Bacon-Basil Zucchini “Pasta”

Bacon-Basil Zucchini “Pasta” features zucchini as a mock noodle, which has such a lovely flavor for Italian-inspired dishes. Many vegetables can be julienned into long strips and steamed, braised, or sautéed as mock noodles. There’s something so satisfying about a long skinny slurpy noodle. My inexpensive mandoline slicer is one of my favorite kitchen tools!  It makes so many jobs in the kitchen so much faster. Making “noodles” out of vegetables is one such job. This recipe makes enough for 4 hearty side dish portions. Alternately, you could add some grilled steak, prawns or chicken and turn this into a main dish.

Featured Ingredients

Zucchini is a super nutrient-dense food, particularly rich in beneficial phytonutrients, including polyphenols and carotenoids, vitamin C, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), and vitamin B7 (biotin). The peel of this veggie has as much as 10 times more carotenoids than the flesh, so it’s best to eat the entire veggie, peel and all.

The numerous health benefits attributed to basil are credited to the diverse array of phytonutrients and volatile oils found within it. Some of the health benefits associated with different varieties of basil include a role in maintaining dental health, benefits to cardiovascular health, antidepressant-like effects, and anti-cancer effects to name a few.

Walnuts are one of the best studies “nuts” when it comes to health. Per serving walnuts deliver at least 10% or more of the daily value of 9 different nutrients including vitamins, minerals, functional fats, and phytonutrients. They are a top food source of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), linoleic acid, and vitamin E.

Zucchini Nutrients

Basil Nutrients

Walnut Nutrients

Bacon Basil Zucchini “Pasta”

Nutrivore Score: 427

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Resting Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 311kcal

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Ingredients

• 2 pounds zucchini (about 4 large)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/3 cup bacon grease
• 1/4 cup fresh basil chopped
• 1/2 cup walnuts chopped

Instructions

• Finely julienne zucchini lengthwise to create long strips of zucchini.  Toss with salt in a colander and let sit in the sink for 1 hour.
• Rinse the zucchini very, very thoroughly (have a taste to make sure it’s not salty at all).  Drain on a tea towel or paper towels to get rid of as much moisture as possible.
• Heat bacon grease in an oversized frying pan over medium-high heat.  Add garlic and zucchini and sauté, stirring frequently until zucchini is  cooked “al dente”, about 4-5 minutes (should be a very hot pan).
• Toss in basil and walnuts (if using) and cook another 2 minutes, stirring a couple of times.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Bacon Basil Zucchini “Pasta”

Amount per Serving

Calories

311

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

30

g

46

%

Saturated Fat

 

9

g

56

%

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

9

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

10

g

Cholesterol

 

19

mg

6

%

Sodium

 

1211

mg

53

%

Potassium

 

661

mg

19

%

Carbohydrates

 

9

g

3

%

Fiber

 

3

g

13

%

Sugar

 

6

g

7

%

Protein

 

5

g

10

%

Vitamin A

 

536

IU

11

%

Vitamin C

 

41

mg

50

%

Calcium

 

54

mg

5

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.