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Enjoy this Pesto Zucchini Noodle Bowl made with arugula and combined with tomatoes and prosciutto. Gluten free and Whole30-compliant!
And just like that, August is over, so what better time to post a zucchini noodle recipe, right? Though zucchinis are a summer vegetable, I tend to eat them year-round, so I’m already looking forward to making this recipe again in a month or two. But for anyone who eats super seasonally (teach me your ways), you have exactly 22 days until fall and therefore 22 days to make and enjoy this pesto zucchini noodle bowl.
When I was doing Whole30, I was all about that zucchini noodle life, but now that I’m not following the program anymore I’ll admit that I prefer to eat a mixture of zucchini noodles and regular noodles. If that’s your jam too, do that! Carbs+veggies=YES. Ok but wait I must admit that I haven’t been eating as many carbs as I did pre-Whole30. You see, when Miguel did Whole30 back in June, he actually lost 8 lbs just from cutting carbs, so for the past couple months he’s been fine eating mostly Paleo-ish dinners to keep the weight off, and now I find myself kind of feeling the same way. OBVIOUSLY I prefer all purpose flour when baking so there’s that, and I refuse to label my diet, but basically it’s the same as before but with fewer carbs and dairy.
So really when I say a mix of veggies+carb what I mean is that I’ve been eating those chickpea or lentil-based noodles. Have you tried them? They’re GOOD. But still, zucchini noodles will always be an affordable “pasta” option and possibly the greatest way to sneak veggies into a meal. In my opinion, zucchini noodles don’t necessarily feel like veggies because they’re usually covered in some sort of sauce, and in this case, arugula pesto.
Besides the zucchini noodles, this bowl is filled with tomatoes, pancetta and prosciutto, which I basically had to do because if a meal doesn’t have meat Miguel loses his marbles. ….understandable, seeing as the prosciutto adds an awesome flavor to this dish.
Looking for more zucchini noodle recipes? Check out this zucchini noodle breakfast bowl or these zucchini fritters.
Ingredients
- 2 zucchinis
- 1 1/2 cup grape tomatoes sliced
- 5 pieces of prosciutto
- 1/2 cup pancetta
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Pinch of almonds for garnish
- For the pesto:
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 1/2 cup fresh basil
- 1/4 cup almonds
- 1 cup arugula
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup water
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
Instructions
- Run both zucchinis through the spiralizer and then set the noodles aside.
- Next, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet and add the tomatoes, pancetta and prosciutto. Cook for 3-5 minutes over medium-high heat until the prosciutto crispy, pancetta is cooked through and tomatoes are warmed. Now, add the zucchini noodles to the skillet and stir until noodles are warm, about 2 minutes.
- For the pesto: combine all ingredients into a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth.
- Pour pesto over top of the noodle mixture, and then remove everything from the skillet and into a large bowl.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper and enjoy!
I love the idea of zucchini noodles, but every time I eat them it’s just not enough food for me! I think using both is a good plan. I’ve tried chickpea pasta and love it! It actually tastes like normal pasta, which I can’t say about all the other kids out there.
I agree! I’ve been loving the chickpea and lentil pastas lately. And yes! I love me some zoodles buuuut we usually eat them with regular pasta noodles too, if only to fill us up more.
I have…a confession. I’ve never tried zucchini noodles. The mushy texture of cooked zucchini reaaaaally throws me off but I really do want to try them! Haha. This looks so good! I can’t believe summer is over!
Ok I actually get that…. but! All you have to do is cook them for about a minute in the skillet, no longer. That way they’re warm but not too mushy (I can’t stand mushy foods either!).