Clean Vegetable "Ragu"

I was recently in my small, Oklahoma home town having dinner at the local . I was so pleasantly surprised to discover that they had recently added a "Blue Zones Menu" of healthy dishes. If you aren't familiar, the Blue Zones are the areas of the world have most longevity and health. I had the Vegetable Ragu, and it was divine! I had to recreate it at home. The best thing about this recipe is that it is totally customizable. You can use whatever vegetables you have on hand and can even use frozen. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

avocado or olive oil

1 yellow onion, sliced

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch celery, sliced

2 cups mushrooms, roughly chopped

3 cups quartered heirloom tomatoes or 1 can (19 ounce) diced tomatoes

3 cups greens of choice (spinach, kale, chard, etc)

1 cup black or kidney beans, cooked

2 zucchini, spiraled or 1 bunch of store-bought zoodles

1 tablespoon dried oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

Makes 2 large servings

Instructions:

1. If using heirloom tomatoes, pre-heat oven to 400. Drizzle with olive or avocado oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Roast tomatoes until bubbling, around 20 minutes.

2. In the meantime, caramelize onions but adding 1 tablespoon oil and yellow onion to a medium saucepan on medium heat. Stir periodically to keep from sticking to the sides.

3. After about 15 minutes, add the carrots, garlic, celery, and mushrooms. Stir to combine and sauté for 5-10 minutes or until the carrots are soft.

4. Add the tomatoes, bring to a boil. Add 1/4-1/2 cup water if there isn’t enough liquid to boil. Cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes. After about 15 minutes, add greens to soften and beans to heat.

5. In a sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon avocado or olive oil. Add the zoodles and sauté for about 5 minutes or until just soft but not mushy.

6. Add oregano, salt and pepper to the tomato mixture. Spoon the tomato mixture over the zoodles.

7. This makes large portions but is very produce rich. Feel free to store the remaining tomato mixture for later use. Do not store the sauce over the zoodles as it will make the entire mixture soggy.

8. Enjoy!

*Note: You can add ground chicken or turkey to increase protein.