Things have been a little busy at my house for the last couple months, (more on why in an upcoming post) but I finally got around to posting one of my personal favorite dishes!
I am from St. George, Utah and one of my favorite things to eat when home, is from a restaurant called Pizza Factory Express.
They have a “build your own” pasta menu: you pick the type of noodles you want, the sauce, and the toppings. In the past, wheat noodles were my ‘go to’. While the wheat noodles were tasty and especially great fuel before a long run, I found that on a regular day, I wanted something a bit lighter and less dense. That is when I discovered their new menu item… the veggie noodles (made of spiralized zucchini!) You may not be convinced that you can be just as satisfied with veggies instead of pasta, but I dare you to try it! With your favorite sauce and some yummy toppings, it is the best by far and so colorful and good for you!
I haven’t lived in St. George for years so that amazing dish is never at my fingertips… finally, I missed it so much, I had to recreate it.
That is when I began searching for whatever it was that made those perfectly yummy little zucchini noodles. I found out that the Pizza Factory Express uses something called a mandolin slicer. After some research (and there are a million different types of mandolin slicers), I settled on The Spiralizer.
I love it! It has three blades so I can do a lot of different types of cuts with it and it can dress up any main dish, salad, or anything beautifully!
Veggie Chicken Pasta
Look at all those vegetables!
Ingredients:
Chicken Breasts
Italian Seasoning
Marinara Sauce
Zucchini (roughly two per person depending on size)
Yellow Squash
Red Pepper
Red Onion
Directions:
1. Prep the chicken. If you want the chicken to be nice and juicy, it is best to cook the outside on the stove (to seal in the juices) and then bake in the oven (Preheat 400 degrees). Lightly coat the chicken breast with italian seasoning all over. Place a tablespoon or so in a frying pan and cook each side of chicken over medium heat until browned.
Place in oven at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes depending on size and thickness. Let it rest before you cut into it.
2. Spiralize Zucchini Noodles and Italian Veggies. This took me about 5 minutes for all veggies.
Cut off the ends of the veggies, attach to spiralizer and…
I keep the zucchini noodles and the italian veggies separate so that they can be a topping.
3. Cook Italian Veggies. While chicken is cooking, place the italian veggies on a frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil, a dash of italian seasoning, and salt. Saute veggies for one minute and add 1 Tbs. of water, cover, and cook until slightly crunchy (or soft– depending on how you like it.) Keeping the veggies slightly crunchy keeps the nutrients in the veggies.
4. Warm Marinara Sauce on low heat, Take Chicken out of the Oven.
5. Cook Zucchini Noodles. Place in frying pan and drizzle with olive oil. I usually use tongs to toss the zucchini noodles and coat with olive oil. Saute for 1 minute and then add 1/4 c. water (per two zucchini). Cover, and steam for 4-5 minutes. You don’t want the noodles to be mushy so keep an eye on them.
6. Put it all together, Toss, and Serve!
Look at all those beautiful colors!
Yum!
Veggie Chicken Pasta
Ingredients:
Chicken Breasts
Italian Seasoning
Marinara Sauce
Zucchini (two per person)
Yellow Squash
Red Pepper
Red Onion
Olive Oil
Directions:
1. Prep the chicken. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat the chicken breast with italian seasoning all over. Place a tablespoon or so in a frying pan and cook each side of chicken over medium heat until browned.
2. Spiralize Zucchini Noodles and Italian Veggies. I use the noodle attachment for zucchini, and the flat blade for other veggies.
3. Cook Italian Veggies. While chicken is cooking, place the italian veggies on a frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil, a dash of italian seasoning, and dash of salt. Saute veggies for one minute and add 1 Tbs. of water, cover, and cook until slightly crunchy (or soft– depending on how you like it.) Keeping the veggies slightly crunchy keeps the nutrients in the veggies.
4. Warm Marinara Sauce on low heat, Take Chicken out of the Oven.
5. Cook Zucchini Noodles. Place in frying pan and drizzle with olive oil. I usually use tongs to toss the zucchini noodles and coat with olive oil. Saute for 1 minute and then add 1/4 c. water (per two zucchini). Cover, and steam for 4-5 minutes. You don’t want the noodles to be mushy so keep an eye on them.
6. Put it all together, Toss, and Serve!
XoXo ~ Laura
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