The other night I was lying in bed, halfway asleep in the crook of my husband’s arm. Sounds cozy, right? But then I was rudely awoken by a Kindle slamming into my face. I guess Eric was reading it, fell asleep, and it slipped out of his hand. On my face. Nothing like sleep-induced face injuries to keep the romance alive, right guys? So how’s your Quarantine Fourteen coming along? Or is it the Quarantine Cuarenta (40)?? It used to be called the Freshman Fifteen. But during the apocalypse? There is a reason no one can find yeast or flour at the grocery store: we’re all crying into our sourdough and chocolate chip cookies. I mentioned that I started a diet almost exactly when the quarantine started, and I’m still going strong over here (though I did take a break for ham and potatoes on Easter). These zoodles and cauliflower rice are saving me. I eat one or the other probably every day. So if you are feeling a little carb heavy lately, swap your next spaghetti night for some zoodles! They are super easy to make and low calorie. Zucchini is a a great substitute for regular pasta, because it tends to take on the flavor of whatever you put it with (kind of like spinach). I love to pair it with jarred marinara sauce for a super easy weeknight meal! Really you could pair it with any sauce you would normally put on pasta. The biggest complaint that people have with zoodles is that they get soggy and watery. And that’s no bueno. I will show you exactly how to avoid zucchini Niagara falls. But first up:
What are zoodles?
A zoodle is a zucchini that has been sliced into noodle-shape. So it’s a zucchini-noodle. A z-oodle. Get it? Adorable right? Ah, 21st century vocabulary. You should see all the red squiggly underlines every time it says “zoodle” on the draft of this post. How long before zoodle makes it into the dictionary?? Also interesting note: in Britain zucchini are called “courgettes.” What? Okay UK. (Do they call zoodles courg-oodles?) But the mandoline is pretty great. I love it because you can adjust the setting to however thick you want your zoodles to be. All of the other non-spiralizer options I have listed here make pretty thin zoodles.
mandoline handheld spiralizer potato peeler or julienne peeler box cheese grater
Thick zoodles are best because they hold their shape and don’t dissolve into a watery mess when you cook them. It is really easy to get al dente zoodles when they are thick. I like them to be about the thickness of a chopstick, or maybe a bit thinner than that. There are two ways to get zoodles using the julienne blade on your mandoline. You can push the zucchini lengthwise down the julienne blade, and this will give you long straight strips of zucchini. But my favorite way to do it is to twist the zucchini on the julienne blade, like you’re twisting a pencil in a sharpener. This results in perfectly curly and long strips of zoodle heaven. It’s fast and easy. Just make sure you don’t slice your fingers off. Mandolines are ruthless. The one I linked to up there comes with a metal glove to protect your hand, which is pretty nice.
How do you make zucchini noodles with a potato peeler?
And speaking of potato peelers, you can use one to make zoodles if you don’t have anything else. Peel the zucchini into ribbons, using as much force as possible for a thick zoodle. Then layer the ribbons on top of each other and slice into long thin strips with a knife. This is not my favorite method because I like thick zoodles, and these ones are going to turn out pretty thin, resulting in more watery zoodles if you are not careful. The Kuhn Rikon handheld one that I have is $17-20, but there are other handheld ones on the market that are cheaper, like this Veggetti one ($8) or this Oxo Grips one ($15). They all have pretty good reviews.
How to make Zoodles not watery or soggy
Zucchini are basically green, solidified water tubes that we call a vegetable. (Seriously, they are made up of about 95% water, isn’t that crazy?) The minute you bust into one, the cell walls are cut open and start releasing waterfalls of liquid. When you cook a zucchini, even more water starts to release. The solution? Saute in small batches. This way the liquid released from the zucchini has a chance to evaporate from the surface of your hot pan. If you add too many zoodles to the pan, they are all going to release their liquid all at once and instead of sauteing, they will just steam each other in the bottom of the pan. Resulting in a sad soggy mess. The other culprit is salt. Salting a zucchini releases even more water, so if you innocently sprinkle on some salt while it is cooking, the water situation is just going to get worse. The solution? Salt your zoodles after taking them off the heat, immediately before serving. I know this is backwards from what your grandma told you: normally vegetables should be salted at the beginning of the cooking process so that the salt has time to absorb, amplifying the flavor. But for zoodles and the Fight Against the Sog: avoid salting until just before serving.
How do you dry Zucchini Noodles?
Worried about ending up with soggy zoodles? Well, there is actually an extra step you can take to dry out the zucchini noodles before you cook them. First, spiralize them using whatever method you prefer. Next, spread them out onto a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Sprinkle salt over top, then let them sit for 30 minutes or so. They will release tons of water. Salt is basically the vampire here. After 30 minutes, pat the zoodles dry gently with paper towels, then proceed with cooking! Now, if you do this, keep in mind the zoodles will already be salty. Be careful not to over salt.
Can you freeze zoodles?
I mean, you can. But they won’t be as good. Remember all the water talk up there? There’s just no getting around it. When you freeze zoodles, they will be a bit sad and soggy when you cook them later. But if you want to do it, spiralize your zucchini however you like, and freeze in ziplock bags. When you are ready to make it, do not thaw. Dump it straight from the freezer bag into a skillet set over medium heat, cover, and cook for 6-8 minutes. Or dump it straight into a pot of boiling salted water and blanch for 2-5 minutes until al dente. You CAN refrigerate zoodles ahead of time, which I totally recommend. Freshly sauteed zoodles taste best, so I like to spiralize my zoodles ahead of time and store them raw in the fridge layered between paper towels to absorb any liquid released. Cook as normal when ready to eat.
TL;DR. Here’s the short version for how to get the best zoodles ever:
Later this week I will be sharing a healthy Mediterranean inspired veggie sauce to go with these zoodles. It’s the whole reason I decided to share this zoodle recipe with you! I’m obsessed! (UPDATE: here is the recipe for Greek Pasta with Chicken or Zoodles)
Make thick zoodles instead of thin ones (mandoline is my favorite tool if you don’t have a spiralizer) Saute them in small batches (1-2 zucchini’s worth at a time) Salt after cooking, just before serving
What to serve with zucchini noodles
The beauty of these zoodles is that really, anything you would put on normal pasta will work! Here are some of my favorites:
Laura’s Meatball Sub Recipe » ditch the rolls and have a nutrient dense meatballs and red sauce over zucchini noodles dinner Chicken Stroganoff Crock Pot Recipe »huge crowd pleaser, and so easy to put together Honey Sriracha Salmon Bowls » one of my favorite last minute weeknight dinners, just use these zoodles instead of rice Easy Sesame Noodles with Spring Veggies » super easy to turn this simple recipe into easy sesame zoodles with spring veggies! Homemade Gyros Recipe and Gyro Meat » put everything on top of chilled zoodles instead of in a pita, and this would make a great salad gyro
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