One of my favorite things about traveling is the opportunity to try different foods. While visiting Manly Beach in Australia, we ate at a cute cafe where my friend and I both ordered their zoodle dish. The entree used spiralized zucchini to make “zoodles”, and added sun-dried tomatoes, pesto sauce and parmesan shavings. My friend and I loved this hearty dish so much that we decided to emulate the recipe from home.
Outside of the delicious taste of the entree, I also love this dish because it is packed full of nutrients. You can find vitamins, protein, calcium and healthy monounsaturated fats, amongst many other benefits. In fact, since getting a spiralizer, I have enjoyed converting many of my favorite pasta dishes into healthier meals by replacing the pasta with zucchini noodles.
So put on your zoodling dance pants and let’s get cooking.
Chicken Pesto Zoodles
- 1 chicken breast, cooked, cubed
- 3 medium zucchini, spiralized at medium thickness
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 small onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup basil pesto
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup parmesan, freshly grated
- 1tbsp slivered almonds
- Optional: Lemon slices, fresh garlic bread
- Pour olive oil in large skillet and lightly brown onion on medium heat.
- Add spiralized zucchini, basil pesto, cherry tomatoes to skillet. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Zucchini should be soft and warm, but not mushy.
- Top with parmesan and slivered almonds.
- Garnish with sliced lemons and/or fresh garlic bread, if desired.
Yield: 2 servings
Vegetarian option: substitute sliced avocado in place of chicken
