Zoodle Fettucini
Zoodles! I just love saying that. It's impossible to say the word "ZOODLES!" and not crack a smile. Try it. I dare you! Did you smile? Told you! ☺
A while back, I wrote a fairly extensive blog post on pasta and various forms of noodles (about halfway down the post). At the time, I hadn't actually made zoodles for my website, and felt a bit silly having not. So, I set out to make them as a recipe! Zoodles are just zucchini cut into strips. They approximate the sense of pasta in that they're roughly the same shape, they don't have a lot of flavor on their own and they serve as a fantastic vehicle for "sauce" and other goodies.
Traditional pasta has gluten holding it together. While it's possible to overcook it, it'll still be a noodle when you're done cooking it. It IS possible, however, to overcook zoodles. If you were to throw a handful of freshly cut zoodles into a cauldron of hot gurgling sauce, the zoodles would release all their water and break down in just a few minutes. They would become "one with the sauce" and won't really be very zoodle-y, any longer.
This is where some of these little tricks come in.
First, you need to cut the zoodles. There are all kinds of tools for this. The most basic is a standard vegetable peeler. Just peel the zucchini, deeper and deeper. You'll create a series of imperfect, but flat wide "zoodles", which will resemble green pappardelle. Alternately, you can use something like the Spirooli. I personally don't like these much and prefer to go with a more standard flat mandoline.
In the photos, you'll see that I cut mine with a flat mandoline. In my case, I created thick strips of zucchini, then stacked the strips upon one another, then cut them into 1/3 inch strips with a knife. This approach gives me a heartier zoodle, with a bit more texture and bite. However, you can make them thinner, thicker, etc. It's all personal preference.
Once you've got the zoodles cut, many will simply pop them into a microwaveable container and nuke them for a minute or two. This will create a hot bed of zoodles. This is, without question, a way you can go!
My method is a little different, but tends to have a little more flavor and ... love ... cooked into it. It takes a little longer, but I feel the results have that little something extra.
Once you've got your cooked zoodles, top them with any number of sauces. How about some nice Marinara Sauce or a nice thick goopy alfredo sauce?
A while back, I wrote a fairly extensive blog post on pasta and various forms of noodles (about halfway down the post). At the time, I hadn't actually made zoodles for my website, and felt a bit silly having not. So, I set out to make them as a recipe! Zoodles are just zucchini cut into strips. They approximate the sense of pasta in that they're roughly the same shape, they don't have a lot of flavor on their own and they serve as a fantastic vehicle for "sauce" and other goodies.
Traditional pasta has gluten holding it together. While it's possible to overcook it, it'll still be a noodle when you're done cooking it. It IS possible, however, to overcook zoodles. If you were to throw a handful of freshly cut zoodles into a cauldron of hot gurgling sauce, the zoodles would release all their water and break down in just a few minutes. They would become "one with the sauce" and won't really be very zoodle-y, any longer.
This is where some of these little tricks come in.
First, you need to cut the zoodles. There are all kinds of tools for this. The most basic is a standard vegetable peeler. Just peel the zucchini, deeper and deeper. You'll create a series of imperfect, but flat wide "zoodles", which will resemble green pappardelle. Alternately, you can use something like the Spirooli. I personally don't like these much and prefer to go with a more standard flat mandoline.
In the photos, you'll see that I cut mine with a flat mandoline. In my case, I created thick strips of zucchini, then stacked the strips upon one another, then cut them into 1/3 inch strips with a knife. This approach gives me a heartier zoodle, with a bit more texture and bite. However, you can make them thinner, thicker, etc. It's all personal preference.
Once you've got the zoodles cut, many will simply pop them into a microwaveable container and nuke them for a minute or two. This will create a hot bed of zoodles. This is, without question, a way you can go!
My method is a little different, but tends to have a little more flavor and ... love ... cooked into it. It takes a little longer, but I feel the results have that little something extra.
Once you've got your cooked zoodles, top them with any number of sauces. How about some nice Marinara Sauce or a nice thick goopy alfredo sauce?
Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time2 mins
Total Time30 mins
Servings: 4 Servings
Calories: 69kcal
Ingredients
- 4 each small green zucchini and/or summer squash cut into zoodles
- 1/4 cup real bacon bits
- 1 tbsp light flavored oil (like light olive oil ghee or bacon fat)
- salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- If you haven't already, cut your zoodles, using any method you would like (several methods are mentioned in the notes).
- Once your zoodles have been cut, season them with salt and pepper. Toss them around, so that they are evenly coated with the seasoning. Set them aside for about 20 minutes, while you focus on other things. The salt will pull some of the moisture out of the zoodles and will also macerate them. They will become soft and pliable, all on their own, without any cooking, at all.
- Heat up a large non-stick sauté pan, over medium-high heat.
- I personally don't use oil for this. I have a big favorite non-stick pan I use, but you can add something like a light olive oil, bacon fat or ghee. I almost always having bacon bits lying around. I'll throw those into the pan, where some of the bacon fat will render out.
- Once I see the bits starting to "fry", I will evenly spread my zoodles around the bottom of the pan. Toss them in a the pan to mix the bacon and bacon fat into them, then spread them flat on the bottom of the pan. Let them "sear" for about 30 seconds to a minute.
- Toss them one more time, spread them out, let them sear for about 30 seconds longer, then ... serve!
Nutrition
Serving: 4g | Calories: 69kcal | Carbohydrates: 4.02g | Protein: 4.46g | Fat: 4.62g | Fiber: 1.46g