Noodles Made of....Zucchini?

Recipe: Zucchini Noodles with Pesto

Source: Two Peas and Their Pod

http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/zucchini-noodles-with-pesto/

Time: 15 minutes

Ease: 5

Taste: 5

Leftover Value: No leftovers

Down the Drain or Keep in the Strainer: Down the Drain!

I warned you that I wasn't doing very well with my vegetarian eating.  This said, try not to be surprised by the Down the Drain rating on the next couple of recipes that I post.  I will do my best at the end to offer some suggestions that could possibly have converted the recipe from Down the Drain to Keep in the Strainer.

Zucchini noddles.  I love them.  In fact, I thought I had already posted about a fantastic recipe I make with zucchini noodles, but sadly I realized as I began searching for it that the pictures are still in the "Not Posted Orange Strainer" file on my computer.

This means you'll have to trust me.

Photo proof of my previously made zucchini noodles.  Again, you'll have to trust me...

When I found another zucchini noodle recipe that involved pesto, I knew I needed to try it during my vegetarian days.  I have to admit, from the get go I was a little apprehensive.  A quarter cup of Parmesan cheese seemed far too little for a pesto sauce.  But I followed the recipe (as I always do) regardless.

I liked the idea of slicing the zucchini with a mandoline slicer.  My other zucchini noodle recipe uses a vegetable peeler to slice the zucchini into thick strips, which is also fun and reminds me of egg noodles.  The mandoline slicer allowed for a thinner strip which appeared much more noodle like.

The recipe's author states the meal was eaten cold.  I couldn't imagine doing that, so I pan fried the noodles in the sauce for about three minutes.  Topped with tomatoes, it certainly looked like a masterpiece.  It tasted, well, just okay.  I was able to eat the entire thing, however, it left more to be desired.

Now for the negatives.

The sauce was too thin, clearly lacking extra necessary cheese.  While most pesto sauces call for pine nuts, I've found that they are not essential for the flavor.  Parmesan cheese is.

The recipe states to use four small zucchini and also that the recipe should serve four.

Oh me, oh my.  I don't know what kind of sized tummies the writer and lunch guests had, but I used one rather large zucchini and if Hubby had been home to enjoy this meal, we both would have been starving our brains out after splitting the portion that this recipe made.

What would I do in the future?

For starters, of course, more Parmesan (as if you haven't heard me say it enough yet).

My natural urge is to coat some chicken, fry it, and toss it in the bowl with the noodles.  However, in addition to the added protein that I am dying for these days, I would also add a small portion of linguine or fettuccine in with the zucchini noodles to make the dish a little more filling.  Let's face it, eating a zucchini and a tomato for lunch or dinner isn't going to fill any bellies for a long period of time.