No-Pasta Pasta

The big question: What to do for dinner? It's been a long day - work's a beating, traffic is bumper to bumper, the house is a mess, the dog's going crazy, and if you have kids... oh. my. god. You need something quick and easy and satisfying... NOW. And possibly a drink.

This faux pasta dish is a perfect meal for one. On the time to prep/cook scale I'd put it between a Lean Cuisine and spaghetti. It swaps noodles for veggies so you can majorly cut down the carb count while adding a lot more vitamins. And it has about 100X less sodium than a Lean Cuisine. Win. Win. Win.

What you need:

• 1 zucchini, peeled
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt & pepper
• parmesan cheese

What you do:

With a peeler, shave the zucchini into long pasta-like ribbons. Heat olive oil in a skillet. Toss in zucchini and coat with oil. Cook 3-4 minutes. Add tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, if you like. Continue cooking 1-2 minutes. When the zucchini is tender, it's done! Put it in a bowl. Sprinkle some parm on top. And there's dinner!

You can also...
Use pasta sauce as a topping instead of tomatoes.
Add garlic or fresh herbs like basil and oregano while cooking.

It's colorful, fresh and delicious. And the no-noodles twirl like spaghetti so it's fun to eat too. Enjoy!

Megan Adams Brown

Megan Adams Brown, CHC, helps people take charge of their health and to start listening to themselves over the latest diet trend to optimize their own wellness, happiness and potential. Her family-friendly meal plans help parents take charge in the kitchen, too. This leads to more vegetables, less junk, and happier, healthier kids and parents. Megan shares kid-approved, allergy-friendly recipes on her blog. To learn more click here.