Low Carb Tomato Pesto "Pasta"

Guilt-Free, Low-Carb Deliciousness!!!

 

As you’ve probably noticed from my previous posts, I am a big fan of the tomato-basil combo. I mean really, these two yummy, fresh ingredients paired together…how can you possibly go wrong? Which is why when I first saw this recipe, I fell in love.

I adore pesto, and throwing tomatoes into the mix not only beefs up the health factor, it boosts the flavor as well. And any excuse to use my handy-dandy julienne peeler is a special added bonus.  

 

My favorite non-electrical kitchen gadget of all time.

I strayed a little from the original recipe. For starters, I used pine nuts instead of almonds. I also opted for real tomatoes rather than the canned variety. More basil and garlic are always better in my book, so I increased those amounts as well. Finally, I cut back on the olive oil, omitted the salt, and used veggies instead of pasta for the carb watchers out there. And thus, Low Carb Tomato Pesto "Pasta" was born. Here’s what I came up with.

Low Carb Tomato Pesto “Pasta”
Serves 2-3

Ingredients
3-4 zucchini squash
2-3 yellow squash
½ cup pine nuts
1 cup fresh basil
1½ cups cherry or grape tomatoes (or 1 large whole tomato)
1/3 cup shaved parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Dash freshly ground black pepper
Water (if needed)
Olive oil spray

Directions
Use a julienne peeler or spiralizer to cut the zucchini and squash into thin, spaghetti noodle-like strips. (Here’s a quick YouTube video I found on how to use the peeler!)

Combine pine nuts, basil, tomatoes, parmesan cheese, garlic, and olive oil, and pepper into a food processor or blender and pulse until mostly smooth. Add a little water to thin if desired.

Spritz a medium-to-large skillet with olive oil spray and add “noodles.” Heat over medium-high heat until the vegetable strips become flexible, about 3-5 minutes.

Add tomato pesto sauce to the pan and stir well to combine. Continue cooking until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat, plate, and garnish with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese, a few pine nuts, a dash of pepper, and a basil leaf, if desired.

Results
Ohhhhhh. Maaaaaaaa. Gawd!!! I seriously didn’t think vegetables could ever taste this good! If you want the indulgence of a delicious Italian dish—without any guilt—give this recipe a try.

I’ve made this three times now and it just gets better every time. I serve it with a little crusty fresh-baked bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar dipping sauce (you know, to make up for the carbs I cut out by not using pasta) and it’s one of my favorite new meals.

You can also use the pesto on top of whole wheat pasta or as a dip. I’m pretty certain it would be amazing on top of a grilled chicken breast too.

I hope you enjoy this delicious recipe as much as my family and I do. It’s a keeper!

Until next time,
Ryann

P.S. I can hardly believe it but Recipes by Ryann turned one year old this month! WOOHOO!! I know I’ve been posting fewer recipes lately but life has been busy. I’m getting ready to start back at work part time but I will do my best to post healthy, delicious, family- and waistline-friendly recipes as often as I can. Thanks for reading and cooking with me. XO

Low-Carb Roasted Vegetable "Lasagna"

So good you won't even miss the noodles!

Surprise, surprise, the inspiration for this recipe came from another Pinterest post. (No joke, I get the urge to make something new EVERY time I visit that site!) Anyhoo, I was all geared up to try the spaghetti squash idea—and then Trader Joe’s didn’t have any left. So, I bought some regular yellow squash and an eggplant and came up with something a little different.

I realize this is the second vegetarian entrée I’ve posted this week. My apologies to the carnivores for that. But with the abundance of delicious summer veggies out there right now, I just can’t help myself. If you want to add meat, see the “swap”tions section below.

Low-Carb Roasted Vegetable "Lasagna"
Serves 6

Ingredients:
1 medium eggplant
2 medium-to-large yellow squash
3 medium zucchini
Olive oil spray
Freshly ground black pepper
Garlic powder (optional but suggested)
1 25-ounce jar pasta sauce (I used Trader Joes’ Organic Tomato Basil Marinara)
1 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
1 cup reduced-fat mozzarella cheese, shredded
Italian seasoning

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Slice eggplant, yellow squash, and zucchini into ¼-inch rounds. Cover two baking sheets with aluminum foil and spray with olive oil. Place vegetables on baking sheets in a single layer, lightly spritz with olive oil, and season with freshly ground black pepper and garlic powder (if desired).

Raw veggies, seasoned and ready for the oven.

Place vegetables in oven and roast for 15-20 minutes. (If you have to put the baking sheets on different oven racks, rotate them at the halfway mark so that the veggies cook evenly.) Remove vegetables from oven, reduce temperature to 350 degrees, and allow vegetables to cool for 5-10 minutes.

Drizzle a few spoonfuls of pasta sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 glass baking dish. Place roasted eggplant in the baking dish. (It’s okay if slices overlap.) Break up 1/3 cup of the ricotta cheese and distribute it evenly over the top of the eggplant in “chunks.” Sprinkle 1/3 cup of the mozzarella cheese over the ricotta and eggplant. Spoon 1/3 of the remaining sauce over the cheese and sprinkle with Italian seasoning. (This completes the first “layer.”)

Completed first layer.

Repeat the layering process with zucchini, ricotta, mozzarella, sauce, and seasoning.

Add the yellow squash and top with remaining ricotta and sauce. Spread the rest of the mozzarella cheese over the top, sprinkle with Italian seasonings, and bake for 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees until cheese on top is bubbly and browned.

“Swap”tions:
Mushrooms aren’t my personal favorite but if you like them, they would hold up well in this dish. If you want to add meat, lean ground turkey or chicken would also be tasty. Just brown the meat in a skillet with a little garlic or onion powder and then incorporate it into your layering process.

Results:
This pasta-less dish turned out great. I’m not gonna lie, lasagna without the noodles sounded a little suspect at first. But honestly, the eggplant and other veggies give it a great texture and it’s so cheesy and flavorful that you really don’t miss the pasta. Well, not that much…I asked the hubs to rate this dish on a scale of 1-10. He gave it an 8. When I asked him what would have made it a 10 he said, “noodles.” Ugh. So much for low-carb!

If you want to keep it vegetarian but add the pasta, I would suggest using whole wheat lasagna noodles. However, as written, this recipe is truly delicious. I heated up leftovers for lunch the next day and it was every bit as tasty. Give it a try and let me know what you think. I love hearing your feedback!

Until next time,
Ryann