Healthy Pad Thai with Zucchini Noodles for the win! Filled with ginger, garlicky, peanut buttery goodness. This will easily become your new favorite go-to week night meal!
This post was originally published in December 2017. I’ve updated the photos and improved the recipe instructions!
Oh hey, Summer squash season! So glad you’re officially here! I used to hate squash, y’all. Seriously, when I worked at produce stand and squash abounded – my idea of eating it was in a casserole with cheese + crushed ritz crackers. #southern
But now – of course, I love it!! I love how versatile and delicious it is. Speaking of, there are actually TWO types of squash in this recipe. Delicious yellow squash and zucchini noodles!
Let me talk about zucchini noodles for a second. Getting a spiralizer for our wedding a few years ago was one of our FAVORITE gifts. I honestly can say that I don’t miss pasta at all when I eat the zoodles. They are a crunchy, yet flavorful vehicle that carries the delicious sauce. It ties all together. Plus I don’t feel guilty about eating it because IT’S A VEGETABLE. (I really try not to feel guilty when I eat actual real pasta, but you know – sometimes carb guilt is a real thing.) PLUS! You can still twirl zoodles around on your fork!
This Healthier Pad Thai is filled with so much goodness. Lots of vegetables! Squash, carrots, green onions, fresh garlic and ginger..the list goes on! It’s loaded with protein packed chicken breast and the very best homemade peanut sauce! It’s spicy, tangy, creamy, smooth and DELICIOUS.
Ingredients You Need for Healthy Pad Thai with Zucchini Noodles:
- chicken breast
- green bell pepper
- yellow squash
- carrot
- zucchini, spiralized into zoodles
- fresh garlic and ginger
- any “natural oily” peanut butter
- juice of one lime
- low sodium soy sauce (or liquid aminos)
- sriracha
- green onions, peanuts red pepper flakes (for garnish)
How to Make Healthy Pad Thai with Zucchini Noodles:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a baking dish, add in the chicken breast and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and dash or two of soy sauce and then drizzle with olive oil. Get those hands dirty and rub in the seasonings! Place in the oven and bake for 30 or so minutes.
While the chicken is baking, slice and dice all of the veggies! Slice the yellow squash into half moon shapes, mince your fresh ginger and garlic, dice your green onions and thinly slice your green bell pepper. Set the veg aside.
Slice the tops and bottoms off of your zucchini. Slice them in half. Using a spiralizer, make “zoodles”. Set these aside as well.
Lastly, make that mouthwateringly good peanut sauce! In a medium bowl, combine the peanut butter, soy sauce, garlic powder, ground ginger, sriracha, juice of one lime and red pepper flakes for extra spice. Mix until smooth, creamy and combined. If needed, add a little bit of water but the oil from the peanut butter should be good enough. Set the sauce aside.
In a large pan, add a drizzle of olive oil and place on medium heat. Next, add in the carrots, bell pepper, and yellow squash. Add a generous amount of salt and pepper and cook them for about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the fresh garlic and ginger as well and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
Next, lower the heat of the pan slightly and add in the zucchini noodles and a pinch of salt as well as HALF of the peanut sauce. Mix well to combine the sauce with the veggies and cook the zucchini noodles for about 2-3 minutes. You don’t want them to get mushy and soggy – you want them to be cooked but still retain a yummy texture. Put on simmer.
By now, your chicken should be done! Remove from the oven, shred it in the pan and add in the other half of the peanut sauce and combine. Add the saucy chicken directly to the pan with the other veggies. Mix together and eat while it’s hot! Garnish with green onions, red pepper flakes and crushed peanuts!
This is the perfect healthier alternative to that sodium filled take-out that your body wants but not what it needs. Enjoy this delicious bowl of yum on your couch binging your fave show. (Lately, Benjamin and I have been loving this show from PBS called A Chef’s Life. It’s about a chef in Eastern NC and it’s amazing. Highly recommend!)
Enjoy, my friends!
Did you like this recipe? Here are a few others you might enjoy:
Chipotle Chicken Soba Noodles with Fried Halloumi
Cuban Chicken and Black Bean Rice Bowls
Thank you so much for following along here, friends! Want to see more? Be sure to follow ourbalancedbowl on Instagram and tag me with your photo if you end up making a recipe! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the Our Balanced Bowl Facebook page! Like a recipe that you saw? Follow me on Pinterest here! I always love to see your re-creations! If you do make a recipe, it would make my whole day if you were to rate and comment so I can get your feedback! Lots of love! – Haylie
Disclaimer: Nuttzo gifted me a jar of their peanut butter to re-create this recipe with. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Healthy Pad Thai with Zucchini Noodles
A lightened up twist on a classic pad thai dish made with lots of green vegetables and superfood spices!
Ingredients
- 3 medium zucchini, made into zoodles
- 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 large carrot, thinly diced
- 1 medium yellow squash, diced into half moon shapes
- 1 lb chicken breast
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger, minced
- dash of olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- diced green onions, crushed peanuts red pepper flakes for garnish
Peanut Sauce
- 1/3 cup peanut butter (using a natural more oily kind is the best for this recipe)
- 3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce (can use liquid aminos if vegan)
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- juice of 1 lime
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp sriracha
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400.
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Place chicken breast in an oven safe baking dish and season with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and a couple dashes of the soy sauce.
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Bake chicken for 30 minutes or until done.
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While your chicken is baking, slice and dice your veggies! Thinly slice your green peppers, dice your green onions, mince the garlic and ginger, thinly dice your carrots and slice your squash into half moon circles. Set this aside.
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Chop the tops and bottoms off of three medium size zucchini. Cut them in half (make sure it's an even cut to help you in the process of spiralizing them!)
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Place them in your spiralizer and make some zoodles! Set these aside.
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Begin making the sauce. Combine the peanut butter, low sodium soy sauce, garlic powder, ground ginger, juice of one lime, sriracha and red pepper flakes. Mix until smooth. If needed, add a little bit of water but the oil from the peanut butter should be enough. Set sauce aside.
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When about 10 minutes is left on the chicken, In a large pan, add olive oil and let it get hot. To this, add in your carrots, squash, and green bell pepper. Add a generous amount of salt and pepper. Cook this on medium heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the fresh garlic and ginger as well and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
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Lower the heat slightly and then add in your zuchinni noodles and HALF of the peanut sauce mixture. Mix very well and cook the zucchini noodles only for an additional 2-3 minutes. You want the noodles to cook but retain a crunch. Once this is done, turn the heat down to simmer.
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Remove the chicken from the oven and shred it. Add the OTHER half of the peanut sauce to the chicken and mix in well. Add the chicken directly into the pan with the veggies and zoodles and mix until well combined.
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Serve hot and garnish with green onions, peanuts and extra red pepper flakes!
Ingredients we need for healthy pad Thai with zucchini noodles are hard to find in certain areas. But I am sure I will find the necessary components!
Aren’t wedding gifts like that the best?! I have a couple that I use over and over again, like some basic bowls for mixing. They’re definitely in a high usage situation on our kitchen. I’m all over this dish, Haylie! There’s no going wrong with zoodles and anything with pb sauce, if you ask me. And because there are zoodles, I don’t mind eating an extra serving…or two 😉 I’d generously sprinkle mine with chili flakes ’cause I love those 🙂 Have a fab weekend ahead, my friend!
I used to hate squash too, Haylie. Of all kinds! I love it now – especially zucchini. We grow a ton of zucchini in the summer, so I’ll definitely be trying this beautiful recipe out when I have an abundance! I LOVE Thai food!!
I saw this on BuzzFeed and they are RIGHT. It’s amazing.
https://www.buzzfeed.com/hannahloewentheil/wholesome-january-recipes
Thank you so much, Ben 🙂