Got zucchini? Make zucchini noodles, also called zoodles, for a fun, low-carb, summer meal. Zoodles are a low-carb, gluten-free pasta alternative, and cook up much faster than regular pasta.
This article shows how to make zoodles using 4 different methods including how to make zoodles without a spiralizer. Sauté and toss with pesto, corn, and tomatoes for a simple dinner. Or add them to soups and salads.
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Zoodles are great any time of year, but especially in summer when we crave light food that requires little cooking. They're a great last-minute dinner and perfect for adding more veggies to your plate.
🙋♀️ What are zoodles?
Zoodles are noodles made specifically from zucchini. There are several ways to make these noodles, although a spiralizer is the most common tool, as shown below.
You can also make noodles from other vegetables. Butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and even beets are some of my favorite spiralized vegetable noodles. This Beet Noodles dish with whipped feta is amazing and gorgeous. And this Spiralized Sweet Potatoes with Apples and Dates recipe is a delicious and easy side dish for fall and winter.
❤️ Why you'll love zoodles
- Low-carb. One zucchini equals 6 carbs, making it a very low-carb vegetable.
- Gluten-free. If you follow a gluten-free diet, zoodles are a healthy choice.
- Cook fast. Zoodles cook in only a few minutes or you can eat them raw.
- Veggie-centric. Making zoodles or noodles from other vegetables is a fun way to get more veggies onto your plate.
👩🍳 How to Make Zoodles
There are at least four ways to make your own zoodles at home. And only one involves a spiralizer.
#1. How to make zoodles with a spiralizer
The most popular way to make zoodles for pasta is using a spiralizer. A spiralizer produces long curly strands that are ideal for replacing traditional spaghetti noodles. They are easy to set up and fairly easy to use, depending on what you're spiralizing.
- Set up.
- Anchor the spiralizer to a workspace so that it won't move around while you spiralize the zucchini. Many spiralizers now offer this option.
- Select the grater you want to use - I use the one with the smallest holes. Some models come with 3 graters. Others offer as many as 10.
- Insert the grater into the spiralizer.
- Place a bowl under the grater to catch the spirals of zucchini.
- Prep.
- Choose the straightest zucchini when using a spiralizer.
- Slice off the top and bottom of the zucchini. It's best if the top and bottom are cut closely parallel to each other. This makes it easier to attach the spiralizer to the zucchini firmly.
- Attach.
- Fit one end of the zucchini into the spoke of the grater (shown on the left of the pictured spiralizer), and anchor it with the prongs on the handle (shown on the right).
- Twirl.
- Turn the handle to spin the zucchini around the spoke and against the grater.
- Push the zucchini through the grater with your other hand and watch zoodles spill out the other end. Magic.
- Cut.
- The strands are long, so it's best to cut the noodles a couple of times to create shorter zoodles.
Recommended Spiralizer
Spiralizer—I've had this one for five years. Unless you think you'll be spiralizing several times a week for the next couple of years, you may not need anything more than the one I've linked here.
Be sure to get one that anchors to the countertop. It's important to keep it from moving around as you feed vegetables into the grater/blade.
Typically, all pieces of a spiralizer are dishwasher-proof.
Note: I've tried a couple of hand-held smaller spiralizers, but didn't find them effective for very much. But this was a few years ago, and they have gotten better.
#2. How to make zoodles with a vegetable peeler
This makes wide lasagna-like zoodles. Both the Y-shaped and swivel styles work great, but I find the Y-shaped ones easier for me.
Lasagna Noodle Options
Layered lasagna. For a standard lasagna that layers noodles with sauce and cheese, I recommend stacking two of the zoodles on top of each other to use as one lasagna "noodle" or overlapping them in the baking dish. These zoodles are fairly thin, and as they cook, a single thickness tends to disappear in all the sauce and cheese.
Rolled lasagna. Roll individual zoodles up with the herbed ricotta cheese filling and some sauce. These zoodles are thin enough to easily roll. Arrange them in a baking dish, cover with sauce, and top with grated cheese.
This method only has 2 easy steps.
- Prep.
- Slice the top and bottom from the zucchini.
- Peel.
- Grip the zucchini with one hand, and set the peeler at the top edge of the zucchini.
- Firmly swipe the vegetable peeler down the length of the zucchini, keeping an even pressure the entire length.
Tip: This method doesn't work as well for large zucchini, as the peeler may not be wide enough to get consistent zoodles.
Recommended Vegetable Peeler
I've used both a Y-shaped vegetable peeler and a swivel peeler design. I prefer the Y-shaped design, but both work fine.
#3. How to make zoodles with a julienne peeler
This is a fast way to make long, skinny zoodles. Add them raw to salads, tacos, and burritos. Or add them to soups in place of traditional pasta noodles.
This method can also be a substitute for spiralized zoodles in pasta dishes. It will take longer to julienne a whole zucchini versus spiralizing, but there's no set-up and storage is easy.
This method only has the same 2 steps as using a vegetable peeler.
- Prep.
- Slice the top and bottom from the zucchini.
- Peel.
- Grip the zucchini with one hand, and set the peeler at the top edge of the zucchini.
- Firmly swipe the vegetable peeler down the length of the zucchini, keeping an even pressure the entire length.
If you don't have a spiralizer and don't want to purchase one, a julienne tool is a good alternative.
Recommended Julienne Peeler
This julienne peeler is one I use for vegetables, as I prefer the Y-shaped handle. It works great on zucchini, and I also use this design when I julienne carrots for a salad.
#4. How to make zoodles with a hand-held mandolin
Using a hand-held mandolin to make flat zoodles gives you a wonderful thin noodle. Most models offer 3 different settings to vary the thickness of the zoodles. Hand mandolins, shown above, work very well and can be cleaned in the dishwasher. But this tool comes with a big safety warning as it can cause serious damage to fingers and palms if you don't use precautions.
The thinnest setting is ideal for sandwiches, and any kind of roll-up appetizer. The thicker settings are perfect for lasagna (except rolled-up lasagna where each zoodle is rolled up with the ricotta cheese and sauce).
- Set up.
- Select the thickness setting on the mandolin you want.
- Prep.
- Slice the zucchini in half lengthwise. You can skip this step if you choose to keep the zucchini whole. But it will take several swipes to get full noodles due to the irregular shapes of zucchini. Slicing the zucchini in half also makes it more stable as it travels across the blade.
- Safely position.
- Position the zucchini on the mandolin in front of the blade. Using either a plastic gripper (that comes with the mandolin) or a thick cloth, firmly grip the zucchini.
- Slide.
- Slide the zucchini smoothly over the blade. Pay close attention to where your fingers and palm are at all times, particularly as the zucchini is sliced down.
Slicing zucchini in half gives you a flat surface to run across the mandolin blade and makes the zucchini more stable on the blade.
Safety Note: Before running out to purchase a hand-held mandolin, please know that they are extremely sharp and can do serious damage to a hand that's unprotected. Here is the right way and the wrong way to use a hand-held mandolin.
Cautions on using a hand-held mandolin
In the left photo labeled "Wrong Way", the fingers are only protected by the vegetable that you're peeling. But you're not really holding it. You're actually pressing down on the top of the zucchini. And that slippery devil can slip away, placing your fingers and palm in danger of a serious cut.
In the right photo labeled "Right Way", the hand holds a gripper that has teeth. The gripper comes with every mandolin. Be sure to use it.
The drawback: the gripper doesn't allow you the ability to guide the zucchini over the blade as well as your hand. A half-way approach is to hold the zucchini with a small towel or even a wash cloth. That way, if the zucchini slips away, you have a thick, fluffy towel protecting your hand.
Recommended Mandolin
I have used a few hand held mandolins, and this mandolin is my favorite.
I hope you give these ways to make zoodles a try, as they're a wonderful alternative to regular to spaghetti (and other) traditional noodles.
📌 Tips in Cooking Zoodles
Watery, soggy zoodles is the most common problem when cooking zucchini noodles. Here are my 5 DON'Ts you should follow if you want zoodles with a little bite.
- Don't salt the zoodles as you cook them. This draws out a lot of moisture.
- Don't cover the pan while zoodles sauté. This traps the moisture.
- Don't overcrowd the pan. If you have a lot of zoodles to cook, do it in batches.
- Don't cook zoodles for longer than a couple of minutes. Once they fully relax into the pan, move them to a plate and serve. They shouldn't need to cook longer than 2 minutes. It's better to undercook zoodles than overcook them.
- Don't use too low of heat when sautéeing zoodles. Medium is best.
Now, go make some zoodles!
🍽️ Ways to use Zoodles
- Sauté with garlic, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese, and top with grilled vegetable skewers.
- Make lasagna using layers of zoodles instead of lasagna noodles.
- Add julienned zoodles to vegetable soups.
- Toss zucchini spaghetti with pesto, corn, and tomatoes.
- Add raw zoodles to a salad.
- Toss with balsamic roasted tomatoes or roasted vegetables.
- Toss with lemon, olive oil, salt, pepper, Parmesan, and a light dusting of crushed dried red pepper flakes.
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Simply Cooked Zoodles for Pasta (Recipe)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced or 1 teaspoon purchased Garlic Paste
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper, to taste
- lemon wedge
Instructions
Make Zoodles
- Set up. Anchor the spiralizer to a work space so that it won't move around while you spiralize the zucchini. Insert the grater with the smallest holes. Place a bowl at the end to catch the spirals of zucchini.
- Prep. Choose the straightest zucchini. Slice off the top and bottom of the zucchini, and trim to get the top and bottom parallel to each other. This makes it easier to get firm attachment to the spiralizer.
- Attach. Fit one end of the zucchini into the center spoke of the grater, and anchor it with the prongs on the handle (shown on the right).
- Twirl. Turn the handle to spin the zucchini around the spoke, and against the grater. As you push the zucchini through the grater with your other hand, zoodles come out the other end.
- Cut. The strands are long, so it's best to cut them a couple of times to create shorter zoodles.
How to Cook Simple Zoodles
- Flavor Foundation. Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and add the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Sauté for about 30 seconds, or until very fragrant.
- Sauté. Add the zoodles, and gently toss using tongs to coat. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes, until the zoodles begin to relax into the pan. Lightly salt and pepper, toss, and transfer to a plate.
- Serve. Serve with grated Parmesan and lemon wedges.
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