Roasted Tomato & Garlic Zucchini Noodles

I know, I know, I know! You are probably just looking at the title of this post and thinking to yourself, "Hmmm. Another vegarific recipe. Right Sara Nickel. This is really going to fill me up." Well, I am here to prove you wrong. It will fill you up without filling you out! This recipe is also good for using up a bumper zucchini crop. Trust me.

And if you don't like your veggies, it is a very good recipe for getting more vegetables into your diet because it is 100% vegetables. If you do not have a veggie spiralizer such as myself, you can use a potato peeler and shave the zucchini into beautiful wide strips. I tried gently heating the noodles in a sauce pan, but found them equally as tender and tasty raw. If you do not care to make the sauce, a bottled sauce will work fine. Just be sure to check the nutrition labels and ingredients for added sugars. Don't be hesitant! Try it and cut your processed carbs out of the picture! Your blood sugar levels will thank me:)

Roasted Tomato and Garlic Zucchini Noodles

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
2 large zucchini (I used a combination of yellow and green)
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese to taste

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with foil and coat with non-stick cooking spray. Spread the tomatoes and garlic on the sheet. Drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil and roast for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Place the tomatoes, garlic, water, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper into a food processor. Process until smooth. At this point the sauce can be made ahead and stored in the fridge until you are ready to reheat and serve. When you are ready to serve, cut the ends off the zucchini. Using a potato peeler or veggie spiralizer, make your zucchini noodles. If desired, you can gently heat the noodles and sauce in a pan. The noodles are equally good served raw with the heated sauce. Top with Parmesan cheese if desired.