How much fun is this zoodles recipe? A ton of fun. Zucchini noodles are fast, delicious and wonderfully free of all things wheat and starch.
THIS ZOODLES RECIPE IS: GLUTEN FREE, PALEO, PRIMAL, VEGAN, VEGETARIAN, LOW CARB & WHEAT BELLY FRIENDLY.
FAST, FUN & FAMILY FRIENDLY ZOODLES RECIPE
We've had our spiralizer for about four years now. It is one of the most wonderful kitchen utensils that we own. Why? The answer is simple: it makes vegetables more fun. Below I have a link (this is an affiliate link, but it is where I bought mine from!) to check out this awesome piece of equipment which will breathe new life back into boring vegetables! To make the zoodles, you need to have some kind of spiralizer... this recipe just won't work without it!
So here's the deal with this zoodles recipe... there are quite a few different ways to cook zucchini noodles. You can saute them (like we are doing in this recipe), you can blanch them, you can boil them, you can braise them as well. For years, I made them raw with olive oil, salt and pepper. Making them raw is about my favorite way to do it, but it takes eight hours for the preparation and most people just are not willing to invest that kind of time!
The saute method is not only fast, but it keeps the most volume for the zoodles. When you cook the zucchini noodle, it is going to lose quite a bit of water. For two children and two adults, I need to use at least 3 medium sized zucchini to ensure that everyone gets enough. If you are planning on a dinner party with all adults, plan on 1 medium zucchini per person. Sautéing the zoodles softens them slightly and adds a bit of salt which they need. Your mouth will never know that these aren't pasta noodles!
Quick Kitchen Tip: There are a bunch of tips when it comes to making the zoodles recipe. Here they are:
- Make sure that you have a large enough pan to catch all the zucchini noodles. A bowl won't work if you are using the countertop spiralizer. The best thing is a half sheet pan.
- Get zucchini which are medium in size. Large zucchini will have too many seeds and will give you a bunch of broken, watery zoodles. Nobody wants a limp zoodle.
- If the zucchini is bent, cut it in half across the circumference and run through two separate pieces. If you try to run a bent zucchini through the machine, you will get super tiny zoodle skins.
- Because zoodles are made out of zucchini, you will have some SUPER LONG zoodles. You may want to break some of these up before cooking them. It is much easier to do while they are raw than when they are cooked.
- When cooking this zoodles recipe, it is best to use tongs. You have to keep them moving in the pan, otherwise they will lose too much liquid and become soggy.
- Make sure NOT to start cooking these until just before you absolutely need them. Why? Because they get cold quickly and will turn to mush if you make them more than 30 minutes ahead. They also do not reheat well.
Okay, so without further ado, let's get to this zoodles recipe.
Spiralizer Spiral Slicer at Amazon
So the link to the spiralizer is an affiliate link through Amazon. What this means is that I'd Rather Be a Chef will get a very small commission if you purchase the spiralizer through the link. It doesn't cost you anything additional whatsoever.
This spiralizer is the same one I used for this recipe. It is also the same one that we used at my cooking school. Also the same one that we used for my catering company. It is a workhorse that can take a lot of abuse. It comes with three different blades and suction cups to the countertop. At just under thirty bucks, this is a really cool kitchen tool to have on hand!
Zoodles Recipe
A zoodles recipe which is fun, fast and delicious. Zucchini noodles are all the rage, for good reason! Everyone loves them… Gluten Free, Paleo, Vegan, Primal, Vegetarian and Wheat Belly friendly!!
Ingredients
- 3 Medium Zucchini, washed
- Kosher Salt
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
Instructions
- Get the spiralizer out and ready to use with the noodle blade.
- Cut off the ends of the zucchini. If your zucchini are bent, please refer to the Cooking Tips in the blog post for how to get the most yield from them.
- Spiralize the zucchini, catching all the noodles in a sheet pan.
- Heat a saute pan over high heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When the oil shimmers, add in ½ of the zucchini noodles. Using tongs, cook for 2 minutes, moving around. Add in a pinch of salt. Continue to stir for 1 minute more. Remove the zoodles from the pan and set aside.
- Discard any liquid remaining in the pan. Reheat and repeat the step above.
- Top with your favorite sauce and enjoy hot!
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Amount Per Serving Calories 84
Final thoughts on the zoodles recipe:
Normally I don't post up recipes that require special equipment. In this case, I made an exception simply because the spiralizer is a really cool kitchen tool. We have so much fun with this thing, making sweet potato corkscrews and squash noodles (recipes coming up!).
At my cooking school, we made so many zoodles and always topped them with some type of marinara sauce. For this recipe, I made our Easy Marinara Sauce with pepperoni, artichoke hearts and goodness. The best part is that it can be made in under 30 minutes and it tastes like you took all day. I love recipes like that.
As always, if you have questions, thoughts or general musings... please add them in to the comments section!
[…] of gluten-free noodles (the list of reasons why is long… ask me sometime!) we put these over Zoodles in our house. A zoodle is simply a zucchini noodle. They are delicious together, which is why […]
[…] GET THE RECIPE […]
[…] are a couple resources you can check out for components to this recipe. The first is to see how to make Zoodles. In this post, I cover a bunch of tips, using the spiralizer and more. Additionally, you can […]
[…] As always, I pour this delicious sauce over zoodles (zucchini noodles). If you have never tried them before, pick up a spiralizer and give them a shot. Their brightness and wonderful flavor meld perfectly with the bolognese sauce. You’ll never know that you’re not eating real pasta- I promise! For this recipe, I added raw zoodles without doctoring them up at all. If you would like, check out my delicious zoodles recipe. […]
[…] they are. You can whip up some of my easy marinara sauce along with some really delicious zoodles and top with a mountain of meatballs. I bet that you could make a killer meatball parmesan or, if […]
[…] The very first time I made this, I served it over pasta. It’s delicious, but not gluten free. For the last several years, I’ve served it over polenta made with sauteed shallots and chicken stock. Yum. Since moving more toward paleo, we have found that this roasted pork tenderloin is fantastic over my zoodles recipe. […]
Great recipe! I was afraid to try it since I normally am not a fan of zucchini. It's great with my favorite puttanesca sauce. I'm wondering if you think that a cheese sauce might work as a mac & cheese substitute.
I have used a cheese sauce on them before and my daughter ate it up. She had several bowls!
This sounds great- I'm going to try it next time we make some. I just bought a new hand-held spiralizer that I love too- going to put it in the new post. Thanks for writing!
Hi Colleen:
For most of my life I really disliked zucchini. It's only in the last five years or so that it has become a staple in our house. I've got a bunch of fun zucchini recipes that really make it taste fantastic too- take a quick look in the search box.
I'm going to be making the zoodles in a delightful cheese sauce that we made at our catering company. So rich and foolproof too! I'll be getting to this as the weather cools off- stay tuned!
Have a great day today-
Scott
[…] Get creative Have you ever considered substituting pasta for zucchini noodles, or pizza dough for cauliflower crust? There are so many ways to get creative with your vegetables. […]
[…] you ever tried spiraled zucchini? We found a zoodle tutorial that we totally love, pair your paleo meatballs with a nutritious pasta alternative that tastes […]
[…] Try adding in some zoodles (zucchini noodles made in a spiralizer). You can find a super easy zoodles recipe that I posted up forever ago. I even put zoodles into a different homemade chicken soup […]
[…] polenta, herb spiked noodles (fresh tarragon would be delicious!), cauliflower rice or even zoodles. If you really want to be authentic, spaetzle is the way to […]
will you share the recipe for the raw version that takes 8hours?
Hi Joan:
I just shared it in a comment above.
Hope it helps.
I am grateful you stopped by and I hope you have an excellent day in the kitchen!
Scott
How do you make raw zoodles? I'm curious that you said it takes 8 hours.
Hi Aleh:
So to make the raw zoodles, go ahead and spiralize them. Place them on a tray where they are all spread out evenly. Sprinkle liberally with salt. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit. After 4 hours (if you are able to) drain off the liquid. Let sit for 4 more hours, drain again and you will notice that the zucchini is much more like a noodle than when they are just spiralized. When we were not able to drain off the liquid, I spread the spiralized zucchini out on a wire rack in the baking sheet before covering with plastic wrap. Also, the plastic wrap is completely optional- I just do it to keep everything neat and tidy.
Hope this helps. Thank you for writing and have a delightful day in the kitchen!
Scott
Thanks- this recipe is perfect! We make it all the time.
Hi Mark:
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. It is light and so tasty! My family loves it.
Take care and happy eating!
Scott