Howdy my friends! So today I’ve got a super simple, heavy on the veggie, one pan meal to share with you. It can be made vegetarian or with meat AND for everyone with food allergies- it is gluten free and could be vegan if you either made or bought a pesto with no parmesan cheese. My favorite part? Everything’s cooked in one pan and it’s very light, making it the perfect lunch or dinner as the weather get’s warmer.
The beautiful part about these basic recipes is that you could really make it your own! I included chicken sausage in the recipe as it was for dinner and we wanted to add a little more protein to keep us full. However, you could totally fill it up with just veggies and it would be just as delish.
So first thing’s first- you need some sort of spiralizer to make the zoodles! For all your zoodle skeptics, I promise you it is a really tasty way to feel like you’re eating pasta but is actually no carb and still hits the spot. I’ve heard a lot of friends say even their boyfriends like the (mine included) which is really the true test. The key is to keep the zucchini noodles pretty thin AND not to sauté them for too long as they cook really quick!
There are a lot of different spiralizers out there and I’m sure they all work great! The one I have and love is here. It works great, has a few different spiralizing blade options and cleans easily. No matter what they’re reasonably priced and can be used to make so many different type of veggie noodles! ( See: sweet potato, carrot, squash… upon typing this I’ve just found out that sweet potato noodles are called Swoodles. I’m dead.)
So- to start I peeled the outside skin off the zucchini’s and cut each end off. Placing the flat parts of the zucchini on the blade and get turning. The zoodles cook down a bit so definitely spiralize more than you think you need! They make great leftovers too so no harm in having some extra.
Once the zoodles are prepped, salt them lightly and put aside. Then I diced up two wild mushroom and herb chicken sausage’s, 1/2 yellow onion, a handful of mushrooms and one clove of garlic. Side note: I hated mushrooms for the first 25.5 years of my life and have just recently become a mushroom liker. I won’t say lover yet… but I am so proud of myself. haha
Brown the chicken sausage ( if you include it) first to get it kind of crispy. Once crispy, put aside on a plate and sauté the mushrooms and onions in the pan w/ olive oil. Once the onions are mostly translucent, add the chopped garlic and let simmer for a few minutes. Garlic cooks so quickly it’s smart to add it towards the end of whatever veggies you’re cooking
Add the zoodles to the pan and press them down to make sure they are covered in the olive oil and have access to the heat. It only takes a few minutes on the heat while stirring, for the zoodles to cook through. This comes down to personal preference, I don’t like them too cooked as I think they get soggy so I like to keep them a little on the under cooked/fresh side.
Once cooked, add the crisped chicken sausage back to the pan and a few tablespoons of the pesto, tossing the zoodles to coat them. You can serve it in the pan itself or throw the zoodles in a big bowl and serve em up!
Top with red pepper flakes and some parmesan cheese and dig in!
Let me know in the comments below if you made it your own by adding different veggies, meat or another sauce!?
Prep Time | 5 |
Cook Time | 10 |
Servings |
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- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp Salt and Pepper
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 1 clove garlic pressed/chopped
- 6-8 Mushrooms sliced
- 3 zucchini spiralized
- 2-3 tbsp Pesto I used pre made pesto but bonus points if you make your own!
- Parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 2 links Wild Mushroom & Herb Chicken Sausage
Ingredients
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- Wash, peel and spiralize the zucchini.
- Dice the onion, garlic, mushrooms and chicken sausage.
- Brown the chicken sausage over medium high heat in olive oil until crispy. Remove from heat and put aside.
- Saute the mushrooms and onion until translucent. Add garlic and cook until aromatic, about a minute.
- Add the zoodles to the pan and saute for a few minutes, until just cooked. I like mine kind of crunchy and fresh tasting still but cook as long as you prefer.
- Add chicken sausage back to the pan and toss zoodles & veggies with 2-3 tablespoons of pesto over low heat.
- Serve topped with red pepper flakes and some parmesan cheese.
3 Comments
I’m enjoying your blog so much! I just bought zoodles tonight on a whim with no recipe. Now I have one! I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Aw Robyn thank you so much!! I so appreciate you following along and definitely let me know how it turns out! 🙂 Hope you guys love it!
Also- the chicken parm recipe here: http://www.hungryhungryhannah.com/recipe/baked-chicken-parmesan/ is also delicious on top of zoodles if you were in the mood for something more italian and savory! 😉