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A really hard thing for me over the years has been finding meat-free recipes that both myself and my whole family can enjoy. As a self-confessed bacon lover, our family occasionally liked to eat “meat-lite” meals. Vegetarian keto… but with bacon added.
But I really wanted to nail some delicious meat-free dinners and saw a chef on tv using pumpkin, sage and browned butter in something else. My mouth started to water and I found myself thinking “Hmmmmm…” I can report back that no bacon was required.
This meal is not ultra low in carbs although it can still be included in a keto diet. Just keep that in mind if your carb limit is very low. Enjoy!
Hands-on Overall
Nutritional values (per serving)
Net carbs13.1 grams
Protein6.1 grams
Fat31.3 grams
Calories352 kcal
Calories from carbs 15%, protein 7%, fat 78%
Total carbs16.3 gramsFiber3.2 gramsSugars8.8 gramsSaturated fat12.7 gramsSodium492 mg(21% RDA)Magnesium81 mg(20% RDA)Potassium900 mg(45% EMR)
Ingredients (makes 6 servings)
- 1/2 medium pumpkin such as delicata or Hokkaido (800 g/ 1.8 lb)
- 1 stick butter (113 g/ 4 oz)
- 3 tbsp fresh sage or 2-3 tsp dried sage
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 1 cup chicken broth or vegetable stock (240 ml/ 8 fl oz)
- 1 tsp sea salt, or to taste
- 4 medium zucchini (800 g/ 1.8 lb)
- 6 tbsp shaved or grated Parmesan or cheese of choice (30 g/ 1.1 oz)
- 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (90 ml/ 3 fl oz)
Instructions
- Wash and pat dry the squash, sage and zucchini.
- Pull the larger leaves off the sage and sit aside. Finely chop the remaining sage.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the sage. Wait until the sage crisps up and then remove the whole leaves (leaving the chopped sage in the saucepan) and drain on a paper towel.
- Stir the butter over med-high heat until it foams. Continue stirring, watching the colour of the butter beneath the foam until it turns a rich, dark brown.
- Remove from the heat and add the finely diced onion and the garlic. Let them sit in the hot butter while you prepare the pumpkin.
- Peel the pumpkin, remove the seeds and cut into cubes. Some types of winter squash like Hokkaido do not require peeling.
- Place pumpkin in the pot with the browned butter, along with the broth. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer gently for about 10-15 minutes or until pumpkin is soft.
- Using a hand blender, blitz the mixture until it forms a smooth sauce.
- Prepare your zoodles in the way that you prefer (use a julienne peeler or a spiralizer). Toss them through the sauce. You can either serve them raw or cook them in the sauce for 2-5 minutes.
- Serve topped with the fried sage leaves and some shaved Parmesan. Drizzle with olive oil.
- Store sauce in a covered container, for up to five days.
Ingredient nutritional breakdown (per serving)
Net carbs | Protein | Fat | Calories |
Squash, delicata, raw |
9.3 g | 1.6 g | 0 g | 40 kcal |
Butter, unsalted, grass-fed |
0 g | 0.2 g | 15.3 g | 135 kcal |
Sage, fresh |
0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 1 kcal |
Onion, brown (yellow), raw |
0.7 g | 0.1 g | 0 g | 4 kcal |
Chicken stock (broth), chicken only, homemade |
0 g | 0.8 g | 0.8 g | 10 kcal |
Zucchini (summer squash, courgette) |
2.8 g | 1.6 g | 0.4 g | 23 kcal |
Parmesan cheese |
0.2 g | 1.8 g | 1.3 g | 20 kcal |
Olive oil, extra virgin |
0 g | 0 g | 13.5 g | 119 kcal |
Salt, sea salt |
0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 kcal |
Total per serving |
13.1 g | 6.1 g | 31.3 g | 352 kcal |
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