By Karen Maxwell

The idea behind this recipe was to find a way to satisfy my husband’s pasta and sauce lust with a healthy alternative.  While the sauce adds a decadence to the dish, it doesn’t take the calories over the top.  If you’re a cilantro lover like me, this dish is the perfect platter to garnish with the herb.

This is comfort food done right. 

Ingredients:

• 3 large zucchini
• 10 oz chicken breast
• 1 orange bell pepper, chopped
• 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tbsp white flour
• 3/4 c organic chicken broth
• 3/4 c 1% milk
• 1/4 c Parmesan cheese, shredded
• 1/2 tsp salted butter
• Fresh herbs to taste (I used cilantro because I love it!)
• Non-stick cooking spray

Cooking Instructions:

• Wash the zucchini and leave the skins on for added colour.  Spiralize them (or run a vegetable peeler across them length wise creating strips until you get to the seeds) to yield approximately 8 cups.  Lay out the zoodles on paper towel and squeeze as much water out of them as possible.  Set aside.
• Cut the chicken breasts into bite-size pieces.  Spray a non-stick pan with cooking spray.  Saute the onion and garlic over medium heat until softened but not overly browned (about 4 minutes).
• Add the chicken and saute until browned (increase to medium high heat if necessary).
• Add in the peppers and saute until the peppers are cooked to desired tenderness.
• Set the entire mixture aside and cover with a bowl to retain heat.
• Add the zoodles to the now empty pan and saute over low heat until cooked to desired tenderness while you prepare the sauce (5-7 minutes).
• For the sauce, add the flour to a nonstick saucepan.  Using a whisk, ensure there are no lumps in the flour as you mix in the milk and chicken broth.  Heat the pan to medium-low heat, stirring constantly until it bubbles and thickens.
• Remove the pan from heat and whisk in the butter and parmesan cheese.  The parmesan cheese does not need to melt completely and this will add texture to the sauce (you could sub another cheese if you wanted a silkier sauce).
• Serve your zoodles on a wide bowl or plate.  Put 1/4 of them down as the base.  Add 1/4 of the chicken mixture and then top with 1/4 of the white sauce.  Season with salt, freshly ground pepper, and fresh herbs to taste.

Number of servings: 4

Calories per serving: 391, 24 g carbohydrates, 18 g F, 29 g Protein

Possible modifications: Sub shrimp for chicken.  Add fresh basil instead of cilantro.  Add red curry to the white sauce.  Mix in hot sauce.  Use fresh peas or canned artichokes.  Use more zoodles or use 1/2 and 1/2 zoodles and whole wheat pasta for an increase in carbs.

There are so many possibilities, so don’t be afraid to get creative!  And most importantly, enjoy!

Related Blogs:

Chicken Rice Noodle Pasta with Peanut Sauce

Taco Lasagna by Jaime

6 Simple Steps to Using Macros for Fat Loss