Ingredients:

• 4 zucchini, sliced very thin
• 500g beef mince
• 1/2 cup black olives
• 1 red onion, sliced very thin
• 5 tomatoes, chopped,
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 can of whole-peeled tomatoes
• 1 jar of tomato paste
• dried herbs (I used oregano, basil, thyme & parsley, about 1/2 tsp each)
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions:

Start by slicing the zucchini really thin. I used a mandolin (thinnest slice thickness and the narrowest julienning gap with) which worked a treat!

Once zucchini is sliced, place it in a colander and toss very generously with salt. Leave zucchini sweating excess water in the sink for 20 minutes while you cook the sauce.

In a large pan, sauté the onions until they become transparent. Add in garlic and once fragrant, begin adding in the mince. Spice (paprika, black pepper, salt, white pepper, cayenne pepper) mince while cooking. Please note that the spice amounts are an estimate and match my personal taste. Use them as a guideline and spice your sauce little by little until you reach the desired flavour. Go easy on the salt, as the zucchini & olives will add saltiness to the end result.

Once meat is almost cooked, add in tomatoes (in all three formats) and herbs. A few minutes later, add in olives as well. Let the sauce simmer on low heat until the zucchini has finished sweating in the sink.

Rinse and drain the zucchini carefully. You want to remove as much of the salt as possible. You’ll notice that it has entirely changed consistency and has miraculously transformed into a very pasta-like lump or yellowy green!

In a separate pan, heat up olive oil and sauté the zucchini on low to medium heat for a few minutes, until it has heated through. Be careful not to overcook it!

Once zucchini has heated through divide into two bowls and cover with the delicious sauce. Enjoy!