RECIPE: Healthy & Easy Zucchini Pasta with Haloumi

*This post originally appeared on Trefiel's blog here - thank you so much for asking me to be a guest writer! 

Anyone else find it hard to get your daily dose of greens? Even your weekly dose of greens? If you’re nodding along, this super easy, delicious veggie full recipe is just for you.

I love a big bowl of pasta as much as the next person, but while that carb-loaded dish is delicious, the difference that eating healthy can make to your skin is pretty awesome. So when I’m craving carbonara but know that my skin and body would benefit from some vegetables, these super quick zucchini noodles are a lifesaver. It’s fresh, zesty and incredibly easy, so consider your mid-week dinner sorted! Plus, a little helping of haloumi adds a tasty touch that fulfils my salt craving, without overdoing it.

You will need:

Zucchini Noodles

1x small zucchini 

1x handful of washed baby spinach 

Half a cup of frozen peas 

60g salt-reduced haloumi (sliced into eight pieces) 

Dressing

Juice from half a lemon 

1x tablespoon olive oil 

Salt & pepper to taste

Method:

1. To make the dressing, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix with a spoon until the ingredients blend together.

2. Now for the fun part - creating the noodles! With a sharp knife, chop off the two ends of the zucchini and then slice into two even halves across the middle. With a vegetable spiralizer, insert one of your zucchini pieces and twist the spiralizer until the zucchini is all gone. Repeat for the second half of the zucchini.

How pretty do they look! Zucchini noodles are not only healthier than pasta, but they also have their own taste that really adds to the dish. If you don’t have a spiralizer (you can get them from most kitchenware stores), you can always use a vegetable peeler to create zucchini ribbons instead.

3. Heat some olive oil in a pan over a medium heat. Once hot, add in the haloumi and flip them over after around 2 minutes (or until golden brown). When both sides are crunchy and golden, they’re ready! Pop them on a plate for now.

4. Heat up the pan once again over the lowest heat setting and add the frozen peas and zucchini noodles. Lightly stir for two minutes, then add the dressing, gently tossing it through. Add in the baby spinach and once it starts to wilt, you’re done!

5. Arrange in a bowl and top with the haloumi. Yum!

What's your go-to weeknight dinner dish? Let me know in the comments below!