This week, we decided to recreate a dish that has been high on our to-do list for some time now: zucchini noodles, or “zoodles.” As well as having an awesome name, zoodles are an excellent substitute for pasta dishes that are traditionally very high in calories and carbohydrates. Since pasta is one of our all time favorite foods, we knew we couldn’t miss out on the opportunity to find a healthier option that would (hopefully!) taste just as great. Spoiler alert: they were AMAZING. If you are interested to know how we made this delicious, insanely easy recipe, read on!
THE BASICS
TOTAL TIME: 5 MINUTES
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: EASY
OVERALL GRADE: A+
First thing’s first: time to cut our zucchini! We started out by cutting off both ends of the vegetable, creating a flat surface on either end. Zucchini is very low in fat and sodium, and a great source of protein, dietary fiber, and a variety of vitamins and minerals. It’s great for your body, and your taste buds!
TOTAL TIME: 5 MINUTES
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: EASY
OVERALL GRADE: A+
First thing’s first: time to cut our zucchini! We started out by cutting off both ends of the vegetable, creating a flat surface on either end. Zucchini is very low in fat and sodium, and a great source of protein, dietary fiber, and a variety of vitamins and minerals. It’s great for your body, and your taste buds!
To get that coveted “spaghetti” shape, we used a spiral vegetable slicer, which you can get for very cheap on Amazon, or at many health food stores! Using this technique, we were able to achieve very long, thin zoodles, that really did resemble spaghetti. We highly recommend picking up a spiral vegetable slicer, since it is so useful for many recipes. If you don’t have one, though, fear not: a standard vegetable peeler will do the trick.
Voila! Once our zoodles are made, we are ready to cook them! Prepare a large skillet by spraying with a non-stick spray, or melting some oil or butter. We used the original Earth Balance spread, a butter substitute that is dairy free, all-natural, non-GMO, etc. We highly recommend this product for anyone who is looking for a butter without all the artificial ingredients!
After melting our “butter” on the pan, we began to toss in our zoodles, stirring continuously in order to cook them evenly. For taste, we sprinkled on a few pinches of garlic salt--one of our favorites--as well as some pink himalayan salt. Pink himalayan salt is very popular in the health food world, as it is an amazing alternative to regular table salt; it contains 84 minerals, and is particularly high in iron, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, potassium, and more. Plus, it has less sodium per serving than ordinary table salt, and is also much more natural, as it has no chemical processing.
After mixing our minimal spices in with the zoodles for around 4 minutes, we are ready to serve! You know the zoodles are ready when they are slightly soft, and appear evenly cooked.
Zucchini noodles can be served in a variety of ways. Some people enjoy eating them with tomato sauce like real spaghetti, while other popular sauces include pesto, alfredo, or cream sauces. However, we wanted to know how our zoodles would taste straight out of the skillet; and, trust us, they don’t need anything other than a little seasoning! Soft and flavorful, our zoodles turned out even better than expected. Even after eating an entire dinner beforehand, we couldn’t help but finish the whole bowl. It really was that good! We will 100% be making this recipe again soon.
Let us know if you try the recipe out yourself! We hope you enjoy :)
Let us know if you try the recipe out yourself! We hope you enjoy :)