Friday, January 20, 2012

Another pasta 'swap'...

So I think all of my 'food aversions' are starting to dissipate.  First, I conquered chicken after nearly 8 months.  Then it seemed like zucchini was the last true holdout of dishes that made me shake in terror (could have been because BBQ chicken & grilled zucchini were the first meal I ate once 'morning sickness' REALLY set in and I had NO CLUE how to handle itJ )  But after having dinner last night, I think I can officially say that zucchini & I have reached 'friend status again' as I whipped up a little...

ZUCCHINI SPAGHETTI!!!!!!
Yep...that's right!  I had tried this as a cold side dish once, but REALLLY thought it was kicked up a notch when it was sauteed! 

You WILL need a mandolin in order to julienne the zucchini into long strands (you could chop the zucchini into thin strips, but it might take a bit longer) but once that's done, this dinner came together in a jiff!


First, I toasted up some chopped walnuts in a pan (you could also use pine nuts).  Once they were toasty and brown, I set them off to the side.

Next, I took a gaggle of garlic...
Tossed it in the same pan with a little olive oil and threw in all of the zucchini  to saute and wilt down for about 7 minutes or so.  (be sure to add a little salt & pepper to flavor it up!)

And while the zucchini was cooking up, I made a quick whirl of whipped ricotta...
In the mix:
  • Part skim ricotta
  • grated cheese
  • parsley
  • crushed garlic
  • salt & pepper
Once the zucchini was heated through, I topped it with the toasted walnuts & served it with a scoop of the ricotta...
Despite what you might be thinking, this was actually REALLY flavorful & deliciousJ  You need to make sure to really season up the zucchini, since it tends to be a 'bland-er' vegetable, but served with the walnuts & ricotta REALLY took it over the top!

It even swirled on my fork like regular pasta!  Even better than spaghetti squashJ
So if you want a carb free, meat free and SUPER low calorie "pasta" night at your house...give this one a whirl.  Scott LOVEEEED this dish and I think this will be in heavy dinner rotation in the summer when zucchinis are in massive abundanceJ

Anyway, that's all I got for you today.  Have a great Friday, everyone!!  Wohooooooooooo...the weekend is just about here!

3 comments:

Laura said...

I have never made zucchini noodles. I use spaghetti squash a lot for "pasta", but you've helped me decide to venture into other vegetable noodles. Thanks for sharing this great recipe!

Unknown said...

Donna, love it!!! I have not tried zucchini this way. This is a perfect Fit and Fabulous recipe addition! Thanks for sharing. :)

Anonymous said...

Donna! This is Melissa Greenwald from Learning Ally. I remembered you had this blog and this recipe looked so awesome I decided to give it a whirl. OMG is all I can say. This was SO SO SO delicious. I added some spinach and served with grilled chicken (had a long night at the gym and needed some protein). I will definitely be making this often. =) Hope all is well with you and your adorable daughter!

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