Eckert’s Zucchini Pasta Recipe with Bacon & Avocado

Eckert’s Zucchini Noodle Pasta with Tomatoes, Kale, Bacon and Avocado

Looking for a tasty twist on a classic dish? Our zucchini noodles recipe will hit the spot. This recipe captures the essence of fresh summer produce like no other! If you love summertime BLTs, you will adore this creative mix of classic BLT flavors that uses zucchini noodles — sometimes called “zoodles” — in place of traditional pasta.

Zoodles provide many essential nutrients that aren’t in flour-based pasta, including vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium and fiber. Zucchini noodles are also gluten-free and have few calories, meaning you can enjoy a second serving guilt-free. Veggie-based noodles are excellent for keto and other low-carb diets — but even if you aren’t counting calories and carbs, this zucchini pasta will have you coming back for more.

This recipe was inspired by a zucchini noodle recipe in our Eckert Family Summer Cookbook —but we decided to change it up a bit. As we perfected this recipe in our test kitchen, we kept tossing more things into it like fresh herbs, homegrown garlic, bacon… oh my goodness! By the end of the recipe, I couldn’t even wait to plate a serving. I just dug my fork into the bowl for a scoop full of zucchini noodles exploding with summer freshness!

How to Cook Zucchini Noodles

The biggest key is cooking the zucchini noodles correctly. If you try to cook them like ordinary pasta, they’ll come out soggy. For this recipe, you sauté them in a stovetop skillet for 1-2 minutes, tossing or stirring them frequently to prevent burning. This is all the time you need for them to become al dente — and when you leave a little bacon fat in the skillet, it gives the zoodles an even bigger burst of flavor.

During zucchini season, you can pick your own farm-grown zucchini at Eckert’s Belleville Farm. There’s no time like the present to give this recipe a try!

Eat well this summer,

Angie

Ingredients

• 2 cups Eckert’s cherry tomatoes
• 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4-5 medium Eckert’s homegrown garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 1-2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, removed from stem (1-2 tsp. dried)
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 thick-sliced bacon strips, uncooked
• 2 medium Eckert’s zucchinis, spiralized into noodles 6-7 inches long (about 3 cups lightly measured — do not pack)
• 3-4 cups very finely chopped Eckert’s kale leaves with stems removed
• 1 ripe peeled avocado, cubed
• 1 cup (3 ounces) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano® cheese


Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking pan with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, toss the tomatoes and garlic with enough olive oil to coat. Season them lightly with salt and black pepper. Toss to combine.
3. Spread the tomatoes and unpeeled garlic on the baking pan in a single layer.
4. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes or until the tomatoes collapse and their skins are slightly charred. Remove them from the oven.
5. Squeeze each garlic clove to remove the soft garlic. Discard the peel and set the cloves aside.
6. Place the bacon in a 12-inch skillet. Cook it over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes or until crispy.
7. Place the bacon on a paper towel-lined plate to drain and set aside.
8. Leave about 1-2 tablespoons of rendered bacon fat in the skillet. Discard the remaining fat.
9. Return that same skillet to the stovetop over medium heat. Add the zucchini noodles and kale.
10. Sauté, tossing frequently, for about 1-2 minutes or until the zucchini is al dente.
11. Immediately place the zucchini/kale mixture in a 4-quart salad bowl. Add the tomato/garlic mixture, crumbled bacon, cubed avocado and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Toss gently.
12. Serve immediately. Makes 4-5 servings.
13. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container.