ZUCCHINI NOODLES (Pasta Substitute)
Bridgetthegre
Posts: 85 Member
Not much of a recipe here - but ZUCCHINI NOODLES! We can't do pasta because of blood sugar. I was a little dubious, but I initially tried a stir fry recipe that used them - and yeah. NOODLES! I made a bolognese sauce this evening....used the zucchini....SPAGHETTI. If I'd have had pasta the night before I might feel different, but they are definitely workable.
I know you can buy a spiralizer, but all you really need to do is take your vegetable peeler. Peel the zucchini. Use the vegetable peeler to peel off noodle strips of zucchini. Toss the raw zucchini with your finished sauce just until the zucchini is warmed up - and it works waaaay better than you could ever imagine. The texture is close enough and the zucchini taste doesn't stand out if you have a strongly flavored sauce.
If you can't have pasta, are trying low carb, or are want to add more veggies - give it a try. I've read plenty of odd things that people claim are delicious (kale chips are NOT AT ALL like potato chips - seriously I'd rather have NOTHING)- but unlike spaghetti squash which tastes exactly like squash with sauce dumped on top, this actually works.
I know you can buy a spiralizer, but all you really need to do is take your vegetable peeler. Peel the zucchini. Use the vegetable peeler to peel off noodle strips of zucchini. Toss the raw zucchini with your finished sauce just until the zucchini is warmed up - and it works waaaay better than you could ever imagine. The texture is close enough and the zucchini taste doesn't stand out if you have a strongly flavored sauce.
If you can't have pasta, are trying low carb, or are want to add more veggies - give it a try. I've read plenty of odd things that people claim are delicious (kale chips are NOT AT ALL like potato chips - seriously I'd rather have NOTHING)- but unlike spaghetti squash which tastes exactly like squash with sauce dumped on top, this actually works.
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Replies
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I've wanted to try them for a while just haven't gotten around to it. So you don't have to cook them? just warm them up?0
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No. Just cook the sauce, and throw the sliced zucchini noodles in with the hot sauce. Stir it around just until the zucchini is warm.
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What if i just want to eat some buttered/salted zucchini noodles? Is that something in the realm of feasibility?0
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That I don't know. I've had them twice, both times with a heavily spiced sauce on top. The zucchini blends in to the sauce and picks up the flavor, and while the texture is slightly crunchier, the noodles are thin enough that the texture is pasta-like. I'm not sure about the butter/salt thing - but it could be worth a try. Garlic might help, but then again, I think garlic helps almost everything.
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Love zucchini noodles. I bout a spiralizer for $3.50 on ebay and figured if they were terrible it wasn't a huge loss. I like them a lot! I've had them with olive oil and garlic and also tried them with a tomato based cream sauce. Both were very good.
You can either eat them raw or cooked. I cooked mine (in a frying pan) with some oil for about two or three minutes.0 -
I have to admit I was suspicious about the zucchini noodle idea, but I'm willing to try all kinds of things just about once. I was surprised at how well they actually sub for pasta. Which is good - because I love pasta and haven't had it for months!0
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I want to try them in a cold pasta salad next. I think they would be very good with a lemon vinaigrette dressing.0
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love them. i got a spiralizer, too, and it's so worth it. mine has a bunch of attachments, too. (i rationalized that it's multi-use tool so i could buy it lol) i really like tossing them with a splash of tamari and adding chopped nuts, fresh veggies, and herbs. maybe chicken or salmon.
here is a nice salad recipe:
http://www.sugarfreemom.com/recipes/mason-jar-zucchini-pasta-salad-with-avocado-spinach-dressing/
i also make noodles out of yams and cucumbers. i think both of those are good w/ a soy peanut kind of sauce. tons of fresh veggies and herbs are always good, too. ginger. ill take it.
oh and kale chips. omg i LOVE them. sooo good. i make them myself and season them w/ cajun spices. they are definitely not potato chips or hold any resemblance, but they can be really nice.0 -
Yall should try sweet potato or parsnip noodles. So great! You can 'rice' the sweet potato noodles by just cutting them up into rice sized bits with sheers. I like to rice sweet potatoes for low carb mexican dishes!0
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love them. i got a spiralizer, too, and it's so worth it. mine has a bunch of attachments, too. (i rationalized that it's multi-use tool so i could buy it lol)
here is a nice salad recipe:
http://www.sugarfreemom.com/recipes/mason-jar-zucchini-pasta-salad-with-avocado-spinach-dressing/
That looks like something good to take for lunch at work. Thanks!
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love them. i got a spiralizer, too, and it's so worth it. mine has a bunch of attachments, too. (i rationalized that it's multi-use tool so i could buy it lol) i really like tossing them with a splash of tamari and adding chopped nuts, fresh veggies, and herbs. maybe chicken or salmon.
here is a nice salad recipe:
http://www.sugarfreemom.com/recipes/mason-jar-zucchini-pasta-salad-with-avocado-spinach-dressing/
i also make noodles out of yams and cucumbers. i think both of those are good w/ a soy peanut kind of sauce. tons of fresh veggies and herbs are always good, too. ginger. ill take it.
oh and kale chips. omg i LOVE them. sooo good. i make them myself and season them w/ cajun spices. they are definitely not potato chips or hold any resemblance, but they can be really nice.
I've never thought of trying cucumbers. But I like the peanut sauce idea and will have to try this soon. The salad recipe looks great...I need to try that avocado dressing.0 -
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All spiralized veg recipes!0
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DuckReconMajor wrote: »I've wanted to try them for a while just haven't gotten around to it. So you don't have to cook them? just warm them up?
I actually cook mine first because I like the texture more. I have a spiralizer and then cook them in a pan until they're softened, sometimes with a clove of garlic and a teensy touch of olive oil. It helps get some of the water out as well. I use mine with tomato based sauces and the difference is minimal - all you can really taste is the sauce. But it adds a nice bulk and it feels like you're eating heaps!0 -
I like to sauté veggies, then add them in with a wedge or two of spreadable cheese (like laughing cow).
This cheesy bowl is only 130 calories and its filling!
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Thank you for posting this! I've been wanting to try this for a while now, but not being a huge zucchini person, I was skeptical. I'll have to give it a try now!
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I use zucchini noodles to moderate my pasta consumption. Half zucchini and half pasta, lets me have either a bigger serving or a lower cal serving, depending on what my day looks like.0
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Queenmunchy wrote: »I like to sauté veggies, then add them in with a wedge or two of spreadable cheese (like laughing cow).
This cheesy bowl is only 130 calories and its filling!
That looks delicious!
I don't necessarily consider them a replacement for pasta, but I do think it's a fun way to add veggies to things. I don't have an official noodle maker, so I use my food processor, but they end up really short. Oh well. Laziness wins...0 -
oh_happy_day wrote: »DuckReconMajor wrote: »I've wanted to try them for a while just haven't gotten around to it. So you don't have to cook them? just warm them up?
I actually cook mine first because I like the texture more. I have a spiralizer and then cook them in a pan until they're softened, sometimes with a clove of garlic and a teensy touch of olive oil. It helps get some of the water out as well. I use mine with tomato based sauces and the difference is minimal - all you can really taste is the sauce. But it adds a nice bulk and it feels like you're eating heaps!
I find the biggest difference is the ability to absorb sauce. I just put less in my sauce and make it an "Italian Stew" and eat it with a spoon.0 -
Definitely an easy way to eat veggies. Check out that link for Inspiralized because her recipes are ridiculously good. She uses all different vegetables in her meals - and that's the way I like to eat. Mainly veg with some protein and huge portions.
You can just use a vegetable peeler to make them too I did that until 3 years ago and I use mine 3-4 times per week so the $30 was worth it. I've also bought 4 as gifts along with the Inspiralized cookbook.
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Mine seem to turn out either too crunchy (if I don't cook them and only mix them with sauce), or too soggy if I microwave them. Has anyone discovered a perfect cooking time? I love the idea of putting a "laughing cow" sauce over them--I never thought of that! We don't eat a lot of dairy, but that might be worth it!0
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Queenmunchy wrote: »I like to sauté veggies, then add them in with a wedge or two of spreadable cheese (like laughing cow).
This cheesy bowl is only 130 calories and its filling!
Really wishing I had some laughing cow in my fridge right now.0 -
Nice! I've seen them before at the store, but was hesitant about getting one thinking I wouldn't like it. I'm really thinking about getting one now.0
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i use my vegetti its cheap and you can get it anywhere really easy to use
i love 'zoodles' especially with lots of garlic,black olives , tomato sauce and mushrooms mmmmm nice to eat a massive bowl of it with some bread on the side0 -
Queenmunchy wrote: »I like to sauté veggies, then add them in with a wedge or two of spreadable cheese (like laughing cow).
This cheesy bowl is only 130 calories and its filling!
I wouldn't use this as a pasta replacement, because....pasta! BUT this looks fantastic!0 -
DuckReconMajor wrote: »What if i just want to eat some buttered/salted zucchini noodles? Is that something in the realm of feasibility?
yea just saute them in your butter/oil and spices for 1-2 minutes might need a little longer depending on how thick they are
comes out really good for me0 -
If you have no laughing cow, cream cheese also works!0
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Thank you! I've been eating them for provably 5 years regularly and that includes other veggies "noodled." I just like the presentation and how it makes it look like a different meal, even though you could take all of the ingredients and chop them to make a stew. The veggie noodles are what's up! I also use my noodler to make curly fries!Liftng4Lis wrote: »Queenmunchy wrote: »I like to sauté veggies, then add them in with a wedge or two of spreadable cheese (like laughing cow).
This cheesy bowl is only 130 calories and its filling!
I wouldn't use this as a pasta replacement, because....pasta! BUT this looks fantastic!
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I've had zucchini noodles using my Vegetti, but I've tried to use it for potatoes and the potatoes just get stuck. Is the spiralizer the same thing as a vegetti? I think potato noodles would be fun, but so far the only thing I've successfully made into noodles is zucchini. Carrots don't work either.0
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