Last night I came up with a new way to prepare zucchini pasta (aka raw zucchini cut into thin strips). I’ve made zucchini pasta by hand before but the old TITAN slicer was no longer cutting it (pun intended). My new love, the mandoline slicer, definitely makes life much easier -10 swipes over the sharp blades and I have a big bowl full of veggie noodles!
You could definitely eat the noodles raw, they’re crunchy and perfect when you want a cool dinner, but I thought it would be fun to cook the zucchini for a bit to create a softer texture and make the dish warm. After sautéing the noodles for about 6-7 minutes in a skillet pan sprayed with a little cooking spray they softened right up and were ready to be topped with sauce. Turns out Isaac had made some delicious tomato sauce the night before so I used that, but you could use a jarred or homemade sauce – whichever you please.
I LOVED the softer texture and warmness that the cooked zucchini pasta provided; the zucchini actually ended up tasting more noodle-like to me. Although, I will say that volume wise the zucchini definitely shrinks when it’s cooked so if you’re looking for volume eating it raw would be the way to go.
So to all my pasta lovers out there- now you can have low calorie, super healthy pasta without the funky fish odor of shirataki noodles. <– Yes, I will admit that I tried them but lets just say once was enough. 
Looking for other healthy pasta options- give spaghetti squash, whole grain pasta varieties, soba noodles, or mung bean pasta a chance!
Try these links for some inspiration:
Spaghetti Squash with Roasted Tomatoes and Ricotta
Whole Wheat Fettuccine with Shrimp and Peas
Pad Thai with Spicy Peanut Sauce
Spicy Tofu and Mung Bean Pasta
I’m sure my little friend would fully approve.
See you all tomorrow with the winner of the Cake Pops Giveaway!
-Brittany
Brittany Mullins, HHC
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
looks awesome. This is also a good recipe I made last night for dinner. I used rice cheese instead of reg cheese though…
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/11039?section=
Holy moly, the eggplant face. I die.
I love the idea of zucchini pasta. I’ve seen it before but I was’t sure how to get the shreds. I need to get my hands on a mandoline. I am a huge fan of spaghetti squash in place of noodles, but this would be a great alternative!
I’ve been craving a pasta dish for some reason (it’s totally a winter food) and this looks to die for. I’m yet to try a raw pasta, and this is the perfect place to start!
I love making raw zucchini noodles, but I never thought to cook them down like you did. Looks like a delicious and healthy dish.
I need to get my hands on a quality mandolin slicer. The last one we had sliced off a corner of my thumb! But not to ruin your lovely post…this dish looks great and is such a wonderful way to use up all of this summer squash.
I don’t actually mind shirataki noodles too much (if they are covered up with fresh veggies and a good sauce). Still, I’ll take real veggies over a slightly unnatural noodle any day of the week.
Always wanted to try veggie pasta but I never have the energy to sprialize my own. I really don’t think it’s that hard as I’m making it seem though so I just need to try it. Being that I don’t love pasta, I think I would LOVE the zucchini pasta.
I love that idea. I usually throw zucchini sticks in my salads, which is awesome by the way, but I’m making this next time.
Your dinner looks great! I have tried those shiritaki noodles and thought they were terrible. It didn’t matter how many times I washed, rinsed and dried those noodles they still smelled like fish!
I’m with ya on those awful shiritaki noodles.
Awesome!! that’s really cool…seems like that would be hard to keep them from breaking..but it looks awesome!
LOVE zucchini pasta! Yours looks fantastic
I love making it with all different types of fun sauces and adding in other sliced up veggies! YUM
Oh my goodness. I love your little friend! How creative and fun
Alright, I have a confession to make: I got a spiralizer for Christmas, and I have yet to use it! In my defense, it was in storage for 5 months while I was at school. However, I think I now have a few ideas on how to use it!
I think I need to make that “pasta”, seeing as how I have a 4.5 lb zucc in my fridge!
Shiritaki noodles are horrible! My mom eats them!
I need to try zucchini pasta. It looks delicious!
Somehow – and maybe it’s just my Italian upbringing – nothing beats a whole wheat linguine. Although…these sure look close!
That looks delicious!! The only veggie pasta alternative I’ve had was spaghetti squash, and I love it. And…don’t think I’m crazy…but I kind of like shirataki noodles
I need to bust out my spiralizer to try that. I got sick of raw stuff.
What a great idea! I love zucchini, I’m going to try making pasta out of it!