Delicious Zucchini "Pasta"

I got the idea from Pinterest for zucchini pasta, so I came up with this recipe and it was pretty impressive.  You'll need a julienne peeler or a fancy spiral vegetable slicer (see below) ...

Ingredients:
3-4 medium zucchinis
1-2 tbs. Olive Oil

8 oz. baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 medium vidalia onion, sliced thin
1 bell pepper (any color), sliced thin
1 stalk of fresh Broccoli
1/2 pint Cherry tomatoes
Splash of your favorite wine, if desired (I used a red - Malbec)
Jennifer's Pesto (or your favorite pesto recipe)

Jennifer's Pesto recipe:  (see my Pesto Pizza Blog Post for another recipe with my pesto)
2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup pistachios*
1 roma tomato (seeded)
20-30 fresh basil leaves
6 roasted garlic cloves (you can usually get them already roasted on the WF salad bar)
Fresh squeezed lemon to taste (I just use about 1-2 teaspoons of meyer lemon juice)
Sea salt to taste
Ground pepper

Combine all pesto ingredients in a blender or food processor.
*If you're avoiding nuts or trying to lose weight, I recommend omitting the pistachios from the pesto.  It tastes delicious both ways.

Instructions:
Prepare the pesto as directed.  Pesto can be prepared in advance to speed up the recipe.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and mushroom and let it saute on medium heat, stirring frequently.  Continue cooking the onions and mushrooms until they begin to caramelize and then add a splash of your favorite wine.  Continue cooking until the wine cooks off.  Reduce heat to low.

Using a julienne peeler (like the one Pampered Chef sells - I'm a Consultant so let me know if you need one!), julienne the zucchinis and set aside. I julienne the zucchinis until I got down to the seeds in the middle then slice the zucchini into coins and added them to the onions. 

Add the bell pepper and broccoli to the mushroom/onion mixture and saute on medium heat for 5 minutes.  Personally, I don't like my broccoli or pepper overcooked, so stir frequently and keep an eye on it.

In a different saute pan, heat 1 tbs. olive oil with S&P, add the zucchini strips.  You don't really want to cook them, you're really just heating them up.  Once zucchini strips are warm, remove from heat and strain in a colander.  In a large bowl, toss the mushroom/onion mixture and the zucchini "noodles" with the pesto and cherry tomatoes.  Serve immediately while still warm.

We found it very satisfying - almost like we had eaten a real pasta dish.  I hope you enjoy...  :)

If you're not plant-based, this recipe would be great with fish or chicken served over top.

Serves 4