Diva In The Kitchen: Zucchini Fettuccine with Rosemary Butternut Creme Sauce

Zucchini Fettuccine with Rosemary Butternut Creme Sauce - DivineMrsDiva.com

When I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and then thyroid cancer, my doctor encouraged me to go on a gluten-free, grain-free, and sugar-free diet for various reasons.  So I did.  Cold turkey and hardcore.  (I was also told to watch my intake of fish and red meat, iodine, and sodium.) 

The thing is, there didn't seem to be too much I could eat with all those restrictions.  And nothing that seemed very easy or quick to prepare. Three and a half months later, I am still working on a balance to find what works for our household schedule and makes us feel nourished.  Lately, I have found a whole lot of new recipes that I am ready to try.

Not everyone has to have these restrictions, but I feel that excluding these foods has helped my health a lot.  I want to get back into sharing tasty recipes with you, and it just so happens that these new recipes I am trying are pretty healthy dishes.

To introduce this recipe, I found it on In Sonnet's Kitchen when I was looking for alternatives to my favorite brown rice pasta noodles.  She utilized this great spiral vegetable slicer to make noodles out of zucchini.  I immediately bought one to use for the recipe and am super glad I did.  It works really great and is really easy to use as well.  I'm going to make carrot spaghetti noodles for a chicken soup soon!


Zucchini Fettuccine with Rosemary Butternut Creme Sauce


Ingredients
  • 1 medium butternut squash
  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil, divided
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 teaspoons dried rosemary (Hailey's Note: I always add way more rosemary because I adore the flavor.  I added at least 2 tablespoons, probably more, and I wish I added even more than that.)
  • 1 cup full-fat canned coconut milk
  • ½ cup vegetable or chicken broth
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 pound shiitake mushrooms, sliced (Hailey's Note: I substituted sliced baby bella mushrooms.)
  • 3 pounds zucchini, spiralized into fettuccine
  • Freshly-ground black pepper to taste  (Hailey's Note: I usually also add smoked paprika, turmeric, and Mrs. Dash Chicken Seasoning also.)

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Slice butternut squash in half lengthwise. Grease a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon of coconut oil and then lay butternut squash (cut side down) on sheet pan.  Roast for 30 – 45 minutes, until squash is tender and flesh can easily be pierced with a fork.

Once cooked, allow squash to cool, then scoop out the flesh (this should yield about 5 cups of flesh) and discard the skin.

This is the portion of the recipe I did things differently.  I don't want to make it super confusing, so I am adding what I did in place of the original.  The main difference is that she cooked things in a different order and blended her sauce in a blender, not baking it at the end. 

Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil to a pan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute for 3 – 5 minutes, until onion is translucent and garlic is fragrant.  Place onions in a bowl and set aside.  Add another tablespoon of coconut oil to the pan.  Add mushrooms and saute until they are starting to brown.  Pour the mushrooms into the bowl with the onions.

Next, add the coconut milk, broth, and seasonings to the pan.  Add butternut squash and use an immersion hand mixer (like this one) to make the sauce creamy.  When the sauce is hot, add the zucchini fettuccini and cook for a few minutes.  Stir in the rosemary and onion/mushroom mix.

Stir well and place all contents into a casserole dish.  Bake at 375 for about 15 minutes.  Serve hot.



Zucchini Fettuccine with Rosemary Butternut Creme Sauce - DivineMrsDiva.com


Zucchini Fettuccine with Rosemary Butternut Creme Sauce - DivineMrsDiva.com

Compared to the beautiful photos on In Sonnet's Kitchen, my butternut squash was way bigger than hers because this made a lot of sauce.  You really don't need a very big squash because it makes way more than you think it will.  But the sauce is super tasty.  I used the leftover sauce on a baked potato, with delicious results!

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