Zoodles are the newest craze, piggybacking on the current nutritional choices of people around the world. Simply put, zoodles are long, thin strands of zucchini. They are fresh, low-carb, colorful, and incredibly inexpensive. If your goal is to get kids to eat more veggies, then zoodles are a great way to get the job done.
During the height of the growing season, every friend, neighbor, relative, and backyard gardener begins leaving gifts of ripened squash on your doorstep. Zoodles can come in mighty handy in using this beautiful bounty.
This post is sponsored by Garden Spot Vegetable Farm. Located in Princeville, Illinois, owner, Jim Buckley and his family, cultivate 34 acres of vegetables and 375 fruit trees. Garden Spot is a no-spray farm, offering a variety of CSA packages. Check their Facebook page for current programs and options for available produce.
How do you make a zoodle?
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A kitchen gadget, known as a spiralizer, can be purchased from mass marketers or large chain stores like Target or from Amazon. Prices range from $9-$40, depending on the number of attachments and whether they are hand crank or electric.
My Crofton model came with five blades and is run by manual labor (A.K.A. – one of my sons). It is seriously intuitive, easy to use, and clean up is a breeze.
Other methods of creating zoodles
If you don’t have a spiralizer (or don’t care to buy one) you can still create zoodles. There are three main options. With each, take care to cut only down to the seedy, lighter colored center of the zucchini. The middle contains more water than the more “meaty” layer which is just underneath the tougher skin.
Vegetable Peeler
You can use a vegetable peeler and carefully carve even slices along the entire length of the vegetable. Be sure to use even pressure when using the peeler. The resulting strips will resemble fettuccine.
Kitchen Grater
Alternately, using the large holes on a simple box grater will yield an approximation of the size and consistency of a zoodle. These will be thinner and, perhaps, more watery than with other methods.
Sharp knife
Finally, you can use a sharp kitchen knife and basically carve out zoodles from your zucchini. Of all the methods described, these will be the least uniform in length, size, and thickness.
What do you do with a zoodle?
Many people use zoodles are a direct substitute for pasta, topping them with pesto or red sauce. Whether you opt to heat the zucchini strips is up to you. Be aware that the minute you add any heat to them, they will begin to leach moisture. So, it’s best to heat the sauce and then add it to the vegetables at the last minute before serving. Otherwise, you wind up with a puddle of moisture on your plate or at the bottom of the serving container.
Recipes
Zucchini Noodles with Tomatoes and Corn
Your turn!
What do you do with zoodles? Do you have a favorite recipe? Please share in the comments section.
