Zucchini Pasta with Tomato and Mushroom Sauce

August 15, 2022 |

Zucchini Pasta with Tomato and Mushroom Sauce is a delicious light lunch or dinner. It is a quick and easy meal to prepare that is high in nutrients and loaded with flavour. It’s gluten-free, vegan, grain-free, dairy-free, and nut-free. For some, pasta might seem like a meal fit only for cozy fall and winter nights. Nights when you’ve spent your entire workday dreaming of getting home, crawling into your pajamas, and loading up on carbs. Well, this summer pasta is here to totally burst your bubble. Not only is this recipe 100% grain-free, but it is packed with seasonal summer vegetables and loads of nutrition. This is not your average carb-coma pasta, this is a dreamy, energizing summer dish that will fuel your endless summer nights!

This delicious zucchini pasta was created by one of my previous students from The Institute of Holistic Nutrition, Devina Daya. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with her on this recipe. Devina has a PhD in Clinical and Counseling Psychology from the University of Toronto and she specializes in working with those who have anxiety, depression, and OCD. This Zucchini Pasta was meant to shine as a part of a recipe collection in a cookbook that I never ended up publishing. However, I felt it needed to have its day, and this super hot summer felt like the perfect time to share it with you!

Summer Virtual Team Building Activities: Lunch and Learn & Cooking Classes

If you’re interested in learning more about The wonders of Seasonal Eating or want to dive deeper into the magical and versatile veggie that is zucchini, check out my Summer Corporate Wellness Offerings.

Summer Corporate Wellness Lunch & Learn:

During this summer’s Lunch and Learn Session, we’ll do a deep dive into the foods of summer and I’ll show your team the joy, importance, and fun of eating seasonally. Eating seasonally has tremendous health benefits. During this engaging Lunch And Learn, I will explain the benefits of seasonal eating and teach you how to eat seasonally all year round. I’ll show you what is currently in season and share yummy recipes using fresh summer produce!

Cooking Class: Sweet and Savory Zucchini

It’s zucchini season and I am here to help your team make the most of it! We’ll be making both my Chocolate Zucchini Muffins and my Sunflower Zucchini Pesto Pasta in this class.

My speedy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins are a great way to use extra zucchini and the bonus is, that they’re kid-approved! These antioxidant-rich muffins are chalked full of cocoa, walnuts, and – you guessed it, zucchini! They’re decadent enough for dessert but healthy enough for a quick breakfast! These are a staple this time of year in my house, and I can’t wait to walk you through the steps to make them!

If you’ve never heard of sunflower sauce, this is the class for you. This rich, nutty sauce is the perfect topper for light and hydrating zucchini noodles. This is the dish you make when you want something super satisfying but with a punch of nutrition. This recipe incorporates all of my favourites of summer-like herbs and garden veggies. I can’t wait to teach you how to make this refreshing summer dish (in less than 30 minutes)! Dinner will never be the same again!

Interested in bringing summer into the office with my virtual team-building activities? Feel free to email me at info@jesselanewellness.com for more details, or check out my Corporate Wellness page. See you soon!

Health benefits of zucchini

Although it doesn’t get much credit, zucchini is a highly nutritional food! Zucchini is high in antioxidants, meaning it can help to protect the body from free radicals. Free radicals can come from natural processes in the body or from outside sources like air pollution, chemicals, etc, and can be damaging to our health. Zucchinis help to reduce the effect of these free radicals and can help us stay healthy!

They’re also great sources of water and fiber which help maintain a healthy gut. They’re low in carbs which helps to regulate blood sugar levels, they contain excellent amounts of minerals like copper and manganese which help build our bones and connective tissues. Zucchinis also have a surprising amount of B vitamins to keep you energized, and Vitamin C which supports skin, connective tissue, and your immune system! This low-calorie, highly nutritional, mega hydrating, highly versatile squashes are the perfect summer food if you ask me!

Ok, now tell me the health benefits of mushrooms

Portobello mushrooms (the second star of this recipe) are highly nutritious as well! Portobello mushrooms contain magnesium, calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin K. If you’re into supplements you might know that Vitamin D and K are important to take together. Vitamin D helps with calcium transportation and helps regulate the immune system through the gut. Vitamin K helps make sure calcium gets to the bones and prevents it from building up in the arteries or other places it doesn’t belong. Magnesium also helps to maintain bone health, muscles, nerves, and supports mood! This combination of vitamins and minerals is a match made in heaven and these beefy mushrooms contain a balanced dose of all of them!

These mushrooms also contain 4g of protein per cup, as well as selenium (which is important for thyroid health), and potassium (which helps give you energy)! Top it all off with another healthy dose of fiber and water, and you’ve got yourself one powerhouse vegetable!