Please forgive me for being an absentee blogger this past week! I swear, the past seven days have seemed like a never ending list of thing’s to do, and I am just now finally able to sit down and post something new for you all. With last weeks chaos momentarily calming down, I got a chance to get in the kitchen today to create my own spin on this Italian-inspired, plant-based recipe by Inspiralized that I found while browsing Pinterest. If you have never visited Inspiralized before, I highly recommend you check it out! There are so many unique and creative spiralized vegetable dishes, it’s incredible! Definitely a must see! Anyway, this particular recipe is a certified winner in my house. This Italian dish is is sure to win over even the most die-hard of pasta lovers, as it tastes virtually identical to the real thing, especially considering the fact that there is not an authentic noodle in sight. For any of you out there that have yet to become fans of zucchini noodles, this Tuscan white bean zucchini pasta will be the dish that converts you into a ‘zoodle’ eater. It is truly that good, and for a zucchini-based dish, it is also incredibly filling! I was completely stuffed after a small bowl of this, thanks to the fiber in the zucchini, corn and cannellini beans, which makes this dish a fantastic healthy substitute for curbing your pasta cravings.
With my nut-free sun-dried tomato pesto, this dish has an incredibly rich flavor that pairs perfectly with the light texture of the spiralized zucchini noodles. The petite corn, cannellini beans and fresh spinach add both texture and healthy fiber to this dish, which is great when you’re wanting something a little heartier, but don’t want to spend a whole lot of time in the kitchen preparing it. From start to finish, this entire recipe took me 15 minutes to complete, and that includes making the pesto! This dish is gluten free, dairy free and vegan friendly, but tastes just as decadent as a dish you would find in your favorite Italian restaurant. Seriously, don’t think about it, just make it. You won’t regret it!
Buon appetito!
- ***Pasta***
- 3 medium peeled zucchini; spiralized into noodles with the small triangle blade on your spiralizer, or cut into noodle-like strips with a julienne peeler.
- 1 cup fresh spinach; coarsely chopped
- 1 cup canned cannellini beans; rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup frozen petite corn; thawed
- ***Pesto***
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes; not in oil
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 loosely packed cup of fresh basil; julienned
- 2 large cloves garlic; minced
- 4 twists of sea salt grinder
- 6 twists of ground black pepper
- In a colander, drain and rinse your cannellini beans. Shake to remove excess water, and place 1/2 a cup of frozen corn out to thaw (you can speed up this process by placing corn in your colander and running it under cool water).
- Prepare your zucchini by first peeling off the skin.
- With your spiralizer or julienne peeler, cut zucchini into thin, noodle-like strips. If using a spiralizer, use the blade with the small triangles, and when finished, take a pair of kitchen shears to cut your strands in half, or even quarters to make noodle-sized strips. When finished, set noodles aside.
- In a food processor, combine all ingredients for pesto and blend until tomatoes and basil are the texture of a paste. You want this pesto to be slightly drier so when it mixes with the zucchini, which will naturally release water when heated, your dish won’t become soggy.
- When finished, pour pesto into a large skillet and add in your chopped spinach. Turn heat to medium and mix to combine.
- With heat still going, add in your prepared zucchini noodles and stir until noodles are thoroughly coated with the pesto.
- Cook zucchini noodles for 2-3 minutes, or until zucchini noodles soften, stirring consistently.
- Add in cannellini beans and corn, stirring to thoroughly mix.
- Remove from heat and serve.