~Amanda~
I was at the grocery store this weekend and there were a ton of incredible looking zucchini in stock, so I knew I had to make a zucchini based dish for dinner one night this week, and of course my mind went straight to zoodles because I love zoodles; they are a super low calorie alternative to pasta (and I’m all about low calorie, healthy eating right now since I’m getting married in just 5 months – I know, where has the time gone!? 5 months?!) and when made right, they have the perfect texture and are a base to which you can add pretty much anything, just like you would with pasta. I had pinned this recipes from Tasty Yummies a while ago, so this was the time to test it out! This was such a quick and easy recipe perfect for a Monday night – especially since the season finale of The Bachelor was on tonight, so I couldn’t be stuck cooking in the kitchen all night when the best, most exciting rose ceremony ever was going to be on!
This recipe first caught my eye because of the use of figs in it. I have been really into dates lately for healthy snacking and bought some dried figs at the store to test out a while ago and instantly fell in love with them. They’re great for snacking because they’re healthy and have so many nutritional benefits and they are also slightly sweet and have great bite and texture to them. I knew that combining them with some salty and savory pancetta in a ‘pasta’ dish would be amazing, and it most definitely was. Another key ingredient in this dish is the arugula. Arugula is something I love to use in pasta dishes as it adds a great peppery flavor and some freshness. The peppery flavor with the salty pancetta and sweet figs really does create such an amazing and complex flavor profile and your taste buds will be so so happy.
If you haven’t already hopped on the Zoodle bandwagon yet, you most definitely should. They are just so great and even easier to make; you can purchase one of those super fancy spiralizers that you hook onto your countertop OR you can buy the cheap $3 one on amazon like I did and discover that it works just as well, if not better, and it is so much easier to clean and store. The only downside is that it is definitely more work on your part to actually twist the zucchini through, but there’s nothing wrong with a little arm workout in the evening (just make sure to alternate sides so you don’t have one giant zucchini twisting bicep!). All the zucchini needs is a quick saute over medium heat. Any by quick I mean 1-2 minutes, you do not want them to get overcooked or they will become soggy and mushy. Once that’s done, you combine it with your sauteed pancetta and cheese, top with figs and some olive oil and sit down and enjoy the rest of your evening, because that took no time at all! Enjoy!
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, cut in ¼” pieces
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 4 medium zucchini
- ¼ cup romano cheese, grated
- 12 fresh figs, quartered (substitute dried figs if fresh aren’t available)
- 3 cups arugula
- ⅓ cup basil leaves, torn
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Spiralize the zucchini using a spiralizer (or you can use a mandolin to slice thinly then cut into thin stips).
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta, shallots, and garlic and sauté about 6 minutes or until pancetta is golden and shallots are tender.
- Add the zoodles to the skillet sauté for 3 minutes over medium heat, until slightly tender. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the Romano cheese and arugula and toss until slightly wilted.
- Transfer to bowls for serving and top with figs, basil and a drizzle or two of olive oil.
