By Post-birthday February, which in football means winter conditioning is in full swing and spring practice is six weeks away. I'm in the facility at six, I'm home for dinner, I'm back on the computer at nine reviewing what we did the next day. This is the rhythm of the offseason and I've been running it for fifteen years and it suits me. I'm not a person who does well without structure. The structure is a feature, not a limitation.
Sofia ran a third 5K on Saturday — another neighborhood race — and came in at twenty-five minutes and fifty seconds, which is another improvement. She keeps getting faster without any structured training, which means she has a base level of natural ability that structured training will amplify significantly. I haven't said this to her yet. When she's ready to know it, she'll ask. She'll ask in the precise, considered way she asks everything, and I'll tell her the precise, considered answer. Until then, we run together on Saturdays and I keep my coaching instincts quiet, which is sometimes the hardest form of coaching.
Made calabacitas on Sunday for the first time in a while — it's not really a winter vegetable but I had a good zucchini from the store and the frozen green chile is holding and sometimes you need summer food in February just to remind yourself that summer exists. The twins ate every bit of it, which is unusual because Marco normally investigates the zucchini with suspicion before deciding it's acceptable. Tonight he ate without investigation. Elena said it was "good as always." She's five and she uses the phrase "as always" to mean "consistently up to standard." I find this extraordinarily charming.
The calabacitas moment Sunday was what pushed me toward keeping zucchini in the rotation even through winter — if Marco is going to eat zucchini without the investigative phase, I want a second recipe in the arsenal that earns the same result. Zucchini noodles with arrabiata chickpea sauce does exactly that: it’s got enough heat and savory weight from the sauce that the zucchini becomes the vehicle rather than the point of contention, and the chickpeas give it the kind of substance that satisfies after a long facility day. Elena would probably call it “good as always” after the second time.
Zucchini Noodles with Arrabiata Chickpea Sauce
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 medium zucchini, spiralized or peeled into noodles
- 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (adjust to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for zucchini
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
- Grated Parmesan or pecorino for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Salt the zucchini. Place spiralized zucchini in a colander, toss with a pinch of salt, and let sit 5–10 minutes. Pat dry thoroughly with paper towels to reduce excess moisture.
- Build the arrabiata base. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, for 1–2 minutes until fragrant but not browned.
- Add tomatoes and chickpeas. Pour in crushed tomatoes, then add chickpeas, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine and simmer over medium-low heat for 12–15 minutes until the sauce thickens and the chickpeas have absorbed some of the flavor.
- Warm the zucchini noodles. Push the sauce to the side of the skillet and add the zucchini noodles directly to the pan. Toss everything together over medium heat for 2–3 minutes — just enough to warm through without turning the noodles soggy.
- Finish and serve. Remove from heat, scatter torn basil over the top, and serve immediately with grated Parmesan if desired.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 230 | Protein: 10g | Fat: 8g | Carbs: 31g | Fiber: 8g | Sodium: 420mg