Baked Zucchini Pasta with Pancetta, Olives and Broccoli

Baked Zucchini Pasta with Pancetta, Olives and Broccoli

A few months ago, I “Inspiralized” a Food Network magazine recipe. Of course, Inspiralizing means...

Baked Zucchini Pasta with Pancetta, Olives and Broccoli

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!

Inspiralized Recipe

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.

Baked Zucchini Pasta with Pancetta, Olives and Broccoli

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.

Baked Zucchini Pasta with Pancetta, Olives and Broccoli

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.

Baked Zucchini Pasta with Pancetta, Olives and Broccoli

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

Inspiralized

Baked Zucchini Pasta with Pancetta, Olives and Broccoli

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 6

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.

Baked Zucchini Pasta with Pancetta, Olives and Broccoli

Baked Zucchini Pasta with Pancetta, Olives and Broccoli

with love, Ali

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comments

  • This sounds amazing!! Is there anything you can replace the cheese with to make this dairy free?
    • You can omit the cheese completely and it will still be delicious, just not as decadent! You can add 2 cups of raw cauliflower "rice" for color and thickness!
  • This sounds fabulous ... even with the replacement of the cauliflower for the cheese. And ... I gotta tell ya ... I SOOOO appreciate the nutritional information. I am one of those who still counts calories, fat and protein intake so I love it when I don't have to figure it out for myself ... or guess!! Thank you. You inspire me! *Ü*
    • Thank you for the kind comment! I'm so happy the nutritional information helps!
  • This is so amazing, beautiful really. I can;t wait to make this dish over the summer.
  • It would be really helpful if you gave zucchinni size in oz also. I live in MI and right now the zucchini is really small. So having an aprox weight would be helpful so I use enough. Thank you love your website.
    • Yes! I agree! Please let us know how many oz. a "medium" zucchini is, as in teh garden sometimes they are tiny, and sometimes they are large! Thanks, and I love your recipies!!!
  • I made this tonight. I had a ham slice, so I deleted the pancetta and served it as a side dish. I used cheddar and deleted the red pepper flakes. My husband and I thought it was excellent!!
  • Great recipe, I am going to try it tonight! I love that pan you used, where did you get it? Is it a 9X13?
  • How can you tell which is Blade A?