Creamy BLT Zucchini Pasta

Rule of thumb: avoid key words like “creamy” when ordering pasta at a restaurant. “Creamy”...

Creamy BLT Zucchini Pasta

Rule of thumb: avoid key words like “creamy” when ordering pasta at a restaurant. “Creamy” usually means it’s a sauce whisked together with butter and cream or sugar and flour – or all four.

Rule of thumb here: creamy = cheese + a healthy sauce. The cheese thickens the healthy pasta sauce, making it seem creamy.

Okay, I said creamy way too many times.

Creamy BLT Zucchini Pasta

This recipe is a prime example of why spiralizing rawks. Yup, rawks.

You’re eating tomatoes, garlic and zucchini with bacon: whole, real ingredients. Then, walk in cheese. The cheese is a savory, salty and slightly sweet addition to a nutrient-packed meal, which results in a “I feel like I’m eating something bad, but I feel great!” sensation. With a small amount of cheese added in the end of this recipe, we get big flavor and a wonderfully velvety, smooth texture (without using butter or cream!)

Inspiralized

I call this a “BLT” pasta, because it has all of the components: bacon, lettuce and tomato [sauce].  Instead of using chopped tomatoes, the tomato sauce takes its place and works well with the wilted arugula and the crispy, crumbled bacon.

If you’re a vegetarian, skip the bacon and go with small cubes of avocado – it will add to the smoothness of the pasta, while adding a healthy fat.

Creamy BLT Zucchini Pasta

While my go-to sandwich is a turkey on whole wheat with lettuce, tomato, onion and mustard, the BLAT (bacon, lettuce, avocado, tomato) is a close second for me. Actually next week, I’m shooting the photos for the Inspiralized cookbook (coming out next year – EEK!) and I’m thinking to myself, “what sandwiches can I wrap in paper and bring to the photoshoot for lunch?” Of course, it’ll be in NYC, so there are thousands of places around to grab lunch – but, I feel like I never make sandwiches, so maybe this is the week of brown bag lunch sandwiches!

This cookbook, this wedding, this blog… I’m just on cloud nine, all the time! It’s such an exciting time in my life, and I wake up every day, excited to see what’s going to happen next.

What’s your favorite BLT combination?

Nutritional Information & Recipe

Creamy BLT Zucchini Pasta

Inspiralized

Creamy BLT Zucchini Pasta

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 2

Ingredients

  • 4 pieces of bacon
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 14.5 oz can of crushed tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon tomato paste
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano flakes
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 medium zucchinis Blade C, noodles trimmed
  • 2.5-3 cups arugula
  • ¼ cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

Instructions

  • Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and coat with cooking spray. Once heated, add in the bacon slices and cook for 2-3 minutes, flip over and cook another 3-5 minutes or until crispy. Set aside on a paper-towel lined plate.
  • Wipe down the skillet and place it back over medium-high heat. Add in the olive oil and once heated, add in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Then, add in the tomatoes and tomato paste. Season with salt and pepper and oregano and let cook for 10 minutes or until sauce is fully reduced.
  • Once reduced, add in the arugula and zucchini noodles. Cook, tossing frequently, for 2-3 minutes or until noodles wilt and cook through. Remove from heat and stir in the parmigiano-reggiano cheese. Toss noodle mixture until cheese melts and then crumble in the bacon and give another toss to combine.
  • Serve immediately.
with love, Ali

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Recipe Rating




comments

  • Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado and Tomato all the way!
  • When I read the title of this recipe, my eyes popped and I had an immediate desire to leave work and make it! (It's only 7:45am ;) ) Can't wait!
  • I"d make something with zucchini noodles, of course!
  • I would make some chicken meatballs, a spiralized salad, and some fruit salad.
  • This looks delish, definitely going to try it!
  • I am so glad that someone else figured out the BLAT sandwich (you might also like the BLOAT, which includes onion…) My favorite is the BAT, on good egg bread or sourdough. Yum.
  • This looks AMAZING but being paleo, I'd leave the cheese out! Yummy yum, I had never thought to crumble bacon over my spiralized zucchini! My fav BLT is, or used to be I should say!, on white with a thin layer of dill mayo and a thick slice of extra sharp cheddar. YUM. ...OK, maybe I can eat some cheese just this once! ;)
  • BLAT is one of my faves!!
  • I'd love to serve the plantain, avocado, corn, and chipotle sauce in one of those dishes. I added chicken and crispy wontons to the dish and left out the egg
  • Yum! Adding this to next week's menu!
  • Never added avocado to my BLTs...can't wait to try it!
  • I would love to make the spinach zucchini noodle lasagna in one of these baking dishes.
  • Will definitely make this week, but am planning to substitute the already cooked bacon you heat in the microwave to save more calories. 3 slices =80 calories
  • I would make this recipe, the Creamy BLT Zucchini Pasta!
  • I'd make some zucchini lasagna. And this new recipe. This sounds easy and wonderful.
  • Since I have a husband who is obsessed with all things bacon, I am sure he is going to love this one! Thinking about trying a baked inspiralized dish next!
  • Ali, another winner here!!! My fav BLT is the standard on toasted whole wheat and some mayo and a good crunchy dill pickle.
  • I would make zucchini lasagna!
  • I'm planning to use a spiralizer for the first time tonight... this may very well be the recipe I make! I'm excited to try this!
    • Had to follow up--made this recipe tonight (subbing out some turkey bacon for the regular bacon, as that's what I had on hand) and it was AMAZING. First try with a spiralizer is an absolute success--I may never buy pasta again! (Or at least very rarely...)
  • I would make the lemon-dill zucchini with shrimp, but any of the recipes would look and taste great in these.
  • I would make your recipe for the baked zucchini with olives and pancetta!
  • The bacon will make up for any hesitation my husband has about not using "real" noodles :) Looks amazing!
  • Wow - would these look great on my table filled with Creamy BLT Zucchini Pasta or zucchini lasagna! Such great recipes would look stunning in these dishes.
  • Amazing!
  • My husband is going to love this recipe, after all bacon makes everything taste better!
  • I love the BLAT! I always called it a California BLT, because you add avocado!
  • I would make the recipe on the blog today! Looks so yummy!
  • BLT! Nom, nom nom! I've found that I really enjoy zucchini pasta, but my favorite cut using blade A. Low the wide noodle!
  • looks delish! putting it on my short list.
    • and of course, I would serve it in my new colorful dishes!
  • Healthy BLT, I'm all about it!
  • I would make lots of tasty spiralized recipes. I probably have at least half of them pinned and waiting!
  • This looks amazing! Can't wait to try it!
  • Can't wait to try it with my abundance of zucchini.
  • If I won this gift package, I would prepare this yummy looking BLT Zucchini Pasta!
  • A chicken alfredo (light) zucchini pasta with bright English peas,mushrooms, chopped tomatoes, and bacon or panchetta would look beautiful in those dishes.
  • This one looks fabulous! I also love your two asian zoodle soups (one is ginger and the other miso).!! Thanks for all the great recipes and spiralized help.
  • My daughter and I have wanted to try my spiralizer for so long now! We keep letting other things in life take over. Tonight, is it!! We move her to college on Friday, boo-hoo! Only 90 minutes away, but still, we need to do this together, now! Yes, you have a wonderful time in your life right now! Congrats on all of it!!! Then, when you have kids, crazy fun, in a whole new way!
  • I made this tonight and it was AWESOME!! I put shrimp in it also. Everyone loved it! Thank you for the great recipes!!
  • I'd make the Kohlrabi Pasta with a nice piece of blackened fish, like I did the other night...all I could think about was "man, I can't wait to have this again!" It was my first experience with Kohlrabi and I LOVED it! The original recipe was served with steak, but I'm not a big meat eater so I subed fish...to die for! My husband bought me my spiralizer as a surprise, and he has been nothing but amazed at what we've done with it ~ we love it, and so does our company when they're lucky enough to be served something!
  • I can hardly wait to make this recipe!
  • I'd love to use those dishes to make spiralized zucchini and brown rice paper lasagna!
  • loving the look of these blt pasta! i would definitely use the dishes to display a whole range of delicious summer salads..love the bright colours.
  • can't wait to try this!
  • Just bought my slicer this weekend and then found your wonderful site. Creamy BLT Zucchini Pasta was my first recipe to try. A huge success! Very delicious! My husband was disappointed that I didn't make more :) I had lots of tomatoes from my garden, so I made my own sauce rather than using canned.
  • spinach zucchini noodle lasagna
  • Love making Ground Turkey tomato zoodles! Yummy!
  • Boy, does this look good! And I just picked two zukes out of my garden!
  • I'd make zucchini spaghetti with meatballs and a big green salad. Yum!
  • I made this tonight and it was fabulous. I am Paleo, but I used grass fed cheese so it was all good!! I used pancetta because Inhad it on hand and I added some sautéed mushrooms. Creamy and yummy ... And hubby thought so, too!
    • Try using goat cheese.... it makes it so creamy. Melts so nice . I use 3 smaller zucchini and 4 oz of goat cheese with the recipe!
  • Can't wait to try!!
  • Loved this!!!!! It was really easy, quick, and delish!!! Thank you!!!!!!!!
  • This was delicious! I made a few changes... I used fresh tomato instead of using canned tomatoes and tomato paste, and I used soft goat cheese instead of Parm... Yummy. thanks for the recipe.
  • I really love this recipe. Wanted to let you know that I featured it in my monthly round-up of 25 Deliciously Healthy Low-Carb Recipes. I hope a lot of my readers will come over here and try it!
    • I am just wondering how this has so many carbs AND be featured for low carb. Are the carb counts correct?
  • Loved this recipe! Since our garden is overflowing, I used fresh tomatoes and no tomato paste (I didn't want to open a can for 1 tsp). I just made sure to cook it long enough so it wasn't runny.The flavor is amazing and it looks pretty, too! Thank you!
    • FYI, you can buy tomato paste in a tube so you don't have to worry about waste when you only need a little.
    • You can also freeze tomato paste. Scoop 1 tbs. from can and wrap in plastic freezer wrap for future use.
  • Recipe was fabulous, I tweeked it a bit, fresh toms, and Asiago for more of a zip! Yum!
  • Just made this for lunch... OMG! So good!
  • Shoot, I accidentally bought baby kale instead of arugula. Do you think I should go buy the arugula or just use the kale?
  • Wonderful! My daughter isn't a big veggie fan and didn't think she would like it but she asked for seconds. I did tweak it slightly by using fresh tomatoes and adding about 2 TBL of heavy cream, but pretty close to the original. And I don't have a spiralizer yet - just used my julienne peeler. Really delicious - thank you! New to your site and this is a great start.
  • put a little twist on this roasted 2 cups of grape tomatoes, baked bacon in the oven. Splash of bacon drippings in sauté pan. Added sliced mushrooms, yellow peppers. Sautéed added the tomatoes with the oil. Sauté til softened added the arugula, wilted add zucchini ribbons. Sauté couple minutes. Add couple or more as u like r Whole milk ricotta cheese when melted add pesto to your taste. Sauté a few minutes. Outrageous and zucchini still crisp. Oh. Top with crispy bacon.
  • Ali - can't wait to make this tonight! I'm paleo but don't want to miss out on the creaminess of this dish. Would adding a little coconut cream (hard stuff on top of a chilled can of coconut milk) work on this recipe? Huge fan!!
  • This is from a rookie,but what is blade c, and how do you trim noodles. It never says when to add the zucchini. Thank you
  • This should be called BAT, as there isn't any lettuce in the recipe. I actually believe that omitting the arugula and adding chopped lettuce at the end would add a needed crunch texture to the dish and be in keeping with the BLT theme. Not sure why you ever decided to use arugula anyway.
    • Because it's her recipe and that's how she wanted it.
      • Amen!
  • I tried to make it a couple of time but this is not working for me. Can you give me some suggestion? I want to learn this recipe.
  • I ate many kinds of pasta before. But this CREAMY BLT ZUCCHINI PASTA is very different and unique. I will try it.
  • The recipe says serves one? Is that a typo?? I want to make this for 4 people. It doesn't seem like it would only serve one person looking at the ingredient amounts..maybe two people. I wondering if doubling the recipe would be enough for 4 people?
  • Never heard this Creamy BLT Zucchini Pasta name before. I try different type of pasta before but this is totally new for me. I will try to make as your instruction. It will be an awesome food experience for me.