Paleo Pizza Noodles

These Paleo Pizza Noodles are a fun, healthy recipe from Well Fed Weeknights: Complete Paleo Meals in 45 Minutes or Less by Melissa Joulwan. This fresh dish offers a meaty topping and quick wholesome tomato sauce atop a bed of zucchini noodles. And it’s just one of the fulfilling dairy-free, gluten-free dinners in this hefty cookbook.

Well Fed Weeknights has a satisfying feel with big pages, heavy paper stock, and rich photography for many of the recipes. If you don’t have a little arsenal of small appliances, like a food processor and spiralizer, then many of the dishes won’t be as speedy as billed. And for a methodical cook like myself, the prep work would take me longer than Melissa, even with electronic kitchen helpers. That said, the recipes are innovative, and they are a little bit involved because they’re truly from scratch. Ample spices, herbs and vegetables are used to create a wide range of healthy, flavorful meals, like the following:

• Moroccan Steak Salad
• Picadillo with Plantains
• Schnitzel Meatballs
• Moo Shu Stir Fry
• Chicken Caesar Salad
• Chicken Satay Burgers
• Comfort Rice & Comfort Noodles
• English Breakfast
• Deconstructed Sushi Bowl
• Mediterranean Tuna Cakes

Plus, there are many recipes within recipes in Well Fed Weeknights. You’ll find sauces, dressings, salads, sides, meat entrees and more broken out so that you can mix and match for other quick meals once mastered. You can see an example of what I mean with the Paleo Pizza Noodles sample recipe below.

And unlike many “paleo” cookbooks, Well Fed Weeknights recognizes that the paleo diet is dairy-free. Okay, I did spot a couple places where she snuck ghee (dairy butter oil) in, but that’s easy to work around.

Special Diet Notes: Paleo Pizza Noodles

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, paleo, and Whole30 friendly.

Paleo Pizza Noodles

 

Print

Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

Legendary punk rocker Henry Rollins said, “Pizza makes me think that anything is possible.” These zucchini noodles—topped with a quick, homemade Italian sausage, plus pepperoni, jalapeños, and olives—will make you feel like you can conquer the world. Pile it in a big bowl and daydream about all you’ll accomplish, fueled by vegetables and spices.

Author: Melissa Joulwan

Serves: 2-4 servings

Ingredients

Zucchini Noodles

• 2 to 2 1⁄2 pounds zucchini
• 1 tablespoon salt

Toppings

• 3⁄4 pound ground beef
• 3⁄4 pound ground pork
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 3⁄4 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1⁄4 teaspoon coarse (granulated) garlic powder
• 1⁄4 teaspoon paprika
• 1⁄4 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1⁄8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 (4-ounce) package uncured pepperoni
• 1⁄2 cup pitted black olives
• a few pickled jalapeño slices

Sauce

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 (28-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 1⁄2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1⁄2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1⁄8 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄8 teaspoon coarse (granulated) garlic powder
• 1⁄8 teaspoon onion powder
• Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 large eggs
• 10 to 12 fresh basil leaves
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for garnish

Instructions

1. Prep the noodles. Julienne the zucchini with a spiralizer. Place the noodles in a colander and toss them with the salt until the strands are lightly coated. Set the colander in the sink to drain while you prep the other ingredients.
2. Cook the meat toppings. Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble the pork and beef into the skillet and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon. While it cooks, combine the salt, parsley, Italian herbs, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, fennel seeds, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. When the meat begins to lose its pinkness, add the seasonings and mix to combine. Cut the pepperoni slices in half. When the meat is browned and sizzling, add the pepperoni and stir-fry until slightly crisp. Transfer the meats to a large bowl.
3. Make the sauce. In the same pan you used for the meat, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. While it heats, peel and crush the garlic. Add the garlic to the pan, and when it’s fragrant, after about 30 seconds, pour in the tomatoes. In a small bowl, mix together the oregano, basil, parsley, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and red pepper flakes; stir with a fork and add the spices to the pan. Stir to combine, bring the sauce to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low. Beat the eggs in a small bowl, add a spoonful of the tomato sauce to the eggs and stir to combine, then slowly pour the egg mixture into the tomato sauce, stirring constantly to combine. The sauce should thicken slightly and get silky. Keep the heat on a very low simmer.
4. Cook the noodles. Heat a second large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Rinse the zucchini noodles under running water, drain, and squeeze dry in a clean dish towel. Add the noodles to the heated pan and stir-fry, 2–3 minutes until hot. Add the meat, olives, and jalapeño slices; toss to combine. Use a ladle to add tomato sauce to the noodles, stirring to combine after each addition so it doesn’t get soupy. Add the fresh basil and stir.
5. To serve, divide the noodles among flat bowls, then sprinkle each with crushed red pepper flakes and a drizzle of olive oil.

Notes

Make-Ahead Tips - Spiralize and sweat the zucchini noodles. Precook the ground meat with the spices and pepperoni. Make the sauce. Store everything separately in airtight containers in the fridge. When it’s time to eat, heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, and stir-fry the whole shebang.

Recipe reprinted with permissions from Well Fed Weeknights: Complete Paleo Meals in 45 Minutes or Less by Melissa Joulwan.

3.5.3226