This carrot spaghetti is a surprisingly delicious lower calorie alternative to regular pasta. Not only do you get multiple servings of vegetables, but it's a meal that's lighter in your tummy!
If you're a low carb-er, or just choose to limit them from time to time, you might love this carrot spaghetti.
I made it one night when my fridge was near empty, and I wanted something quick, easy, and full of vegetables. It was so scrumptious, and it has become a new favorite!
You can doctor this up, including adding chicken or ground beef, using your favorite marinara sauce, adding fresh herbs and whatever cheese you enjoy...the possibilities are many.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil
- Onion - Or shallot
- Mushrooms - Can be omitted, but they add a meaty bite.
- Salt, pepper
- Italian seasoning
- Carrots
- Marinara sauce - Try my quick and easy homemade marinara!
- Fresh parsley - Or basil
Recipe steps
First, make your carrot noodles.
Heat the oil in a pan. Add in the onion and saute until softened. Add in the mushrooms, salt, seasoning, and a bit of pepper and cook 4-5 minutes.
Stir in the prepared carrot ribbons and marinara sauce.
Cook 5-7 minutes until 'noodles' are softened to your liking.
Serve with fresh parsley.
Recipe notes
To make the carrot 'noodles', I just use a vegetable peeler. I peel off the outer layer first and discard it. Then, I peel from top to bottom all around the carrot until I reach the core.
With the remaining carrot, I typically chop it and give it to our dogs. You could also grate it and add it to salads.
Carrot Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons shallot or onion chopped fine
- ½ cup mushrooms chopped
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- black pepper to taste
- 3 large carrots ribboned with a vegetable peeler
- ¾ cup marinara sauce
- fresh chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a pan.
- Add the shallot or onion and saute for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms, salt, Italian seasoning, and pepper, and cook 4-5 minutes until the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated.
- Add in the carrot ribbons and saute for one minute.
- Stir in the sauce, and let everything cook for 5-7 minutes until 'noodles' are done to your liking.
- Top with parsley and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
If you have a chance to try this recipe, please leave a star rating and a comment below letting me know how you liked it!
Jeremy
How do you get the carrot "noodles" to look so uniform using a peeler? Are you peeling the carrot lengthwise? I'd love a how-to on this!
Lauren
Hi Jeremy,
Yes, I just peel them lengthwise, until I reach the core. It's pretty easy actually!
Joan
A spiralizer or spirooli will do this with carrots, zucchini, butternut squash and more.
LOVE new ways to make pasta with veggies!!
See the many meals in Pinterest for this tool.
Easy to use and clean.
so much Fun and very healthy meals.
Amber
Yum yum, Lauren. Looks great! I make a raw dish with carrot "noodles" but I love the look of the ribbons here in a savory presentation. So pretty too.
And obsessed? Yes. Always. Let's see entertainment wise...my latest obsession is Orange is the New Black. I watched the Netflix series and just read her memoir. Then went back and watched the show again. Ha ha. Also I've also been obsessed with making my own soap and lip balm. And landscaping my yard, learning a new song on the guitar....
Who am I kidding...I have a ton of stuff going on, as always...the list is endless. What up type A! 🙂
Have a great weekend.
--Am
narf7
Awesome recipe and one that is going to get tested out tonight. A great way to stay away from the deliciousness that is "pasta" and think of all of the gorgeous sauces you could load these babies with...not only that...what about testing this with yellow, purple and orange carrots? How about throwing in some daikon and parsnip for a change? YUMMERS! Cheers for the great idea. I will be experimenting in the near future 🙂
Lauren
Thank you so much, I hope you enjoy it! 😀
Eileen Anglin
I love the idea of this!My husband and I have been on a carrot kick lately. I printed it out and will make it this weekend. Thank you for posting it.
Lauren
Thank you Eileen, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! 🙂
Kelly Caffery
Just commenting to say that this was awesome and we LOVED it! It is the best spaghetti replacer since some in our family do not like spaghetti squash.
Next time, i will be trying a cream based sauce like a fettuccine. Thanks for such a nice idea! 😉
Lauren
Yay! I'm so happy you enjoyed it! 😀
Peggy
Interesting concept. Although I highly doubt I could get the family on board.
Gabby @ the veggie nook
Not only do I have all the ingredients, but I was looking for a way to make my carrots more interesting! So excited to try this 🙂 Thank you dear!
Jesse
Awesome idea. Brilliant.
Rena
The other day I did the same but with sweet potato and zucchini and poured a creamy pesto sauce over it. My husband preferred it to regular whole wheat pasta!!! I need to try this version asap/
Flocy Vidot
Love the recipes
Suzanne @ hello, veggy!
Carrots are my favourite veg hands down; this dish looks so satisfying!
Erin
Thanks so much for sharing this! I love this recipe-I am not a big cook but was amazed at how simple and delicious this was, thanks again! 🙂
Lauren
That's great, Erin, thanks for your comment! 🙂
CJ
Yum! This was so good! I've been looking for more ways to eat veggies and this is definitely a keeper 🙂
Lauren
Thanks CJ! 🙂
Padma
Hi Lauren, A friend forwarded a recipe from your site and ever since, I have been hooked on to your site. You have some amazing recipes and I can't wait to try them. I am GF, so finding things that I can make quickly is a treat.
I had a question about your pizza sauce, when you say pureed tomatoes, do you use fresh tomatoes, blanch them and puree them? We live in the East coast where finding fresh tomatoes during the winter months can be hard at time. Even though, I am not a fan of canned tomatoes, can you use canned tomato purees for this recipe.
Thanks again for your amazing recipes
Lauren
Hi Padma,
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you...I just use this brand of tomato puree for the sauce: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004AHCGI8?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B004AHCGI8&linkCode=xm2&tag=oatwitafor-20
Just be sure to use a puree as opposed to a sauce, which will be too watery. 🙂
Tea
Just wanted to say thanks for the recipe, I really enjoyed this. It's so simple but flavorful. At first, I wasn't really feeling the mushrooms, felt a bit odd in the combo, but then with each bite they totally grew on me. This was my first carrot noodle meal ever, and I'm pleased to say that it works! Both taste and texture-wise. I only have a julienne peeler so I was sure that my 'noodles' were gonna go mushy as soon as they see some heat, but I guess that just goes for zucchini, even after 7-8 mins these still held great and were totally 'al dente', and the slight crunch was irresistible, and I really didn't feel like I was eating a meal that consisted only of vegetables. I wondered what to serve this with, but it really is satisfying enough all on its own. (and I found that some canned sardines as a side didn't work all that well with this).
Thanks again, will be making this again!
Lauren
Thanks so much for your comment Tea, I'm happy you enjoyed it!
Mary
This makes a great meatless, grain-free meal! I'm not a fan of 'zoodles' so this is perfect!!