I loooooove pasta, so much so that when I eat it my body wants to never let it go and keep it in my hips! Ha. I have some delicious pasta alternatives though, that I do think you will like! Over-abundance in the garden this summer? These can help solve that problem as well, as they star common garden veggies like zucchini! Hope you enjoy!
ZUCCHINI NOODLE CARBONARA (12g Net Carbs)
INGREDIENTS
- 4 medium zucchini, ends trimmed
- 2 slices bacon
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed
- ¼–½ tsp (1–2 mL) red pepper flakes
- ⅔ cup (150 mL) half-and-half
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) cornstarch
- 1 cup (250 mL) frozen peas
- 1 oz (30 mL) fresh Parmesan cheese
- ¼ tsp (1 mL) salt
- ⅛ tsp (0.5 mL) black pepper
DIRECTIONS
- Spiralize the zucchini using the fettuccine blade on the Veggie Spiralizer, trimming the noodles. Place the zucchini in a large bowl and squeeze out any excess liquid with paper towels.
- Dice the bacon. Cook the bacon in a 12″ Nonstick Skillet over medium heat for 4–5 minutes, or until it’s slightly crispy, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the zucchini noodles and cook for 3–4 minutes to soften, stirring occasionally.
- Whisk the half-and-half and cornstarch in a small bowl. Pour the mixture into the skillet and mix well. Add the peas and cook for 3–4 minutes, or until the sauce starts to thicken slightly.
- Grate the Parmesan. Add the Parmesan, salt, and pepper to the skillet and mix well.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and let it stand for 3–5 minutes to thicken.
Yield:
- 4 servings
Nutrients per serving:
U.S. Nutrients per Serving (1 cup/250 mL): Calories 210, Total Fat 13 g, Saturated Fat 6 g, Cholesterol 30 mg, Sodium 380 mg, Carbohydrate 15 g, Fiber 3 g, Sugars 6 g, Protein 10 g
Cook’s Tips:
Freeze the leftover zucchini disks in a resealable plastic bag. You can grill them, add them to a soup, or make breaded baked zucchini. To make your own breaded baked zucchini, dip the disks in a whisked egg white, then coat them with panko bread crumbs and grated Parmesan cheese. Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 20–25 minutes, or until lightly browned.
ONE-POT CHICKEN PARMESAN & ZUCCHINI NOODLES (15g Net Carbs)
THIS DELICIOUS ONE-POT MEAL CONTAINS ONLY 5 INGREDIENTS AND COMES TOGETHER QUICK!
INGREDIENTS
- 12 oz. (350 g) chicken tenderloins
- Salt and pepper
- 4 medium zucchini
- 1 cup (250 mL) marinara sauce (see cook’s tip)
- 2 oz. (60 g) fresh Parmesan cheese
- ¾ cup (175 mL) gluten-free croutons or crackers
DIRECTIONS
- Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper and cook to 165 degrees using a tablespoon of olive oil.
- Spiralize the zucchini. Place the zucchini noodles in a bowl and use paper towels to press out excess liquid. (You can buy this already done at most groceries but it’s much less expensive to spiralize your own.)
- Remove the chicken and chop into bite size pieces.
- Add the zucchini noodles and sauce to the pan and stir to combine. Cook until the zucchini is softened.
- Grate the cheese. Place the croutons in a manual food processor and process until very finely chopped.
- Preheat the broiler. Place the pan 2–4″ (5–10 cm) from the heating element. Remove the pan from the microwave and stir in half of the cheese. Top with the remaining cheese and crouton crumbs.
- Broil, uncovered, for 1–2 minutes, or until the crumbs are browned.
Yield:
- 4 servings
Nutrients per serving:
U.S. nutrients per serving: Calories 240, Total Fat 7 g, Saturated Fat 3 g, Cholesterol 60 mg, Sodium 560 mg, Carbohydrate 18 g, Fiber 3 g, Sugars 8 g, Protein 28 g
Cook’s Tips:
Want to make your own marinara sauce instead? Use ½ can (28 oz./796 g) of crushed tomatoes, 3 pressed garlic cloves, ¼ tsp (1 mL) of dried basil leaves, ¼ tsp (1 mL) of dried oregano leaves, and ½ tsp (2 mL) of salt. Add all the ingredients to the pan as directed in step 4.
VEGGIE NOODLES WITH GREEK YOGURT ALFREDO SAUCE (14g Net Carbs)
GREEK YOGURT LIGHTENS THIS ALFREDO UP, COMBINE THAT WITH YOUR HEALTHY SPIRALIZED VEGETABLES AND YOU HAVE A CREAMY AND HEALTHY DINNER!
INGREDIENTS
- 4 large zucchinis, ends trimmed, cut into halves or thirds
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled, ends trimmed, cut in half
- 1 oz (30 g) fresh Parmesan cheese (1/4 cup/50 mL grated)
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) butter
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed
- 1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
- 2 tbsp (30 mL) gluten-free cornstarch
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) milk
- 3/4 cup (175 mL) 2% plain low-fat Greek yogurt
- 3/4 cup (175 mL) shredded Italian cheese blend or shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 plum tomato, seeded and chopped
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat the broiler. Place an oven rack 2-4” (5-10 cm) from the heating element. For the vegetables, spiralize the zucchini. Place in a cooking pan. Using the fettuccine blade, spiralize the sweet potato. Arrange on top of the zucchini. (Note: Pan will be very full)
- Microwave, covered, on HIGH 6-9 minutes or until the vegetables are crisp-tender. Drain the vegetable noodles well and press down with paper towels to get rid of any extra moisture.
- Meanwhile, for the sauce, grate the Parmesan cheese; set aside.
- Place the butter, pressed garlic, nutmeg and salt in a small bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 1 minute or until the butter is melted.
- Place the cornstarch in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the milk. Whisk the milk mixture into the batter bowl with the garlic mixture. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 1 minute to 1 minute 30 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds or until thickened. Whisk until smooth. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and yogurt (sauce will be thick).
- Add the sauce to the vegetable noodles in the pan. Top with shredded cheese and broil 2-4 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Remove from oven; top with tomatoes.
Yield:
- 6 servings of 1 cup/250 mL
Nutrients per serving:
Calories 190, Total Fat 8 g, Saturated Fat 4.5 g, Cholesterol 20 mg, Sodium 350 mg, Carbohydrate 17 g, Fiber 3 g, Protein 12 g
Cook’s Tips:
To save time, you may use 1 cup (250 mL) of jarred reduced-fat Alfredo sauce for the Greek Yogurt Alfredo Sauce.
Make sure to drain the vegetable noodles after cooking so the sauce doesn’t get too watery.
The Pieces Project 