One common substitution for pasta on a gluten-free diet is spiralized zucchini. We bought a Spiralizer a few years ago which makes it easy to make large and small “noodles” out of a variety of ingredients. I usually quickly sauté or blanch the zoodles, as they cook very quickly. This dish combines zoodles with pork and my basil and snap pea pesto.
While staring at some boneless pork chops I thawed, wondering what to do with them besides grill them, the wife hollered “make something Italian!” I had some pesto in the fridge from a previous recipe, and had just bought zucchini, so we were set.
I added baby bella mushrooms and topped with some shredded Parmesan cheese and flat-leaf parsley during this iteration, but you can omit any or all of these to suit your tastes, or spice it up with some crushed red pepper.
Pork and Pesto Zoodles
Equipment
- Spiralizer
Ingredients
For the pork
- 1 lb Boneless pork chops cut into 1" cubes
- 1 tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Black pepper
- 1 tsp Sage rubbed
- 1 tsp Oregano dried
- ¼ tsp Garlic powder
For the zoodles
- 4 Zucchinis spiral cut
- 2 large Baby bella mushrooms cleaned and sliced
- 1 clove Garlic minced
- 2 tbsp Olive oil extra virgin
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 pinch Black pepper
- 1 tbsp Red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp Apple cider vinegar
For the pesto
- ½-1 cup Basil and snap pea pesto
Instructions
For the pork
- Combine the salt, pepper, sage, oregano, and garlic powder in a bowl and mix. Add pork to the bowl and mix well to coat with the seasoning. Leave on the counter for 30 minutes.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp olive oil.
- Add pork. Brown on all sides, cook til no longer pink, 8-10 minutes, stirring often.
- Transfer from the skillet to a plate , reuse the skillet for the zoodles.
For the zoodles
- The zucchini should already be spiral cut. In a bowl, combine the zoodles, olive oil, salt and pepper, and coat well.
- Reheat the skillet if necessary and add the zoodles. Cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently, and add the vinegar and mushrooms. Cook for 2 more minutes, stirring frequently,
- Return the pork to the skillet and add the pesto. Mix well and cook for 1-2 minutes or until heated through.
- Plate the contents and serve with fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese, if desired.
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