Paleo Pesto Avocado Bacon Zucchini Pasta “Zoodles” (Paleo + Gluten Free)

“I could never give up pasta!” It’s a common response I get when I explain what I’ve cut out of my diet.  The main food people seem to have a aversion to letting go of is pasta, with pizza a close second. 😀 Truthfully, I don’t feel like I’ve cut any of those “comfort foods” out of my diet, and I certainly don’t miss the sluggish, bloated feeling after having a SAD meal. We still eat TONS of pasta- we simply make our noodles out of vegetables. The process is super easy- you just need some sort of spiralizer. It took Whitney seconds to turn 2 zucchinis into noodles- or zoodles, as we call them. Since I’m on day 5 of operation keep my herb garden alive (a new record!)-  we took advantage of the fresh basil to make Paleo Pesto Avocado & Bacon Zoodles!

The spiralizer that we use can be found by clicking here:
Spiralizer Tri-Blade Vegetable Slicer, Strongest-and-Heaviest Duty, Best Veggie Pasta & Spaghetti Maker

Equipment

• Spiralizer
• Food Processor
• Frying Pan
• Mixing Bowl
• Kitchen Tongs

Ingredients

• 2 medium zucchini
• 2 ripe avocados
• 6 oz of bacon (or more if you like!)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 cup fresh basil
• salt and pepper to taste
• sun dried tomatoes for garnish
• 1 tablespoon Organic EVOO

Not all lemon juice is created equal! Most common brands are from concentrate and have added (unnecessary) preservatives. This lemon juice from Santa Cruz is

– Organic (no “cides” – pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, etc.)
– One ingredient: lemon juice! (no preservatives like sodium benzoate or sodium sulfite)
– NOT from concentrate
– Packaged in a glass bottle (no BPA)

You can really taste the difference in the quality of lemon juice- especially in clean and simple recipes like this one. I love to add a splash to my drinking water too! You can find it here:

Santa Cruz Juice, Lemon, 100% Organic, 16 oz

Instructions

1. Zoodle your zucchinis! Set aside in a large mixing bowl.
2. In a frying pan- fry up the bacon.
3. While the bacon is cooking, add avocado, basil, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper to a food processor. Blend until smooth + creamy.
4. Remove bacon from frying pan, and place on a plate with a paper towel to absorb the extra grease. Save the grease in the pan!
5. On medium high- add the zoodles to the frying pan. Toss occasionally with kitchen tongs. Cook for 5-7 minutes, depending on how crunchy you want your zoodles. We prefer a little crunch to ours.
6. Place the zoodles in a large mixing bowl. Add pesto avocado sauce and bacon. Using kitchen tongs, toss the zoodles until evenly coated.
7. Top with sun dried tomatoes and fresh basil.

This dish is perfect by itself, or as a base for other additions. You could add sliced chicken breast or grilled shrimp for a more complete meal. I think next time we are going to top our Paleo Pesto Avocado and Bacon Zucchini Zoodles with a fried egg- because #alwaysaddanegg.

Leave a comment: what additions are you going to make?