You will be surprised at how easy and fast it is to make this versatile home-made alternative to traditional noodles, using a julienne or box grater. Enjoy zoodles raw or lightly sautéd, boiled or microwaved. Our recipe pairs zucchini zoodles with pesto and shrimp but they also go well you’re your favourite marinara sauce, a drizzle of olive oil, a variety of herbs or a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
Zoodles may be enjoyed raw or can be softened by gently sautéing, boiling or microwaving them.
Enjoyed raw: Gently squeeze out excess water using paper towels or let the zoodles rest in a colander for 15-20 minutes to less excess water drip out.
- To sauté: Add 1 tsp oil or butter to a skillet and gently heat zoodles on med-high heat for approx. 5 minutes. This creates a slightly crispier texture than if boiled or microwaved.
- To boil: Add zoodles to simmering water for approximately 2 minutes. Strain and serve.
- To microwave: Microwave zoodles in a vented / covered, microwave-safe dish for approx. 2 min. Drain excess water and serve.
- In all cooking methods, watch that the zoodles don’t begin to fall apart.
Want to try making your own zoodles at home?
You could easily do it using a mandoline or with a little elbow grease and knife skills, but spiralizers make zucchini zoodles a little more fun with the curly shape and quick prep time. Kids won’t hesitate to eat those extra veggies if they’re in fun shapes and look like noodles!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
4 servings
Save Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 medium zucchini
- 1 ¼ lb (.56 kg) raw shrimp, shelled, tailed and deveined
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) butter
- Zoodles as above
- 2.5 tbsp (45 mL) prepared pesto
- 8 mini tomatoes, quartered
- 8 snap peas, cut into bite-sized pieces
Instructions
- Wash zucchini and cut off the ends. Decide if you want to keep the skin on or peel it. Keeping the skin on adds gorgeous colour to your dish and some fibre. Peeling it and boiling the zoodles can create a more traditional pasta look and mouth-feel.
- Using a julienne grater or mandaline with julienne blade, slide each zucchini along its length in smooth strokes to create the “noodles”. You can achieve the same effect by using a box grater turned over on its side. As required, gently pull apart the strands.
- You may find that when you get to the middle, the seeds prevent the strands from holding together. It is recommended that you use this part of the vegetable for another recipe.
- Melt butter in skillet on med-high heat. When the butter starts to sizzle, add the shrimp and sauté for 3-5 minutes until the shrimp are pink and opaque throughout.
- Gently stir pesto into zoodles and distribute among four plates.
- Add cooked shrimp, tomatoes and snap peas evenly to each plate.
- Enjoy immediately.
33 Comments