The Ultimate Guide to Zucchini Noodles
The most widely used techniques for preparing and cooking zucchini noodles are listed below. They are ranked from my favorite to least favorite by me. Make sure to watch the video that shows you how I use each device if you continue to scroll!
Lastly, I’ve included my best advice at the very end, along with some of my favorite recipes using zucchini noodles. So let’s dive in!.
How to make Zucchini Noodles
- Spiralize the zucchini: Using a handheld or countertop zoodler, or the attachment on your food processor if you have one, is a great way to make zucchini noodles at home with very little work! Because it adds extra fiber and color to the zucchini, I prefer to leave the skin on.
- To make the sauce for the zucchini noodles, fill a large saucepan with oil. Add in onion and cook for 2-3 minutes until tender. Next, add garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add in crushed tomatoes, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a light simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
- Cook the zucchini noodles in the sauce for two to three minutes, or until they become soft.
- Serve: Stir in basil and Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Serve immediately.
- While I do like my zucchini pasta just the way it is, you can make them even more delicious by adding your preferred protein. Ground turkey, sausage, chicken, or beef are all excellent options. I also love adding homemade meatballs to this!.
- To add even more vegetables to the sauce, try sautéing some finely chopped celery or carrot!
- Add a vegan touch by finishing with a grating of plant-based parmesan cheese over the zucchini pasta.
4. With the KitchenAid Spiralizer
If you own a KitchenAid stand mixer, you probably already know about all of the different attachments that are available. These attachments are expensive, but they connect to the mixer’s power hub to become automated. Indeed, KitchenAid offers a spiralizer attachment, as you might have predicted.
The Kitchenaid spiralizer comes in a nice storage box (though it’s quite large) and provides the most blade options, with 7 blades (including a peeler). But even with all these blade options I found that I still gravitated toward the 3 basic blades – the same ones which are included with the Paderno Spiralizer.
Another thing to keep in mind is that this tool has a fixed width due to its automated nature. This implies that big zucchini must be sliced in half and spiralized separately for each half.
This is a fantastic choice if you already own a KitchenAid and enjoy using attachments. However, the price by itself will most likely be the largest disincentive for everyone else.
PROS: includes a peeler, is the only automated spiralizer, and offers the most blade options.
CONS: fixed width, takes up the most storage space, and I discovered that using the Paderno Spiralizer by hand allowed me to spiralize zucchini more quickly.
