15 Zucchini Noodle Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How do you cook zoodles so they're not soggy? ›

Tip 5: Don't over-cook your noodles

To avoid soggy and limp noodles, I recommend cooking for only 3-5 minutes (5 if you're cooking more than 1-2 spiralized zucchinis) and tossing frequently. You want a slightly al dente noodle.

Generally speaking, one medium zucchini (5- to 6- oz.) will yield about a cup and a half of zoodles.

We recommend spiralizing just about 1 pound of zucchini per serving (for a large, lunch or dinner-sized meal) – that equates to about two medium sized zucchinis or 2 cups, cooked. With regular wheat spaghetti, the serving size is less than 1 cup cooked – actually, about 3/4 heaping cup.

Mushy veggies are also often the result of overcooking. When the interior is loaded with moisture, you have to cook it for much longer to evaporate all of the water and avoid the interior having the unappealing, spongy, raw texture that eggplant and zucchini are notorious for.

Whatever you do, do not let your cut zucchini noodles sit in salt before cooking. Likewise, never salt the zucchini once it's heating in the pan. If you are cooking your zucchini in a skillet, don't salt it!

When sliced, 1 medium zucchiniyielded about 1 to 1.25 cups and if grated, you end up with about 2/3 cup of tamped down zucchini. If you need 1 cup of cooked sliced zucchini, due to shrinkage while heated it will take about 3 medium zucchini, sliced, to hit the mark.

One pound of zucchini equals about 4 cups grated zucchini; 2 cups of salted and squeezed zucchini; about 1 cup mashed zucchini; and 3 cups chunked zucchini. Zucchini bread is one of the most popular ways to use zucchini. Bigger is not necessarily better.

You need 2 cups of grated zucchini for the recipe, so you will need about 3 small zucchini, 2 medium zucchini, or 1 large zucchini.

Zucchini noodles can be made into different shapes, much like regular pasta. The most common way to make zoodles is to run the zucchini through a spiralizer, which makes a spaghetti-sized zoodle.

Zucchini is low in fat, sugar, and calories, and high in vitamin C and fiber, making it a great substitute for traditional pasta noodles. Fiber helps to regulate bowels and maintain good digestive health, and vitamin C acts as an antioxidant to protect cells.

How long are zucchini noodles good for? ›

If you're storing them in the fridge for more than a day or two, you may want to switch out the paper towels as they become damp. My Verdict – This is the best (and really only) way to store zoodles. They'll last about 4-5 days in the fridge.

Heat a couple tablespoons of unsalted butter in a large skillet over medium high heat, then sauté some chopped garlic and crushed red pepper flakes until tender and fragrant. Add the zucchini noodles and a pinch of salt, then continue to cook until tender and softened, 3 to 4 minutes.

After surveying the produce we discovered that 3 medium zucchini equaled a pound. We decided to select 1 medium sized zucchini about 8 inches long, 2 inches in diameter and weighing about 5 ounces for our how many zucchini in a cup testing samples.

Use a box cheese grater

And as a last resort, you can even make zoodles with a box grater. Grate it lengthwise and try to make the strands as long as possible. These “noodles” are going to be very thin and will release a ton of water.

Place the noodles on a cookie sheet lined with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt. “Sweat” the noodles in the oven for 30 minutes until the paper towels have absorbed most of the moisture that the zucchini let.

Sprinkle salt on the vegetables and let them sit overnight (or at least 6-8 hours), if possible. Remove the salt and the excess water by flushing in running water, then draining well and pressing between layers of paper towels before cooking them or by spinning the vegetables in a salad spinner.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet and add your overcooked pasta. Gently sauté over medium heat for a few minutes until the pasta's texture has firmed up. The whole process takes less than 10 minutes and you'll know it is done when the edges of the pasta have started to crisp and light browning has begun.

This, the outlet asserts, is due to zucchini's high water content: If it cooks too slowly, it will release its moisture before it sears, becoming soggy and sodden. Over high heat, on the other hand, zucchini becomes caramelized on the outside but retains a meaty, firm texture within.