~Amanda~
I love a big bowl of pasta, I mean who doesn’t?! I am always trying out new pasta recipes, new gluten free pastas, and alternative methods to make my pasta a little bit healthier so I can enjoy it without any guilt. One preparation I have always loved is Pasta Carbonara. Carbonara is a pasta dish that originated in Rome and it’s traditionally made with eggs, cheese, bacon, and black pepper. The hot pasta is combined with the raw eggs (off of direct heat so they don’t coagulate) to create a rich and creamy sauce without adding any actual cream or butter! I love that you can get such a rich and creamy dish without adding any really heavy ingredients (other than cheese – Parmesan cheese is a must in this dish), which is why I love it so much. This variation is a little different than the traditional preparation as I used zucchini noodles and rotelle pasta, as well as some peppers, spinach, and fresh lemon juice to brighten it all up for the summer.
Over time I have tried out several different variations of carbonara and this Zucchini Carbonara with Lemon and Parmesan is my most recent obsession. Zucchini noodles have gotten so much hype recently for being the healthy, low-carb, and gluten-free alternative to regular pasta and I am completely obsessed with them. Zucchini is a very low calorie vegetable with only 17 calories per 100 grams. It has no saturated fat or cholesterol and it’s a great source of fiber. So why not substitute it for some of that carb-heavy pasta?! I still have to have some pasta in the dish though…zucchini noodles are good, but you still need that good pasta bite and this Red Lentil & Quinoa Pasta Rotelle from Ancient Harvest hits the spot. It’s a combination of two of the top superfoods; red lentils and quinoa. It’s got the perfect texture, naturally gluten-free, and it has two times the amount of protein as regular pasta and plenty of fiber. You can really use any pasta you prefer, but I highly recommend this one!
The preparation of this dish is very quick, so it makes for an excellent weeknight meal when you don’t have a ton of time, but you want something very delicious and impressive (trust me, anyone you make this for will be very impressed by it… it looks and tastes way more complex than it really is)! First, prepare all of your ingredients before you start cooking anything; chop the peppers, slice the zucchini (I use a mandolin to get them extra thin and if you’re zucchini are quite large, like mine were, I also like to slice them in half so they’re not too thick), and get the herbs chopped up. While the pasta is cooking, sauté the peppers and zucchini to get them tender. Then add the peppers and zucchini to the pasta along with all the other ingredients and cover and let everything warm though. Serve the carbonara topped with some more Parmesan and enjoy the most delicious, rich, and surprisingly pretty healthy pasta dish ever!
(Conor was out for the night so I enjoyed my pasta on the couch with my favorite magazines, some bad tv, and a glass of wine… perfect night if you ask me!)
- 1 cup uncooked Ancient Harvest Red Lentil & Quinoa Pasta Rotelle (or any sort of pasta you prefer)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow bell pepper, julienned
- 2 large zucchini, very thinly sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- Salt and pepper
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 large lemon, juiced
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shaved or grated
- 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon basil, chopped
- 1 cup fresh spinach leaves
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions, but make sure it's very al dente (more firm to the bite). When done, reserve about 1/2 cup of the cooking water and drain the rest. Put the pasta back in the pot and set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the yellow pepper and cook for 1-2 minutes until slightly tender. Add the zucchini, cayenne, salt, and pepper and toss and cook for another few minutes (4-5) until tender and pliable.
- Add the pepper and zucchini mixture to the pot with the pasta then add all the other ingredients to the pot as well. Stir and put the lid on to heat everything though. Add some of the extra pasta water to thin the sauce out a bit if necessary.
- Serve immediately topped with more Parmesan cheese.
- You can substitute the peppers and spinach in this recipe for any vegetables you prefer: peas, asparagus, mushrooms, etc.
