Zucchini Noodles have been all the rage for quite some time, especially in the low-carb, paleo, gluten-free and weight watchers worlds. If you haven’t jumped on the bandwagon yet, you basically make “noodles” out of zucchini or summer squash. This is, essentially, the summertime answer to using spaghetti squash as a base for all things pasta.
There are quite a few ways you can turn zucchini into noodles. Some people use julienne peelers like this one or this one.
I’ve been using my mandoline – I have this one. I just insert the julienne blade and it’s fairly easy to do as long as the zucchini are not too narrow.
The most popular tool with which to make vegetable noodles is this Vegetable Spiralizer. I have been coveting one of these for months and couldn’t bring myself to buy yet another kitchen gadget as I barely have room for all of the stuff I already have. But after months and months of wanting one and hearing so many people rave about how amazing and easy they are to use, I finally broke down and ordered one this week.
I figured I would post a tutorial on how to make zucchini noodles with a mandoline as most people have one and aren’t going to buy a special single-use kitchen gadget just for this, plus there is just a bit more to making them on the mandoline then getting the right shape.
For this tutorial, I partnered with my friend Pamela from BOLIG Photography. We spent the day together while our kids played (READ: tore apart her house and backyard), I taught her how to make Zucchini Noodles on her mandoline and she took some gorgeous pictures of the whole process to share with you.
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
Average Serving Size is 2 Medium Zucchini Per Person -- 0 Points Plus
- 4 medium zucchini
- kosher salt
- mandoline with julienne blade
- fine mesh strainer
-
Wash zucchini and trim ends.
-
I recommend taking the time to peel each zucchini. The "noodles" look more like pasta when the skin is removed and some zucchini skin can have a bitter taste which some people do not like. With that being said, if I am in a rush, I leave the skin on so do what works for you.
-
Fit your mandoline with the julienne blade and be sure to use the safety guard. Never skip using the safety guard - you can really cut yourself bad!
-
Proceed to slide the zucchini over the mandoline blades lengthwise to get the longest noodles possible until you are left with a thin sliver that is pretty much impossible to slice.
-
You have just made yourself some zucchini pasta!
-
Transfer the zucchini noodles to a mesh colander and lightly sprinkle with kosher salt. Toss to distribute and leave colander over a mixing bowl or the sink to drain. Let sit for 20 to 30 minutes, giving an occasional squeeze.
-
If you leave the skin on, your liquid will be very dark green, if you peeled the zucchini, it will look more like this.Try to get as much water out of the zucchini noodles as possible before cooking.
Did you make this recipe? Tag @EverydayMaven on Instagram with the hashtag #EveryDayMaven and please give a star rating below.
Some Zucchini Noodle Recipes:
Raw Zucchini Ribbon Salad with Olives + Mint from www.gourmandeinthekitchen.com
2. Zucchini Noodles with Avocado Cream Sauce from Paleo Cupboard
Zucchini Noodles with Fresh Tomato Sauce from www.everydaymaven.com
4. Vegan Cheezy Zucchini Noodles from Earthsprout
Thai Chicken Zucchini Noodles from www.RunningtoTheKitchen.com
6. Sriracha Shrimp over Zucchini Noodles from Kettler Cuisine
7. Creamy Garlic Alfredo with Arugula and Zucchini Linguine from Living Nutrition
Pesto Meatballs in Sauce over Zucchini Noodles from www.everydaymaven.com
PS I believe mine were overly salted due to the fact of the sea salt I use is hard to see if it’s coming out or not and I over compensated, plus I wasn’t aware of your technique of salting and draining. 🙂
I picked up a vegetti at our local Dollar General store yesterday after reading a lot of posts about this type of veggie pasta; mine came out slightly under cooked and over salted but your directions defantly helped. Thank you so much! I see your posts are dated 2 years ago, I hope you’re still around!!
I’m still here Jennifer! Next time, use a touch less salt. The salt is to help release some of the moisture so the zucchini noodles don’t get too watery. Thanks for commenting 🙂
And then there are zoodles. I love my little spiralizer too. Great for a cucumber salad too!
Absolutely! I love spiralized cukes. 🙂
Is it possible to freeze zucchini or zucchini pasta? I am single and I often find I end up with a lot more than I can consume in a week. Many thanks!
Hi Christina, I don’t like to freeze water rich vegetables (raw) but you can definitely freeze them cooked in a sauce or something.