Ahh I can really feel summer hitting soon, the birds are chirping, the air is so warm and the nights are getting longer. I love this time of year (for me – it’s in Victoria, BC). Everyone and their dogs are out and enjoying the nice weather. Legs are going from white to a nice late spring glow 😉 And meals are becoming lighter, I need not nearly as much food to stay satiated. It’s lovely!
Which brings me to today’s recipe review, from the My New Roots blog: The Sweet Pea and Pearl Onion Pesto Smothered Zucchini Noodles. I just got a vegetable spiralizer a few months ago (this is the one I have), and I have to say, it is magnificent! Makes healthy eating that much more enjoyable, who thought making a zucchini into a noodle would be so satisfying haha! It makes me want to do a spiralled food challenge next – has anyone seen the Inspiralized website? So cool! Anyways, I digress, I was very excited to check out this recipe on Sarah’s website – it is perfect for summer!!
Unfortunately, I had to make a major modification, so sorry if this isn’t exactly how the recipe asked. I couldn’t find pearl onions anywhere! I looked at about 3 grocery stores in town before giving up… I also had leftover leeks in the fridge, so I used those up instead. I also added some walnuts to my pesto, just to make it a little heartier… oh and I added salmon on the side for added protein. Vegan friends, perhaps a nice sautéed tempeh, or some lentils?
Other than that, it was super simple to throw together, I was lazy and threw the zucchini noodles in the pan with the leeks once they were cooked down a bit. The pesto can be made as everything is cooking. It is a perfect light late spring meal! I really liked the hint of mint in the pesto too, so refreshing.
You can check out my full nutritional analysis here. It is a bit heavier of a meal, 488 calories (without protein added) if you break the meal in half (it says it serves 1-2). There is 50.7% fat in the meal (mostly from the pesto I can imagine), 39.8% carbohydrates, and only 9.6% protein. This is why I suggest for dinner, throwing in some added protein just to complete the meal a bit more. Still a great whole food meal however!
I really don’t have any complaints other than lack of protein in this meal. I really enjoyed it! Not sure how it would make as a leftover (I find zucchini noodles tend to get soggy) but it’s so quick to whip up, I think you could just make the onions and pesto in advance and then do the zucchini the night of. Yum!
You can see my full review below, 32.5/40 is what I gave it (lower marks for satiety level because of lack of protein, and ingredients because I couldn’t find the pearl onions!)
Anyone else tried this one? If so, comment below!!
xoxo Hannah