I think you are going to love this simple Spiralized Zucchini Pesto Pasta with Peas and Pancetta. That's quite the alliteration! It is so simple to prepare and is prefect for a light, summer dinner.
I used spiral-sliced, or spiralized, zucchini to create the noodles and tossed it with crispy pancetta, sweet peas, and my dairy-free pesto sauce. To finish off the dish with a little creamy tartness, I sprinkled on some dairy-free ricotta I found at Whole Foods the other day. It's almond based, and very similar to my dairy-free ricotta cheese recipe that can be found on page of my Against all Grain cookbook. The ease of buying it though rather than soaking nuts overnight is quite appealing, and I think the flavor is a little better than mine!
We use zucchini noodles, or zoodles, all the time and love them as a low-carb pasta alternative. If you're not familiar with them, or spiralized noodles, make sure to take a look at this instructional video I did a couple of years ago!
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Sue Bunton
Could you clarify what you mean by “1/4 Dairy Free Pesto Sauce”? Is it 1/4 cup or 1/4 of your pesto recipe?
Danielle
1/4 cup! Sorry for the confusion 🙂
Rachel Brandt Fisher
I’m not really into peas but…this actually looks really amazing. Adding it to the recipe list.
Danielle
Thank you Rachel! I hope you enjoy it 🙂
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Is the Kitehill Ricotta Whole30 compliant?
Rebecca
Hi Danielle! Thank you for all of you delicious gluten free, Paleo recipes! You put the fun and flavor in being able to enjoy good food for those with digestive issues. I want to try your pesto zoodles but am wary of the peas. Are peas allowed in a Paleo?
Danielle
Thank you Rebecca! Everyone’s different. I can tolerate peas (although they’re not my favorite). If you can’t tolerate them, then I would stay away from them! Check out this post Mark Sisson did on peas! https://www.marksdailyapple.com/are-peas-and-green-beans-healthy/#axzz3hnGeZSVe
Suzanne Walton Stanton
After allergy testing in March, peas are out for this gal (anything in a pod, really, so that makes me sad; I love them & green beans). I have the same spiralizer as you &, for now, the bigger/fatter the zuke is (or whatever) makes it easier to get oodles of noodles (like in your video). Or, most likely, I’m just not a seasoned pro w/ smaller produce. Yet.
I’ve had great success w/ celery root (celeriac). A photo of it is attached since I had no idea what it looked like & didn’t want to wander around the produce section like a glazed-over zombie, bumping into strangers w/ my cart. I like celery root a lot because: a) it’s big & easier for me to spiralize, b) it has less water content so there isn’t dry time (towels or oven), c) it’s so mild – practically flavorless – & adopts whatever sauces or spices being used, and, d) it retains al dente beautifully (or can be cooked to desired consistency).
About the greens… Good for bone broth? Chopped like chard or spinach for a salad? Throw them over the fence for the cows?
I can’t wait to make this recipe… I love pesto & pancetta! Now… for a pea substitute…
Thanks for everything you do for us, Danielle. Our collective gratitude is probably impossible to put into words.
Danielle
Thank you Suzanne! So sorry to hear of your recent allergies. You could use broccoli or another veggie as a substitute for the peas.
I’ve actually never purchased celeriac with the greens attached so I have no idea! I’ll bet google has some good ideas of what you could do with it 🙂
Savannah
This looks amazing! I have a quick question… for this recipe, do you also dehydrate the zucchini noodles in the oven (like you do in your instructional video) prior to sauteeing them with the pancetta? Or do you skip that step? This will be my first “zoodles” recipe attempt, so I’m excited!
Janice Cucarese O'Brien
Made this last night. It was amazing! I used normal ricotta since we eat dairy and are nut free. It surpassed our expectations and are already planning to make it again. Thanks