Butternut Squash Carrot Noodles with Sausage & Kale

Picture this. You’re in the supermarket, searching desperately for a canned pasta sauce for your...

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Picture this. You’re in the supermarket, searching desperately for a canned pasta sauce for your healthy spiralized veggie noodles to hurry home and make a quick dinner. These are your options:

Pasta Sauce A: Few ingredients, all recognizable whole foods or seasonings.
Pasta Sauce B: Many ingredients, many are unrecognizable and end in “phate” or “xyl”. Say what?!
Pasta Sauce C: Few ingredients, all recognizable whole foods or seasonings, organic, no refined sugar or dairy.
Pasta Sauce D:  Without reading the ingredients, the packaging says “Fat Free” and “Sugar Free.” There may be a picture of a creepy used-car-salesman on the front, beckoning you.

Which do you choose?

Okay, Pasta Sauce D is obviously a joke. But really, never fall into the “fat free” and “sugar free” trap. Usually, if they’re advertising that on their can, they’re trying to distract you from reading the ingredients. It will most likely include artificial sweeteners (most are carcinogenics!) and other chemicals…. ie, Pasta Sauce B.

Pasta C is ideal. However, many grocery stores don’t carry such products and we’re forced to consider other options, especially when pinched for time.

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Enter Pasta Sauce A. It may have sugar, it may have butter, but what it doesn’t have are harmful chemicals! Eating healthy is about eating clean (meaning eating whole foods, not those that are processed). Even though sugar and butter are processed, at least they aren’t replaced with harmful chemicals, like a similar “sugar free” product would contain.

For an example of Pasta Sauce A, consider Dave’s Gourmet Butternut Squash Sauce. It’s award-winning and delicious! Look at the ingredients:

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It passes the test! Citric acid is a natural substance found in fruits, which adds a tanginess to food and helps preserve flavors (especially when canned!)

While Dave’s Gourmet has sugar and butter, they are both not listed as the first couple of ingredients (a big no no when reading ingredient labels) and all of the ingredients are real vegetables or seasonings. No “phates” or “xyls.” No Googling needed.

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This canned sauce was a tad sweet, so I added a splash of vegetable broth to lighten it up.

Now, for the kicker: I heated it up in a saucepan (not the microwave!) and poured it over boiled carrot noodles. Yes, boiled. Boiled carrot noodles taste so similarly to whole wheat pasta, I was floored. I can’t believe how flavorful and non-bitter carrot noodles taste once boiled. The texture is that of al dente pasta and the noodles puff up a bit when they absorb water.

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If they don’t sell Dave’s Gourmet pasta sauce at your supermarket, just use my recipe for homemade butternut squash sauce or follow the guidelines in the beginning of this post when you’re at the supermarket next time.

What’s your favorite canned pasta sauce? 

Butternut Squash Carrot Noodles with Sausage & Kale

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 1

Ingredients

  • 1 large carrot peeled, Blade C*
  • 1 link chicken sausage
  • 1 cup chopped kale
  • 1/4 cup vegetable broth low-sodium
  • 1/2 cup Dave's Gourmet butternut squash
  • cracked pepper

Instructions

  • Boil a medium saucepan of water. Once boiled, add in the carrot noodles. Cook for 3 minutes. Drain in a strainer and set aside.
  • While the water is boiling, add a medium skillet over medium heat and add in the chicken sausage. Cook until no longer pink inside.
  • Once finished, add in the kale, vegetable broth, Dave's Gourmet sauce, and cook until sauce is boiling and kale is wilted.
  • Place the carrot noodles in a plate and top with sauce mixture. Season with cracked pepper. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

*carrot should be 2 inches in diameter for best results!
with love, Ali

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comments

  • Definitely trying making noodles out of carrots - I came across some absolutely HUGE carrots yesterday which will work well on the Spiralizer! So far I've only tried zucchini and sweet potato, yay for something new!
    • Im going to try this too! looks yummy! And i want that cookbook for myself!
  • Can't wait to try this one! I haven't had carrot noodles yet, however, I HAVE had the butternut sauce. I lovvvvvve it. And you're right, it is a bit sweet but it's so good I could put it in a cup and drink it! Tomorrow night's dinner for sure!
    • Thank you, Laura! I'm so glad you like the sauce and the recipe. Boiled carrot noodles are incredible!
      • I just have to tell you that I've tried so many of your recipes and they're all soooo good but this one is by FAR my favorite! The craziest part is that I don't usually like cooked carrots but done this way? Incredible! I actually crave this and have it at least once a week! Thanks so much for creating it! I'm doing the butternut squash risotto tomorrow night!
        • Yay! I'm so glad you like this recipe- it's definitely one of my favorites as well.
  • I can't get over how gorgeous this dish is! I love all the vibrant colors - it looks so wholesome and delicious. Pinning!
  • This recipe has my name all over it! I've recently become mildly obsessed with butternut squash and sausage and kale are always a win in my book. :)
  • I am so excited to start spiralizing! I asked for a spiralizer for Christmas from my sister who LOVES her kitchen gadgets! This book will surely come in handy!
  • I don't even like carrots and I'm ready to face plant this baby!!! Gorgeous pics too, darlin!
    • Thank you, girl! Trust me - boiled carrots don't taste bitter and crunchy like their raw selves. Thanks for the comment!
  • I'm so excited to start spiralizing--just purchased one from Amazon! Such a creative and unique twist on healthy, clean eating.
    • Thank you - I'm glad you bought a spiralizer - you're going to be so happy you did, it's a total game changer!
  • so, do you add the Dave's sauce to the broth & kale & cook? It doesn't say what step to add that in...
  • I'm gonig to do this, but try it with the pumpkin pasta sauce I have that I got on sale!
  • So bummed that I really cannot locate big enough carrots. Been using zucchini but definitely time to switch it up!