Pesto Zucchini “Pasta” Bowls + Grilled Chicken

Growing up I was obsessed with pasta salads in the summertime (and pretty much all pasta in general).

There’s just something so satisfying about eating a bowl of noodles, no matter what season. But eating a bowl of nutrient-dense veggies that tricks you into thinking you’re eating noodles? Even better.

Not that there’s anything wrong with eating noodles, especially when there are now plenty of fiber-rich and gluten-free options out there like quinoa, brown rice and lentil pasta. But I find when it comes to my clients (and the vasty majority of people) they struggle incorporating more veggies into their meals in ways that are inventive, fun and taste good.

However when you turn a vegetable into a noodle, it instantly elevates the creativity, taste and texture. It’s simply more fun to eat (especially for kids) and opens you up to a ton of new ways to enjoy an otherwise “just fine” vegetable.

Enter in these zucchini pasta noodles — aka zoodles. Now I’m down with zucchini, but I wouldn’t say I get really excited to eat it. But zucchini pasta noodles smothered in a fresh basil pesto sauce and topped with grilled chicken? Holy excitement! The MLH (meat-lovin’ hubby) shares in this sentiment and he can down a bowl of zoodles just like ZAT.

A ton of other sauces would work well with this dish (like marinara, green goddess, romesco, avocado sauce, etc) but this summer I’m loving these zucchini pasta noodles paired with a simple basil pesto sauce and topped with grilled chicken for some hearty protein. Basically the perfect summer meal in bowl.

Oh and if you’re nervous about making noodles out of vegetables — don’t be (I admittedly was at first). It’s super easy to do. You literally put the raw vegetable in a spiralizer and crank the handle until your veggie has magically turned into noodles.

Have you tried making zucchini noodles (or any other spiralized veggies yet)? If so — what’s your go-to veggie or which veggies would you like to see make a noodle appearance on my blog? LMK in the comments below.

Happy Zoodling Boo!

xx //

Lauren

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