Pork Pho with Zucchini Noodles
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I’m ashamed to say I’d never had pho until just a few years ago. Despite growing up in an area with an abundance of Vietnamese food and having a fairly adventurous palate, I never got around to trying any until moving to a new city where Vietnamese food was basically my only gluten-free option. I’d been missing out! Pho is a delightful blend of fragrant broth, your meat of choice (in this case, pork), and noodles. Rice noodles would be more traditional, but since rice gives me a headache, I’ve subbed in a healthier alternative in this Pork Pho with Zucchini Noodles. It only takes about 30 minutes to throw together and has quickly become one of my favorite cold-weather comfort meals. You’ll have to make some adjustments to the recipe if you’re on the AIP or IC diets, but I promise the meal will still be worth the effort. Don’t forget to add salt to taste!
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Pork Pho with Zucchini Noodles
Equipment
- spiralizer
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
- 1 small onion peeled and halved, omit for IC
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 2 pods star anise omit for AIP
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds omit for AIP
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes omit for AIP or IC
- 1 inch ginger peeled and crushed
- 8 cups chicken broth check ingredients for IC
- 1 1/2 pounds pork shoulder steaks
- sea salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste, omit for AIP
- 1 large zucchini spiralized
- 2 stalks green onion sliced
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- 1 small lime quartered, omit for IC
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onion with the cut side down about 5 minutes, until it has browned around the edges. Transfer to a large saucepan.
- Add the garlic, cinnamon, anise, coriander, and red pepper flakes to the skillet and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute, then add to the saucepan with the ginger and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.
- Heat the remaining oil in the skillet. Season the pork steaks with salt and pepper to taste and cook through, 4-8 minutes per side depending on how thick the cuts are. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes before slicing thinly and dividing equally between 4 serving bowls along with the spiralized zucchini.
- Strain the broth and ladle equal parts into each of the bowls. Garnish with green onion, cilantro, and lime wedges before serving.