I don’t know if it’s because I grew up eating pasta [every Sunday], but I’m not much of a fan.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s some great [gluten-free] pasta dishes, but it’s not my go-to.

We’ve had this mandoline for a while, maybe it was a wedding gift? Either way, we finally pulled it out and thought we’d experiment with a bundle of zucchini we picked up at Trader Joes. Some ended up as zucchini chips, which my husband then attempted to fry. Not bad, minus the oil splatters everywhere. After a while we had about four difference textures, shapes and sizes of zucchini. Man, just think what else you could make,  shred, slice and dice. I’m excited and yes, I’m a nerd. Food nerd?

A week later and we’re still eating this zucchini pasta dish. He’ll add chicken, while I continue my obsession with chickpeas. We’ll either use roasted tomatoes, made into a sauce or open up a jar of marinara sauce. The great thing is you can be creative, as the “noodles” are adaptable.

This dish is also great for leftovers, my husband [correct, my husband] packs this for his lunch. I’ve eaten it cold.  Standing in the kitchen. Possibly out of the bowl…

For all you parents, this might be a way to get your kids to eat their veggies… maybe? maybe not? It’s good. really good + it’s healthy and gluten-free!

{Created/Photographed by With Style and Grace}

Chickpea Zucchini “Pasta” with marinara sauce

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Ingredients

• 4-5 medium zucchini, stringed via a mandoline
• 1 14oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups marinara sauce, fresh or jarred
• fresh basil
• salt + pepper, to taste
• red pepper [chili] flakes

Optional

• add or replace beans with shredded chicken
• sun-dried tomatoes
• parmesan cheese

Directions

We use a mandoline slicer to string the zucchini. If you don’t have a mandoline, you’re going to need a really sharp knife and a lot of patience.

On medium heat, add zucchini noodles to your non-stick pan; season with salt + pepper. Stir occasionally until noodles become soft – able to twirl on a fork. Add marinara sauce and chickpeas. Remove from heat, add fresh basil and depending on your heat tolerance, sprinkle with red pepper flakes for a little spice.

Serve warm and enjoy!

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