These zucchini noodles with bacon, Brussels sprouts, and hazelnuts give you the satisfaction of a loaded pasta skillet without grain. The bacon turns crisp, the sprouts brown in the rendered fat, and the zucchini goes into the pan only long enough to get hot. Lemon and Pecorino sharpen the rich skillet, while chopped prepared hazelnuts add the last bit of crunch.
The recipe itself takes about 30 minutes. The hazelnuts are the make-ahead part. Once they are soaked and dried, the rest happens in one skillet. Keep the zucchini dry and the final toss quick, and you get distinct noodles instead of a watery pile of softened squash.
GAPS stage: Full GAPS, after the prepared hazelnuts and chosen Pecorino Romano are tolerated.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 to 6 servings.
Most weekdays I cook in the morning before second shift, and right now I do not have a big bulk-prep day. I feel that missing prep every weekday. This kind of dinner still works because the only long job happens earlier: soak and dry a batch of hazelnuts, then keep them ready for meals like this. The actual skillet can be finished without turning the whole day into a cooking project.
There are two fat routes, and they produce two different dinners. Salt-only bacon gives you crisp pieces and enough rendered fat for browning the sprouts. Homemade stovetop ghee makes the bacon-free version. Keep the measured 3 tablespoons of ghee instead of guessing at the amount, and do not describe that variation as having bacon flavor.
Prepare the Hazelnuts Ahead
Start with raw hazelnuts that have not been commercially roasted, salted, coated, or flavored. For a larger prepared batch, combine 4 cups raw hazelnuts with warm water to cover by at least 2 inches and 1 tablespoon good sea salt. Cover the bowl with a plate or clean linen towel and soak for 18 hours.
Drain the nuts, then spread them in one layer on a stainless-steel sheet pan. Dry them in the oven at its lowest setting for 12 to 24 hours, or use a dehydrator on its lowest setting. They are ready when the centers are completely dry and the nuts snap or crunch cleanly instead of bending or feeling soft. Cool them before storing. Measure and chop 1/4 cup for this skillet.
Ingredients
- 5 large zucchini, spiralized into noodles or shredded on a box grater
- 1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
- 6 pieces additive-free uncured bacon made with salt only, chopped; or 3 tablespoons homemade ghee for the bacon-free version
- 3 cups Brussels sprouts, sliced thin
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon pure single-ingredient red pepper flakes
- 1 cup shredded Pecorino Romano, raw or properly cultured and additive-free; omit for dairy-free
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup prepared hazelnuts, chopped
A spiralizer makes long, even noodles, but a box grater is the ordinary tool that works when you do not have one. Grated zucchini will look shorter and cook a little faster because the pieces are thinner. Either way, salt and drain it before it reaches the skillet.
Read the complete bacon label. This recipe needs bacon made with salt only, without sugar, nitrates, curing chemicals, starches, flavorings, or other additives. For the cheese route, use a Pecorino Romano that fits your current dairy progression. Leaving it out makes the plate dairy-free; it does not require another replacement ingredient.
Method
- Salt the zucchini. Put the zucchini noodles in a stainless-steel colander and toss them with 1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt. Let them rest while you cook the bacon and Brussels sprouts. The zucchini will begin releasing water.
- Crisp the bacon. Put the chopped salt-only bacon in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until the fat has rendered and the pieces are crisp at the edges. Lift the bacon out with a slotted spoon and leave the fat in the pan. For the bacon-free route, melt 3 tablespoons homemade ghee in the empty skillet instead.
- Brown the Brussels sprouts. Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the thinly sliced sprouts and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the cut edges are golden brown while the centers still look green.
- Dry the zucchini. Spread a clean linen towel on the counter. Tip the rested zucchini onto it and pat gently with another clean section of the towel. The noodles should feel flexible and damp, not wet enough to drip when lifted.
- Cook the aromatics. Push the browned sprouts toward the sides of the skillet, leaving a clear well in the center. Add the minced garlic and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Cook for about 45 seconds, just until the garlic smells fragrant, then stir them into the sprouts.
- Finish quickly. Add the dried zucchini noodles, shredded Pecorino Romano, reserved bacon, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Toss only until everything is hot and the cheese has melted into the vegetables. Remove the skillet from the heat before the zucchini collapses. Divide among bowls and finish with the 1/4 cup chopped prepared hazelnuts.
The zucchini rest and towel step do most of the work. You should see moisture collect below the colander. After drying, the noodles bend without leaving a puddle on the towel. If they are still dripping, blot again before they go into the skillet.
Watch the pan during the final toss. The cheese should cling in fine melted strands, and the noodles should still hold their spiral or grated shape. If liquid starts pooling at the bottom, take the skillet off the heat immediately. More cooking will make zucchini release more water, not less.
What to Look For
The finished skillet should show clear contrast: pale green zucchini noodles, browned sprout edges, crisp bacon pieces, melted Pecorino, red pepper flecks, and chopped hazelnuts that are still dry and crunchy. The lemon should brighten the aroma without leaving visible juice in the pan.
Take a bite before adding anything else. The sprouts should be tender at the cut edge with some bite left in the center. The zucchini should be hot but not mushy. The bacon supplies salt and smoke only when you use that branch, so taste before adding extra salt.
Full GAPS Notes
This recipe belongs on Full GAPS after nuts are tolerated. Hazelnuts need their own preparation before they are chopped into the skillet. Start with raw nuts, soak them in salted water, then dry them gently until crisp. Commercial roasted or coated nuts are not the same ingredient.
The bacon exception is narrow. Use uncured bacon whose only curing ingredient is salt. Ordinary commercial bacon with sugar, nitrates, starch, smoke flavor, or seasoning blends does not become suitable because the recipe uses only six pieces. When a matching bacon is unavailable, the 3-tablespoon ghee variation is the complete measured alternative.
Pecorino Romano is optional and comes after your dairy introduction. Choose a raw or properly cultured additive-free cheese. Omit the full cup when you need the dairy-free version; the bacon or ghee, lemon, garlic, and prepared hazelnuts still give the skillet plenty of flavor.
Storage and Serving
Serve this skillet as soon as the cheese melts and the hazelnuts are added. That is when the bacon is crisp, the nuts crunch, and the zucchini still behaves like noodles. It makes 4 to 6 servings, depending on whether it is the full meal or part of a larger dinner.
Cool leftovers promptly and refrigerate them covered. Plan to use them the next day for the best texture. Reheat gently in a skillet only until hot. I would not plan this as a freezer meal because thawed zucchini releases more water and the nuts lose the crunch that finishes the dish.
If you want to work ahead, prepare and chop the hazelnuts, slice the sprouts, and spiralize the zucchini. Keep the zucchini dry and unsalted in the refrigerator, then salt it only when you begin cooking. Once salt is on the noodles, the water-release process has started.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Use a Box Grater Instead of a Spiralizer?
Yes. Use the large holes and grate the zucchini into long strokes. The pieces will be shorter than spirals, so keep the final toss especially brief.
Why Salt the Zucchini First?
The salt draws water out before the zucchini reaches the hot pan. Resting and blotting the noodles keeps that water out of the finished skillet.
Can I Make It Without Bacon?
Yes. Omit all 6 pieces of bacon and melt 3 tablespoons homemade ghee in the skillet. Brown the Brussels sprouts in the ghee and continue with the same method.
Can I Make It Dairy-Free?
Yes. Omit the 1 cup Pecorino Romano. Keep the lemon juice, garlic, bacon or ghee, and prepared hazelnuts as measured.
Can I Use Store-Bought Roasted Hazelnuts?
Use raw hazelnuts and prepare them at home. Store-bought roasted, salted, coated, or flavored hazelnuts do not document the soaking and gentle drying used here.
Why Is My Skillet Watery?
The zucchini probably carried too much moisture into the pan or stayed over the heat too long. Let the salted noodles drain, blot them thoroughly, and stop cooking as soon as the cheese melts and everything is hot.
Related Recipes
Brussels Sprouts with Lemon and Hazelnuts keeps the same sprout, lemon, and prepared-hazelnut combination without zucchini noodles. Chicken Parmesan with Zucchini Noodles shows another complete Full GAPS dinner built around zucchini noodles.
If the advance preparation is what decides whether a 30-minute dinner actually happens in your house, the Weekly Kitchen Rhythm Planner is the most relevant WFLI tool for assigning those small jobs before a weekday gets away from you.
Recommended Equipment
Use a spiralizer or the large holes of a box grater, a stainless-steel colander, two clean linen towels, a slotted spoon, and a large skillet. An enameled cast-iron Le Creuset Signature Skillet in Artichaut works for the bacon and Brussels sprouts, as does an uncoated stainless-steel skillet. Keep the complete pan base on the burner and turn its handle inward where it cannot be bumped.
Zucchini Noodles with Bacon, Brussels Sprouts and Hazelnuts
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Salt the zucchini. Put the zucchini noodles in a stainless-steel colander and toss them with 1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt. Let them rest while you cook the bacon and Brussels sprouts so the zucchini begins releasing water.
- Crisp the bacon. Put the chopped salt-only bacon in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until the fat has rendered and the pieces are crisp at the edges. Lift the bacon out with a slotted spoon and leave the fat in the pan. For the bacon-free route, melt 3 tablespoons homemade ghee in the empty skillet instead.
- Brown the Brussels sprouts. Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the thinly sliced sprouts and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the cut edges are golden brown while the centers still look green.
- Dry the zucchini. Spread a clean linen towel on the counter. Tip the rested zucchini onto it and pat gently with another clean section of the towel. The noodles should feel flexible and damp, not wet enough to drip when lifted.
- Cook the aromatics. Push the browned sprouts toward the sides of the skillet, leaving a clear well in the center. Add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for about 45 seconds, just until the garlic smells fragrant, then stir them into the sprouts.
- Finish quickly. Add the dried zucchini noodles, Pecorino Romano, reserved bacon and lemon juice. Toss only until everything is hot and the cheese has melted into the vegetables. Remove the skillet from the heat before the zucchini collapses.
- Serve. Divide among bowls and finish with the chopped prepared hazelnuts.
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