This easy zucchini noodles recipe (or zoodles recipe, if you wish) is fresh, vibrant, and colorful. It's made with fresh garden veggies and herbs, for guilt-free enjoyment. Toss in cubed grilled boneless skinless chicken thighs for added protein, or leave the chicken out for a vegetarian option! Then try this pattypan squash recipe!
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This zoodles recipe is perfect for those who are on a low-carb or gluten-free diet. Substituting pasta with zucchini also makes this dish a lower-calorie option. To make it vegetarian-friendly, simply omit the chicken and add more vegetables.
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This recipe is quick, easy, and delicious.
- It's low-carb, gluten-free, and can be vegetarian-friendly by not including chicken.
- There's a crazy amount of flavor in every bite!
🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Zucchini: Two medium zucchini.
- Tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes.
- Onions/Chives/Garlic: Green onions, chives, and a few cloves of garlic. Red onion can be substituted for the green onion.
- Serrano Pepper: One medium serrano pepper (optional). Or substitute 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes.
- Seasoning: Sea salt and black pepper.
- Cheese: Feta cheese or Parmesan cheese.
- Fresh Herbs: I added basil, Italian parsley, and mint, but cilantro would be a great addition as well!
- Oil/Vinegar/Lemon Juice: Olive oil (or avocado oil), balsamic vinegar, and fresh lemon juice & zest.
🔪 Helpful Tools
To make zoodles, I recommend using a vegetable spiralizer. With it, you can create beautiful, long curly noodles. After trying a few different models, I settled on this one. Using a handheld spiralizer like this Veggetti model is another option.
🍝 How to Make Zucchini Noodles
Prepare Dressing
Step 1: Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, and zest to a small mixing bowl. Season with salt and black pepper. Whisk to combine, then set aside.
Prep Veggies
Step 2: In a larger bowl, mix cherry tomatoes, scallions, chives, fresh herbs, crushed garlic, crumbled feta cheese, and cubed chicken.
Spiralize & Cook Zucchini Noodles
Step 3: Slice the ends off of each zucchini, then slice them in half to fit the spiralizer. Attach the spaghetti blade to spiralize zucchini noodles. Sauté in a large skillet with 1 teaspoon of olive oil for 2 minutes, making sure all the noodles come in contact with the bottom of the pan.
Optional Step: After spiralizing noodles, toss with a little salt and drain on paper towels for 10 minutes. This pulls out excess water. Pat dry before cooking.
Mix & Enjoy!
Step 4: Add noodles over a colander to drain any rendered liquid, cut extra-long noodles so they're more manageable to eat, then add to the bowl of veggies. Drizzle with dressing and toss with a pair of tongs to combine the ingredients. Serve immediately!
🥫 Other Ways to Enjoy Zoodles
Zoodles are versatile and can be enjoyed in a variety of ways. This recipe can also be enjoyed cold, like a salad, by not cooking the spiralized noodles.
Noodles can also be enjoyed with roasted tomato sauce, Instant Pot spaghetti sauce, or your favorite sauce!
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
Nope. A julienne peeler, mandoline, or regular veggie peeler (for wide ribbons) will work just fine.
Zucchini noodles don't taste like pasta; they taste like...zucchini! However, their neutral flavor means they take on the taste of whatever sauce or seasoning you use.
Sautéing zucchini noodles will give you better results than boiling them, which will make them soggy. Instead, sauté in a hot skillet for 1 to 2 minutes.
Freezing zoodles is not recommended; they'll become mushy when thawed.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- Don't overcook the zucchini noodles; no one likes mushy, soggy noodles. Instead, go for al dente.
- For crisp, salad-style zoodles, don't cook at all! Just toss them raw with the other ingredients.
- A wide, hot pan gives moisture room to evaporate quickly instead of steaming the noodles.
- This dish is best enjoyed fresh. I don't recommend storing it longer than 1 day in an airtight container in the fridge.
🍅 More Zucchini Recipes
If you enjoy this zucchini noodles recipe, check out these related recipes.
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Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, and zest to a small mixing bowl. Season with salt and black pepper. Whisk to combine, then set aside.
- In a larger bowl, mix cherry tomatoes, scallions, chives, fresh herbs, crushed garlic, crumbled feta cheese, and cubed chicken.
- Slice the ends off of each zucchini, then slice them in half to fit spiralizer. Attach spaghetti blade to spiralize zucchini noodles. Sauté in a large skillet with 1 teaspoon of olive oil for 2 minutes, making sure all the noodles come in contact with the bottom of the pan.
- Add noodles over a colander to drain any rendered liquid, cut extra-long noodles so they're more manageable to eat, then add to the bowl of veggies. Drizzle with dressing and toss with a pair of tongs to combine the ingredients. Serve immediately!
Nutrition
Notes
- Don't overcook the zucchini noodles, no one likes mushy, soggy noodles. Instead, go for al dente.
- After spiralizing noodles, toss with a little salt and drain on paper towels for 10 minutes. This pulls out excess water. Pat dry before cooking.
- For crisp, salad-style zoodles, don't cook at all! Just toss them raw with the other ingredients.
- A wide, hot pan gives moisture room to evaporate quickly instead of steaming the noodles.
- This dish is best enjoyed fresh. I don't recomment storing it longer than 1 day in an airtight container in the fridge.
Kim says
This salad is perfect for a side ish or a meal. It's so tasty and refreshing. We had some chicken with ours but a nice piece of salmon would be a perfect protein also.
Hilda Sterner says
Yes, my hubby loves it with salmon and he also likes it with ham, but I'll take chicken every time!
Hilda Sterner says
We hope you enjoy this recipe!