~Amanda~
I recently purchased a vegetable spiralizer and it has quickly become one of my most favorite kitchen gadgets ever. You can use it to make so many different dishes that showcase vegetables in completely new ways. My favorite way to use my spiralizer is to make zucchini pasta. Not only is it really fun to use, but you end up with a ‘pasta’ dish that tastes amazing and has hundreds less calories and so many fewer carbs than regular pasta. This also is so exciting to me, because being gluten-free I am always looking for new ways to get my pasta fix. Nothing will ever quite taste like real pasta, but this dish is so flavorful and delicious, you almost forget it’s not real pasta.
The idea for this dish came about when I was short on time and looking for a quick, healthy, and flavorful weeknight dinner for one. I had all of the produce used here at my house, and with my trusty zucchini spiralizer I was whipping up this amazing meal in minutes. It’s so easy and simple, and just takes a little prep time to cut up all the veggies and even less to cook it all. It’s a nice and light dish that highlights so many fresh summer flavors like heirloom tomatoes, fresh peppers, and basil.
The idea for the poached egg on top of the pasta came about from my love of Carbonara, I love the rich and creamy sauce you get from the egg yolk. When you break open the egg and mix the yolk in with all the other ingredients; it creates the perfect amount of richness to compliment all of the other bright and fresh flavors. This is a personal preference, if you’re not a fan of eggs, the dish is still so delicious and flavorful without it!
- 2 roma tomatoes, diced
- 1/2 pint heirloom or cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 bell peppers, red and yellow, diced
- 1 red onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1/2 avocado, cubed
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, julienned
- 2 medium zucchini's
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 eggs, poached
- Bring a pot of water to a boil.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, roma tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, peppers, onion, cayenne, salt and pepper. Sautee until tender, about 8 minutes.
- Meanwhile, spiralize the zucchini using a spiralizer (or if you don't have one, slice into very thin ribbons). Add the zucchini pasta to the pot of boiling water for just a minute or two until slightly cooked. Remove and drain.
- In a bowl, add the sun-dried tomatoes (and some of the oil from the jar) and lemon juice and zest. When the tomatoes and peppers are done cooking, add them to the bowl and mix together.
- Place the zucchini pasta on a plate and top with tomato and pepper mixture. Sprinkle with basil and avocado and top with a poached egg.
- To eat, break the egg on top of the pasta and the yolk will mix with everything to create a sauce.
- *If you are not making this to be a paleo or dairy free meal, feel free to add some parmesan or goat cheese over the top to enhance the flavors. Enjoy!
