My world was changed earlier this week with the arrival of a little cardboard Amazon box outside my door. Inside was a spiralizer, aka the gadget that I’m pretty sure will change how I eat pasta for ever.
I had been meaning to try spiralizing for months. I’m always on the hunt for ways to sneak more veggies into my day and the spiralizer seemed like the perfect solution.
More pasta, more veggies…it’s a win-win, right?
To be totally honest, I wasn’t sure how I would actually like it, though. While I like zucchini, would I really like it in my pasta? And how good can any pasta that’s supposedly “heathy” really be?
Well everyone, it’s safe to say that there were no leftovers after I whipped up these scrumptious pesto zoodles–aka zucchini noodles.
Flavorful pesto, juicy tomatoes and zucchini noodles…it was a hit!
Zoodles are perfect if you’re looking to cut calories or carbohydrates. One cup of zucchini noodles, for example, has just 20 calories and less than 4 grams of carbs. Compare that to regular spaghetti, which has 220 calories and 43 grams of carb per cup, and it’s pretty clear which one is the winner here.
Zucchini also boasts tons of vitamin A, vitamin C and potassium. Adding zoodles to your diet is the perfect way to take advantage of the nutrient-rich goodness of the zucchini and get an added boost of vitamins and minerals into your day!
Best of all, zoodles are super versatile. While I used my zucchini noodles to make pesto zoodles, you can swap them for pretty much any pasta dish for an instant upgrade.
More color, nutrients, and (in my opinion) flavor, minus the added calories and carbs from normal pasta…sounds good to me!
What do you guys think? Have you ever tried zoodles or another type of spiralized veggie? Would you? Leave a comment below!
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 10 minutes |
| Servings |
servings
|
- 2 cups fresh basil
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- salt
- black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 zucchinis
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
- salt
- black pepper
Ingredients
Pesto
Zoodles
|
|
- Combine basil, garlic and pine nuts in food processor or blender and pulse. Slowly add olive oil to mixture until a paste is formed. Add additional olive oil as needed to reach desired consistency. Season pesto with salt and pepper.
- Using spiralizer or peeler, cut zucchinis into noodles.
- Add 1 tbsp olive oil to large pan and coat bottom evenly. Add minced garlic and zucchini and saute 4-5 minutes until tender, stirring occasionally.
- Mix zoodles with pesto and stir to coat evenly. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with optional parmesan cheese or as is.
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