Use Your Zoodle

I'm on a serious zucchini kick right now and I'm not even a little sorry.

As a kid, I thought I really hated zucchini. Now I realize I just hate overcooked zucchini. Moment of silence for all the sad, pan-fried zucchini mush I have been served that deserved so much better.

Okay.

I am jumping on the veggie-noodle trend because veggies are good 4 u and also I like them. My momma raised me right. I purchased a very simple veggie spiralizer for the low, low price of $14 on Amazon. It's just a handheld grater-type operation and it works GREAT. My noodles came out looking perfect and not at all mushy (a drawback of several other spiralizers I investigated online). I mixed them with some plain old pasta because there wasn't enough zucchini to make a full meal for me and TMo both but if you are intent upon using only zoodles, make sure you pair it with some protein so you're not hungry 20 minutes later. I fully intend to try a greek chicken/zoodle combo in the very near future. YUM.

Not only did my zoodler help me use up a bunch of produce that was looking rather sad, the zucchini noodles WERE. SO. BOMB. They were crunchy and garlicky and (thanks to my addiction to crushed reds) very kicky. I used up some slightly sad looking tomatoes from my dad's garden and topped the whole thing with chunks of creamy goat cheese that melted into the whole shebang and made it soooo dreaaammyyyy. I love goat cheese. I loved this dinner. I was astounded at how good it was, honestly. 10/10 would make again.

A very important note: you MUST salt and drain the zoodles before you cook them. Zucchini has a very high water content and if you skip this vital step they will be mushy and foul. You can let them drain while you prep the rest of the sauce and it doesn't take any extra time.

Feel free to mess with this recipe -- make it more or less spicy, add different veggies or herbs to the sauce, swap the goat cheese for mozzarella. It's very versatile. But I can tell you, it's a total winner. The trendy food wins this round.

The recipe below serves about two people, maybe with some leftovers.

Ingredients:

2 zucchinis

4-6 oz. buccatini pasta, cooked according to box

4-5 tomatoes, preferably heirloom (or not hothouse)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

1/2 tsp. crushed reds

5 tbs. goat cheese, crumbled and divided

1/4 c. fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped

Directions:

1. Spiralize the zucchini into a large mesh colander. Salt thoroughly, tossing the strands to coat. Let sit 20 to 30 minutes, squeezing occasionally. Don't worry about squishing the strands, they should hold up just fine.

2. Meanwhile, sautee the onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent. Add the tomato, crushed reds and basil leaves. Simmer on low heat, stirring frequently.

3. 3 minutes before the spaghetti is done cooking, add the zoodles to the tomato sauce. Stir well to incorporate and keep stirring.

4. To serve, split the pasta evenly between the plates. Spoon the zoodles and tomato sauce over the pasta and top with the goat cheese crumbles and more fresh basil if desired. Serve immediately.

#healthy #dinner #maindishes #pasta #vegetarian #easy