The tastiest way to eat your vegetables: spiralized zucchini recipes!
In Utah, zucchini grows effortlessly. Known as courgette to some, it’s a delicious green veggie found in the squash family. Some of our neighbors won’t plant the squash at all because you really have to be diligent about picking them when they are the perfect size. If you fail to check on your zucchini plant daily, you may come out to find your 6 inch petite zucchini, became the size of a baseball bat! This used to be frustrating for me until I bought a spiralizer! Last summer was the first summer I owned a good one (and by good, I mean one that wasn’t going to slice my fingers off). And because I loved the new spiralizer so much, I made zucchini noodles just about daily!
What is a spiralizer?
A spiralizer is a kitchen gadget that can slice your veggies into long strands, like noodles. Because of the shape and often the texture, many people (like us) love to use the veggies in place of noodles made from wheat flour. You can find these gadgets for as little as $10, but when I had this type of spiralizer, I never used it! It was clumsy, hard to clean, and difficult to hold.
The first spiralizer I owned. Very clunky and hard to use.
The second spiralizer I had was an OXO brand, that suctioned to the counter, and fed the veggies through with a crank on the side. It was so easy to use, that I literally used it every day. You connect the pieces, secure your zucchini to the appliance, and crank the wheel. The kids love to do this, and unlike the cheap one, I’m not worried about them slicing their fingers off. It’s still very sharp, but this one allows you to keep your fingers out of the way. Plus, the OXO one came with three attachments. Two different sizes of noodles (spaghetti and fettuccine size) and then a slicer to make ribbons!
The one I own now and love looks like this one!
What foods can be spiralized?
Any vegetable that can hold it’s shape when cut would be a good candidate for the spiralizer. Our favorite vegetable to spiralize is the zucchini. The most common veggies that make for a perfect little vegetable noodle are:
- Carrots- These are difficult to feed through the spiralizer unless your carrots are quite large.
- Sweet Potatoes We’ve made several recipes with sweet potatoes,and they hold up very well! (sweet potato sausage soup)
- Beets We’ve only tried one thing with the Beets, FRIES! (curly fries)
- and of course squash like zucchini.
Tips for perfect spiralized zucchini
The biggest mistake I made when I first started cooking zucchini noodles, was boiling them like I would pasta! Zucchini has a lot of water already, and boiling them was unnecessary and made the noodles soggy. You only need a few minutes in a skillet or sautee pan to soften and cook the noodles, and then you can add whatever toppings is in your recipe. Of course, follow the recipes as written, but if one of the recipes you are trying includes boiling, you might want to try it my way first.
- Spiralize zucchini into a bowl.
- Separate out the amount to cook for that meal, and put the rest in an airtight container in the fridge. You can save extra zoodles for 3-5 days, and then you won’t have to dig out the spiralizer again.
- Salt the zucchini over a mesh strainer, to draw out the moisture.
- Pat the zucchini dry with paper towels.
- Lightly spray a skillet with non-stick spray or a small amount of butter.
- Add the zucchini.
- Saute for 3-5 minute, or until the zucchini softens and gets warm throughout.
The best spiralized recipes for zucchini
I tried the find the cheesiest, most kid friendly recipes, and I was so excited by what I found! I can’t wait to start cooking them all.
- Zucchini Ricotta meatballs These cheese little meatballs!
- Zoodle Mac & Cheese Mac and cheese, but without the wheat noodles
- Parmesan Zucchini Fries Delicious and crispy french fries made with zucchini
- Zucchini Pesto Pizza! So simple, top pizza with zucchini noodles!
- One Pot Taco Zucchini SkilletA typical taco dish and flavors, but with zoodles.
- Zucchini Lasagna CasseroleIt’s lasagna! What kid wouldn’t love this?
- Cheesy Baked Zucchini Noodle Casserole A cheesy casserole kids are going to love
- Zucchini pasta with creamy avocado sauceI found lots of recipes for creamy avocado pesto, because it’s really that good. (healthy fats are a must!)
- Zucchini and tomatoesTomatoes are the perfect summer pairing
- Stir Fry ZucchiniWe already love stir-fry, so this one just makes sense!
- Zucchini and summer squash casserole
- Garlic Parmesan Zucchini A little parmesan and garlic really brings out the flavors here
- Chicken noodle soupChicken noodle soup for those stormy nights! /li>
- Zucchini noodles with spinach pestoA spinach pesto by one of our favorite dietitians
- Ramen zucchini noodle Since my kids love ramen, I wanted this one in our round up!
- Coconut milk and sun dried tomatoesMmm. The sun ried tomatoes and coconut milk go so well with these noodles.
- Spiralized egg nests Adding eggs to these nests are so cute, and delicious.
- Z’paghetti Bolognese (Zucchini Noodles with Meat Sauce) This one is your typical spaghetti, but with zucchini noodles
- Zucchini Pad Thai If your family loves pad thai, give this one a try.
- Spiralized zucchini and breakfast sausage skilletA breakfast option with sausage for protein.
- Lemon Parmesan Chicken A little lemon and chicken for this one.
- Butter Parmesan Zoodles Simple and perfect, butter with parmesan.
- VeggieFredo – This was the first thing I tried to make when I first bought the cheap spiralizer. I’ve learned a lot since making this one, but it’s still one of my favorites!
And that’s my list! I’d love your kid friendly ways you use the spiralizer in the comments below! Save this list and use all summer!
Source: https://www.superhealthykids.com/23-spiralized-zucchini-recipes-for-summer/
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