How to make a Zoodle recipe your Valentine will Love (Video)

Chicken, pancetta and mascarpone zoodle recipe

An ever so delicious zoodle recipe just in time to make for you Valentine. Chopped pancetta, sun-dried tomatoes, mascarpone cheese, grated parmesan cheese and organic chicken breasts make this zoodle recipe one that your sweetheart will love.

This recipe is a one pot wonder! It is easy, quick and absolutely delicious!

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I miss eating pasta more than eating all those little candy bars that are endlessly stashed in a community drawer at my day job. It doesn’t even bother me anymore to watch all my co-workers stuffing them in their faces all day long.

It is the pasta, the pasta is what I miss. Even the gluten free pasta available in the supermarkets are packed with carbs that just don’t settle right with me. I am bound and determined to make a fantastic, low carb and gluten free pasta this year!

Zoodles are a great substitution for pasta. They are light, nutritious, have a neutral flavor and they look pretty too. Zoodles are spiralized zucchini and very simple to make. For nutritional information and health benefits of zucchini click here.

How to make Zoodles

There are quite a few different tools available to spiralize your zucchini. Spiralizers come in a wide variety, including countertop, hand-crank, electric and hand-held. They also range largely in price.

I use a ten-dollar hand-held jobber that suits me just fine. I picked it up at Bed Bath and Beyond (and no, I don’t get paid for saying that) and it is pretty sturdy. If you don’t want to buy a spiralizer, you can always use a vegetable peeler to peel your zucchini in to strips.

Improving Photography

I have been studying food photography again, and hopefully it will start showing through. There is so much to learn. I truly enjoy it and just hope it starts coming easier to me.

I have been working on ideas for backdrops and finished the one in the featured photo here last weekend, I am certainly enjoying the crafting for sure!

Some wine glasses and flowers would have been a nice addition to the photo. Realizing I had zero glassware of any type for my photos in the middle of my shoot, I did go shopping shortly after. With very little time to work with on the weekends, only using natural light, I had to go ahead and take the photo without the extra props that would’ve really make this photo stand out. 

Update: I have gone back and re-shot the dish with the maze colored plates.

Recipe development and versatility

I developed this recipe a couple of years ago, per my sister’s request to make her “something,” only not using zucchini. She ate it rolled up in low carb tortilla shells. It would be great baked in sweet bell peppers and is also very delicious on top of spiralized carrots.

How to make chicken, pancetta and mascarpone zoodle recipe

Spiralize or peel four and a half cups of zucchini, about four to five zucchinis. Lay out on paper towels to extract some of the moisture.

Cut the chicken breast in to bite-size pieces and add to a skillet with olive oil. Salt the chicken and cook over medium heat. When the chicken has mostly cooked, add the pancetta to the skillet and cook until crisp. Next, add the garlic and cook until softened.

It is important to not overcrowd your pan when cooking meats. Use a large enough skillet to give the meat room to spread out, otherwise it will cause the temperature to lower and the meat to sweat, giving off excess moisture and preventing it from browning.

Remove the sun-dried tomatoes from the jar and place on a paper towel to drain of most of their oil. Chop them in to smaller pieces. Add the tomatoes and chicken broth to the skillet. Allow the broth to reduce to one-third, then add the mascarpone cheese and parmesan cheese.

Turn off the heat and add the zucchini to the mixture to coat the zoodles with the sauce. Don’t cook the zucchini, it will become soggy and limp. Top with additional parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

Looking for another great low carb, gluten free pasta style dish? Try our spaghetti squash lasagna or keto lasagna.

Your feedback is important to me! I would LOVE to hear if you have made this recipe by sharing a photo and tag @hungerforspice on Instagram and hashtag it #hungerforspice. You can also add your photos to the comments area on Facebook.

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