Zucchini Noodles?

WeepingAngel81

I was wondering if anyone ever made noodles out of zucchini? I heard someone talking about this a while back and I can't remember who! I know you use a julienne peeler, but can't remember the process. If you've made these before can you help me out Thanks!

dacspace

I don't make them but I know that the Peace Love and Low Carb blog talks about using this gadget to make noodles.

http://www.amazon.com/GEFU-13460-Spirelli-Spiral-Cutter/

Once you have cut them, either with julienne peeler or spiral cutter, then you can saute or place in microwave for a few minutes. To julienne I assume you just run the peeler down the length of the zucchini.

Personally, I just thin slice and saute along with yellow squash and onion for a base for my "spaghetti" sauce.

WeepingAngel81

Awesome! Thanks for the link. I wonder how they taste compaered to a spaghetti noodle.

GabyBaby916

I make them all the time as a replacement for traditional pasta and love it. They take all of about 5 minutes to prep (peel, slice, and warm up). They don't really taste like anything (to me), so whatever sauce you use it what you'll taste.

I julienne the zucchini (using a julienne peeler) for spaghetti shaped zoodles and a regular veggie peeler for flat fettucini shaped zoodles. Sometimes I peel them, sometimes not, depending on the dish.

WeepingAngel81

Thanks Gaby! About how much would you say 1 zucchini makes? I have myself and 2 kids to feed and wanting to try this out.

GabyBaby916

Depending on the size of the zucchini, I'd say one per person (and maybe throw in a couple more in case someone wants seconds). One 7-inch zucchini that's about 1.5in across will yield about a cup or so of julienned zoodles.

When you compare nutrition info, in equal portions of pasta vs. zoodles, there's roughly:
Calories: 200 spaghetti noodles vs. 28 in zoodles
Carbs: 39g in spaghetti noodles vs. 3g in zoodles
Protein: 6g in spaghetti vs. 0.5g in zoodles

Its a great way to add veggies and slim down your caloric intake.

Edited to add:
I also use them as lasagna noodles. Simply slice the zucchini in 1/4in thick slices and use as you would lasagna noodles in your layers. My family actually prefers the zucchini lasagna over the traditional pasta lasagna.

GabyBaby916

Also, the following is the amazon link for the julienne peeler I use. I like this one because its solidly made and sharp as heck. Its currently around $16 on amazon, though you can find others for less.
You can buy spiralizers, but this is a lot less bulky to store and it only takes a minute or two per zucchini to slice them up.

http://www.amazon.com/Kuhn-Rikon-Julienne-Protector-Stainless/dp/B0000CEWJD/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380746086&sr=8-1&keywords=julienne+peeler

WeepingAngel81

That is a huge difference in nutrition! Thanks for the links and all the information. I think I am going to try this out this weekend

GabyBaby916

I definitely dont feel as guilty about going back for a second helping with this particular swap!

Dragonwolf

I personally prefer spaghetti squash for spaghetti, but zucchini works great for lasagna. I picked up a basic mandolin to slice the zukes. It takes 4 or so for a 9x13 pan of lasagna, depending on how big they are.

Just slice them up and dry them some. Zukes hold a lot of water, so it helps to salt them and put them between paper towels for a while to help soak some of the water up. Then, layer them like you would with regular noodles and cook it like normal.

Spaghetti squash is really easy, too. Just cut the squash into halves or quarters, clean out the pulp (you can save the seeds and toast them like pumpkin seeds, they taste like popcorn if you add some butter and salt), then steam, boil, or bake it until the meat is tender (I prefer steaming them). Finally, take a fork and scrape out the meat into a bowl (it will come out stringy) and add some butter and your favorite spaghetti sauce.

Keiras_Mom

I got the Gefu Spirelli a few weeks ago and LOVE it. I've been making zoodles pretty often. The spirelli is small enough to fit in my silverware drawer, which is why I chose it over the countertop models. So far I've made the zoodles with light alfredo sauce and with marinara and parmesan. I liked them both, but the alfredo was really, really good.