun looking veggie spaghetti recipe was born in my kitchen. They say “necessity is the mother of invention.”

I was craving for the heavenly taste of spaghetti sauce and pasta, mixed with the comforting aroma of oregano but when I opened my fridge door, the only ingredients I found there were a couple of zucchini, one yellow squash, some mushrooms and a carrots. It did NOT make me very happy!

Too tired to go grocery shopping, I was going to give up and try something else but the craving was too strong to give up. It just had to be spaghetti and had to be right then! Hence, the birth of this veggie spaghetti.

As it turned out, kids like it too, or so I’ve heard from my mom friends. Perhaps the mix of colors and shape of long shreds make it fun for them. Let me know how your kids like it,…or not 🙂 and feel free to add meat to your spaghetti sauce if you like it better with meat. I’d add a pound of either ground beef or turkey.

Veggie Spaghetti

• 1 box of regular or gluten free spaghetti pasta
• 2 zucchini
• 1 yellow squash
• 1 large carrot
• 1/2 cup minced Portobello mushroom
• 1 cup minced crimini mushroom
• 1/2 cup minced small chantrelle mushroom
• 1 small onion
• 3 garlic gloves, minced
• 2 1/2 cups tomato sauce
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoon teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 cup olive oil

1. Shred the zucchini, yellow squash and carrot ( I used a thin julienne slicer)
2. Put a large pot of salted water on the stove over high heat. the water should taste pretty salty. Add 1 table spoon olive oil to keep the noodles from sticking together while boiling
3. While boiling the water, heat the rest of the olive oil in a pan over medium heat
4. Add the chopped onion and garlic, and fry until golden
5. Add the Portobello, chanterelle, crimin mushrooms with half the salt, 1/2 the black pepper, oregano, and fry until goldenish
6. Add the tomato sauce and let it simmer for about 15 minutes
7. By now, the water should be boiling, add the pasta and stir during the first few minutes of cooking to keep it from sticking together and let it boil until cooked based on the timing directions on the pasta box
8. Steam zucchini, yellow squash and carrots with some salt and pepper in a steamer basket over a boiling pot of water, covered (could be on the same pot you’re using to boil the pasta) until soft in the outside and crunchy in the inside (about 5 minutes or less)
9. Drain the pasta and either dump it straight into the sauce and toss it together, adding the veggies in the end, or do the separate layers like I did (as seen in the picture) so it looks prettier

* Please note that I have not been paid or asked to write about Quinoa Pasta, the above is my own personal preference and just an example.