What is zucchini spaghetti? If you know what zoodles are, you know what zucchini spaghetti is. It’s a method of cutting zucchini into noodles or thin strips with a spiralizer or using a julienne peeler that’s less expensive and not electric.You can sweat them to help remove a lot of the moisture and make them more “noodle-like” and less soggy. Put the zoodles in a colander in the sink or over a plate. Sprinkle them with a pinch of salt. Let them sit for about 30 minutes to release excess water. After a half hour, gently toss and squeeze the zoodles several times to remove more water. Next put on layers of clean towels or paper towels, fold and press lightly to remove even more fluid. You’re ready to use them.
It’s time to cook the zucchini spaghetti.
Cook them in a non-stick pan with a bit of olive or coconut oil. For extra flavor, saute garlic cloves or onions in the olive oil first, then add the zoodles. Cook without a lid for approximately 15 minutes, stirring to cook evenly every few minutes. You’ll notice they start to develop that roasted veggie smell at about ten minutes and there’s no water in the pan as you cook them.
Try an alternative to zucchini noodles, like spaghetti squash.
For a different low cal, low carb treat, try some spaghetti squash. Cut it in half. It’s hard to do, so to make it easier, pierce the squash several times creating a dotted line of holes lengthwise down the squash. These are to vent the squash. Microwave for five or six minutes. Cool and cut along the lines and remove the seeds. Bake the squash or boil it for angel hair like noodles.
Add your favorite sauce.
I love just sauteing garlic in butter made from milk of grass fed cows and topping the zoodles or vegetable spaghetti, but I also make a very thin spaghetti sauce that’s super quick. You can find cheaper in season tomatoes at the local farmer’s market. Wash and cut out the core, then dry, put in a freezer bag and freeze. Simply rinse them under hot water when you’re ready to use and the skins come off easily. I don’t worry about the seeds. They really don’t affect the flavor. I saute onions, mushrooms, red pepper, salt, pepper, fresh basil and a little garlic and then add the frozen, skinless tomatoes and let it cook down for a half hour to an hour, stirring occasionally. You can add meat and make your own adjustments based on taste.
- Don’t use the soft core of the zucchini or it will definitely turn out mushy. You can cut the zucchini thicker and wider to use it for lasagna noodles
- While spaghetti squash and zucchini are favorites of mine, you can make noodles from many other veggies, such as sweet potatoes, carrots, kohlrabi, broccoli stems or turnips.
- Some people simply saute the zucchini for a few minutes without sweating it to retain the crispness of the zucchini. Others recipes use a slow cooker or boil the noodles.
- You’ll not only lower your carbs and calories and still get the delicious flavor of spaghetti, you’ll be adding important vitamins and minerals to your meal when you use veggies instead of pasta.
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