I have said it before and I will say it again…I am a self-proclaimed pasta addict. If I could, I would eat pasta every single day. However, I know that carbs and I (read my butt and thighs) don’t necessarily see eye to eye on this idea. I would likely be the size of a house if I ate pasta every day! I have to be mindful of the amount of grains I consume, I am starting to learn. Healthy, whole-grain, gluten-free or otherwise, I tend to find myself feeling more bloated and heavy when I eat a lot of carbs. I have been trying to be a bit more aware of this fact as of late. So, if I have a sandwich or a wrap for lunch, I will skip out on any starch with dinner, if I know dinner is going to be pasta, I will have a big salad for lunch!
As of late, with the insane amount of vegetables we have from our CSA, I have really been enjoying the challenge of what to do with everything. With all of the lettuce, we have been eating salads like they are going out of style but I have been trying to be a bit more creative with the other foods we have gotten. In this past Saturday’s share, we got 9 zucchini, 4 yellow squash, a huge handful of green beans, some radishes, green onions and some more lettuce. On Sunday, I decided I wanted to experiment and try using my mandoline slicer to make these delicious zucchini noodles and it worked out great! I decided to blanch them quick in boiling water, to make the noodles a bit more tender, but feel free to go totally raw, too – just sprinkle a little salt on the noodles and let them sit for a bit to drain some of the excess moisture off, squeeze off the water and serve with your favorite sauce. It would be just as delicious.
If you don’t have a mandoline slicer, you can also use a vegetable peeler to make ribbons. I do that often to add some of the raw zucchini or yellow squash to my big green salads, I love how the yellow squash adds color and texture. They also make julienne peelers, which I have never used, but would likely provide similar results to the mandoline slicer.
I was pleasantly surprised at how perfect the zucchini lent itself to being eaten as noodles. I tossed the noodles in some of the garlic scape and Swiss chard pesto that I had previously made and it was a super refreshing and simple lunch, ready in minutes! I enjoyed it so much that I made them again last night and tossed it with a little roasted garlic marinara and fresh basil from the garden. It was perfect, light and super simple.
[print_this]Zucchini Noodles
serves 2
- 1 large (or 2 medium-ish) zucchini
- 1 cup sauce of your choice
Using a mandoline slicer (vegetable peeler or julienne peeler) run the zucchini on all four sides across the mandoline slicer on the 1/8″ julienne setting, slice the zucchini until you reach the seeds in the middle and then stop (the seeds will cause the noodles to fall apart). Use your fingers to separate the strands from each other and if you wish, you can place them in between paper towels to bring out some of the excess moisture, or you can lay them in a colander or strainer and sprinkle with a little salt to do the same. I have made them both ways (with salting and without), and I didn’t notice a huge difference.
Bring a large sauce pan of salted water to a rolling boil, add the zucchini noodles and allow them to cook for just two minutes. Remove the noodles from the boiling water and add them to a serving bowl with sauce. Toss gently and serve immediately. I have also read then you can quickly cook them in a pan with a little olive oil, again just for a minute or two. I will have to try that soon.
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16 Responses
My wife is going to love this. She literally eats Zucchini daily.
Thanks for the share.
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I found your blog through the CSA newsletter and I love it! I’m definitely looking for ways to use up my crisper full of zucchini. I hope my vegetable peeler will do the trick!
Hi Jessica, thanks for the comment. So cool to hear that you found me from the CSA newsletter. Let me know how you make out with the vegetable peeler, I use it all the time to make zucchini and squash ribbons for salads, so it should be perfect. Thanks again for stopping by.
STOP! go to target and buy a Veggeti for under $20!!! changed my life. now i need a for real spiralizer!!
Hey there Melanie. This post is actually over 3 years old. I have since bought a spiralizer and I adore it!!! 😉
Thank-you for this recipe. I added roasted pumpkin, sweet potato and pine-nuts. The kids (and hubby) loved it 🙂
Dianne – yum, I LOVE your additions, that sounds amazing. I have been obsessed with these noodles lately. I cannot wait to get this week’s CSA and make more! Thanks again for stopping by.
You can also get a cute spiral slicer to make “angel hair pasta” at: http://astore.amazon.com/kwelln-20/detail/B0000DDVYE
This slicer will also make very thinly sliced veggies
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A brilliant idea! I’ve seen zucchini noodles before but haven’t tried making them. This dish looks delicious and has inspired my next trip to the market (I’ll be in search of zucchini!). Thanks for sharing and great blog too!
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I love your site, Beth! Thanks for the recipe inspiration…I will be making this with basil pesto, roma tomatoes & a sprinkle of goat cheese!
I myself am a graphic designer & yoga enthusiast, this was meant to be!
Great Mizzy!! I hope you enjoy it, I have been wanting to make some zucchini noodles all week. Hopefully they will have some good ones at the market tonight!
Glad you found me. Thanks for your nice words. xo
tHIS LOOKS WONDERFUL I WILL MAKE IT OVER THE WEEKEND WHEN WE GO TO FARMERS MARKET TO GET THE VEGGIES. MADE THE CHOC ZUC MUFFINS SO GOOD THANKS FOR ALL
I love the idea, but have made the zoodles before and felt like they still tasted… “squashy”… I am not an omnivore (so sorry! don’t hit me); but have definitely tried to be on the NO Carb Kick because it is simply better for my body type/diet. I did this with regular pasta sauce and meatballs and didn’t pre-cook the zuchinni so it didn’t absorb the pasta sauce well (I guess I may have answered my own question..) Which is, “how can I make the zuchinni more tasty so that I want to eat it straight out of the pot” Any ideas or variations are welcome…(I promise I am not of those double dipping cooks that taste with the same spoon when cooking… IJS) ;o) (although I DO tend to do that when I am cooking for one… 8o)