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Read MorePaleo Pizza Noodles
http://www.MelJoulwan.com/2017/01/30/paleo-pizza-noodles/
Oh, pizza! Is there anything we paleo people love-hate as much as you?!
Legendary punk rocker Henry Rollins said, “Pizza makes me think that anything is possible.”
These zucchini noodles from my cookbook Well Fed Weeknights are topped with a quick, homemade Italian sausage, plus pepperoni, jalapeños, and olives—and they’ll make you feel like you can conquer the world. Pile them in a big bowl and daydream about all you’ll accomplish, fueled by vegetables and spices.
And about those spices! If you have a batch of my Sugar-Free Italian Sausage Seasoning and/or Pizza Seasoning on hand, this recipe goes even faster! Use the Italian Sausage Seasoning for the meats in the “Toppings” section instead of the spices listed—and the Pizza Seasoning in place of the spices in the “Sauce” section.
With an easy (and tasty) modification, this recipe becomes Whole30 friendly! See note below.
Paleo Pizza Noodles
Serves 2-4 | Total time 30-35 minutes | Tools: spiralizer, colander
Ingredients:
Noodles:
2–2 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 Applegate Farms Uncured Pork 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 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon 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
10–12 fresh basil leaves
Garnish:
extra-virgin olive oil, more basil leaves
1
Prep the noodles. Julienne the zucchini with the 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.
Cookup 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.
Whole30 Modifications
If you’re Whole30-ing, replace the pepperoni with Applegate Farms Prosciutto. It still tastes great, and you won’t blow your Whole30.
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This is fun! I make a “pizza chicken” stew with tomato sauce from my garden, peppers, onion, chicken, pepperoni, etc., but never thought to make pizza zoodles.
Its day two on the Whole 30 and I stumbled across this recipe today…in between all my design jobs.. Sometimes i just spend half the day pondering what I’m going to cook for dinner and this one just grabbed me…Wow Melissa! It surely didn’t fail to impress! I got the same satisfaction as if i had scooped up a big bowl of spag bol and this time i wasn’t even thinking about the parmesan! Super tasty, spicy and oh so flavoursome. Thanks – I’m going to share this with my sister tonight.
Happy Whole30-ing! I hope you have an awesome month! I’m really glad this recipe hit the spot 🙂
Hi, Melissa. I got your last cookbook as a Christmas present from my husband and we love it. I have already made a lot of recipes, appreciated by all of us and my toddler loves your book, too. His favorite page is the one with the picture of your cat. He likes to turn the pages of the book, until he finds the one with the cat. Of course he likes most of the recipes as well!
Question: my husband categorically refuses to eat raw eggs and healthy store bought mayo is not available here. How can I adapt the raw egg based sauces? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks
That’s so sweet! I’m glad the recipes–and Smudge–are a hit at your house!
You can use eggbeaters-type product for mayo, but that stuff isn’t really paleo-friendly. The other option is to use commercial paleo mayo like Primal Kitchen Mayo or Coconaise or Tessemae’s Mayo instead. Just substitute 1/2 cup mayo in the recipe for the [oil+lemon juice+egg] and add the listed spices and herbs. For some recipes, you’ll need to add lemon juice, lime juice, or vinegar to adjust the flavor… just play around with it. You can’t really go too far wrong.
Thanks for the reply but all the alternative that you mention are not available here. What about soaking some cashews in boiling water for 10-20 minutes and blend them for creaminess? Or is it a silly idea? I know that cooking the sauce won’t work.
I’ve never tried that cashew approach, so I have no idea. If mayo is out for you, the other alternative is to use the spices and make a vinaigrette instead… basically, make the sauce without the egg. It won’t be thick, but it will taste good. Or you can try this eggless mayo as a base: http://meljoulwan.com/2013/10/27/egg-less-homemade-mayo/
Just thought I would chime in–I buy pasteurized eggs at my local Sprouts, which takes care of any of the issues potentially caused by raw eggs (assuming that your hubby’s aversion is due to concerns about Salmonella). They work beautifully! The brand here in Sacramento is Davidson’s but there may be others . . .
Hi,. Melissa. I thought that I would update you in case someone else has the same question. Flax seed is out of question for me (it’s similar to soy , I have hormonal imbalances). I tried the ranch dressing with cashews and the gyro sauce with boiled potatoes (I saw a vegan mock cheese sauce based on potatoes and it was delicious). Both work, the cashew one is a bit gritty and the potatoes one is very creamy, almost sticky (and I used low starch potatoes). The one with potatoes is very heavy on the stomach because of the fat carb combination, but I didn’t crave any after dinner snack ?. I’m going to stop my experiments and simply using the sauces as vinaigrettes.
I have one more idea: If you’re OK with pastured dairy, you could substitute yogurt for the mayo in the creamy recipes. And if dairy is out, you could make homemade coconut milk yogurt and use that. I’ve tried the coconut milk yogurt, and it’s delicious, so that might be an option for you? http://nomnompaleo.com/post/45263391503/paleo-plans-simple-coconut-milk-yogurt
Thank you so much for this recipe. I was in a real cooking rut and this was so fresh and different. Everyone in my house liked it, too, which is always a bonus.
Hooray! I’m glad it was a hit!
I made this for dinner tonight – it was simply DELICIOUS!! I went back for seconds and had enough left over for some tomorrow at lunch!! Have been on the Whole 30 since the beginning of January. I miss pizza, and this is the perfect dish! Will definitely make this again!!!
Congratulations on Whole30ing! I’m really glad you liked this one. Hard to go wrong with pizza-flavored anything 🙂
I love the cooking tip of spiralize and sweat the zucchini noodles. How do I exactly sweat the zucchini noodles though? Thanks!
I’ve been paleo for 5 years and for some reason I took me all these years to discover your site! I’m a slow learner! It’s wonderful: so funny, authentic and delicious. I got inspired to make a list of recipes to specifically buy ingredients for… something I haven’t done in a long time, being an old pro!
This recipe is fantastic! You just nailed it.. we all kept exclaiming about how great it was. Makin’ me look good! 🙂 Thank you.. now I’ll need to buy a recipe book (or two!)
Hooray! I’m glad you found me 🙂 And I’m really glad you enjoyed this recipe. I hope you find more recipes on my site and in my cookbooks that inspire you!