How to make the best Zucchini ​Noodles

Recently, I have started experimenting with my veggies. Baking sautéing, boiling, in a soup, in a burger patty. You name it, I have most likely tried it. And to be honest with you, the results have been super pleasing! Even my family liked it! Which, if you know them, is quite a feat. Today I am sharing one of my personal favs… zucchini noodles! Aka zoodles (which is, by the way, one of the best food names in the world).

I know this idea isn’t super original. I am SURE at least 100 other blogs have a very similar recipe. But, what can I say, my version is to die for! And it is perfect for a beginner chef because it can be made WITHOUT A SPIRALIZER. I am so in love!

The biggest difference between my recipe and others is my noodle shape. As a teenager, a very tiny portion of my money is put towards vegetable cutting devices, if any. So, I decided to make do with what I already have in the kitchen. Which means I somehow had to figure out how to make noodles with a knife, vegetable peeler, or cheese shredder. I figured I had the best odds with a vegetable peeler. The results were surprisingly really great! After peeling I was left with thin and delicate zucchini noodles. So delicious! And it honestly wasn’t that difficult to make.

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The process is fairly simple:

• Cut both ends off of each zucchini.
• Begin peeling the zucchini as if you are just peeling the skin of it. But, rather than stopping when you hit the “meat”/white part of the veggie, keep peeling.
• Stop peeling when you hit or are about to hit the seed core.
• Complete the steps above on each side of the zucchini so that you are left with a long rectangular prism.
• If you would like, you can chuck the core or you can keep peeling through the seeds. I recommend the latter so that no food goes to waste! The seeds taste the exact same, they are just more difficult to peel through.
• You are all done making noodles! Woo hoo! That wasn’t even that difficult.

Extra tip: when at the grocery store, try to find very smooth and straight zucchinis. This will make the noodle peeling process much easier.

This dish has two parts to it. If you haven’t figured out the first one yet, I’ll let you in on a little secret. It’s the zucchini noodles! Big shocker right? The second half is the sauce. Let me tell you! It is so important to get a good sauce. The noodles are yummy but they aren’t magical. My very favorite is the Member’s Mark pasta sauce – CLICK HERE to find it at a location close to you. I have tried at least 10 other sauces. I have tried making my own sauce (oh boy was that a fail whoopsies :). Nothing is better than this bad boy!

Wow, who knew I had so much to say about veggie noodles? At this point I have shared all my secrets and its time to start cooking!

Zucchini Noodles w/ Tomato Pasta Sauce

Author: Ana Smith Prep Time: 40 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Total time: 70 minutes (plus 30 minutes cooling time) Yields 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 5 zucchini
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 tblsp. olive or coconut oil
• pinch of salt*
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• sprinkle of Cayan pepper (optional) 
• parmesan cheese (optional but very recommended)

Directions:

1. Peel the zucchini (as shown above) and very finely chop the garlic.
2. Heat the oil in a large pan and add in the zucchini. Cook on medium to high heat for about 5 minutes.
3. Then add the garlic, salt, Italian seasoning, and Cayan pepper, and mix so that the seasoning covers all the noodles.
4. Continue sauteing until the zucchini is softened (about 10 minutes). Then add the pasta sauce.
5. Lastly, top the dish with some cheese and enjoy your yummy dish!

Did you make this recipe? If you did I would love to hear what you thought! Tag me on Instagram and leave a comment below letting me know!

Love, Ana😘