A few months ago, I “Inspiralized” a Food Network magazine recipe. Of course, Inspiralizing means to transform a regular dish into one using spiralized vegetables.
Inspiralizing should be in the dictionary, right?
It was such a shocking comparison, that I’ve decided to do it again. This time, with a recipe from Food & Wine magazine.
Sadly, I don’t remember which issue this recipe came from – but, the recipe is “Baked Rigatoni with Broccoli, Green Olives and Pancetta.” I took one look at it and I immediately thought… I want!
Unfortunately, there’s no original nutritional information to compare this time. However, judging by the fact that I’ve done the following…
- Reduced the amount of extra-virgin olive oil by 1 tablespoon
- Eliminated 2 tablespoons of butter
- Eliminated 1 pound of rigatoni
- Reduced the amount of ricotta cheese by 1 cup
- Reduced the amount of parmigiano-Reggiano cheese by 1/4 cup
- Added 3 large zucchinis
… I’d say that that’s a total savings of 2,177 calories and 319 carbs and 70 grams of fat (or 362 calories and 53 carbs and 11.6 grams of fat/serving).
Wow. 2,177 calories. 319 carbs. 70 grams of fat.
Will you ever make the original recipe? I mean, it looks absolutely amazing (who doesn’t love rigatoni and butter?!)… but there’s no reason to! This version of Food & Wine’s beautiful recipe tastes like a guilty pasta casserole. But it’s not.
Lu had this for leftovers and didn’t love the olives, but I dig the olives – it gives the casserole a needed saltiness, on account of the substitutions made. He left about 4 extra olives at the bottom of his bowl, but ate the entire giant portion in about 3 minutes.
This yummy casserole tastes like a fancy lasagna and is perfect for impressing a crowd or staying in on a Friday night and treating yourself.
Just like with my zucchini lasagna recipe, you’ll need to pour out some of the excess moisture at the end. If you’re storing for leftovers, make sure you pour out that additional moisture before saving, so the noodles don’t get soggy.
Thanks to Food & Wine for inspiring this recipe today…. but, I like my Inspiralized version better. Well, I’m a little biased….
What’s your favorite recipe to Inspiralize?
Nutritional Information & Recipe
Baked Zucchini Pasta with Pancetta, Olives and Broccoli
Ingredients
- 1-1.5 pounds plum tomatoes halved lengthwise
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- 2 thyme sprigs
- ½ cup torn basil leaves + 1 basil sprig
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1-1.5 lb broccoli cut into small florets
- 4 oz finely diced pancetta
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 large red onion finely chopped
- 1 cup pitted green olives
- 2 large zucchinis Blade A, noodles trimmed
- 1 cup fresh ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and coat a 9 x 13 baking dish and fill with zucchini noodles. Set aside.
- 2. On a baking tray, toss the tomatoes, garlic, thyme and basil sprigs with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 17-20 minutes, until softened and browned slightly. Set aside to cook once done.
- 3. While the tomatoes are roasting, place the broccoli in another baking sheet and lightly spray with olive oil cooking spray and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes or until crisp-tender. Leave the oven on and set broccoli aside.
- 4. Once the tomatoes are done, place a large skillet over medium heat and add in the other tablespoon of olive oil. Once the oil heats, add in the pancetta and onion and cook for 5 minutes or until pancetta browns and onions soften.
- 5. While the pancetta is cooking, roughly chop the tomatoes and garlic, reserving all juices.
- 6. Once the pancetta and onions are done, add in the olives, chopped tomatoes (with juices and garlic) and stir to combine. Set aside in a large mixing bowl with the torn basil, cooked broccoli, pancetta mixture, ricotta cheese and half of the parmigiano-reggiano cheese. Season with salt and pepper, toss to combine thoroughly and then transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish with the zucchini noodles. Toss to combine so that all noodles are coated with the mixture.
- 7. Sprinkle the remaining parmigiano-reggiano cheese on top and bake for 15-20 minutes, until browned on top.
comments