Zucchini noodles tossed together in a delicious lemony garlic sauce for the perfect healthy weeknight dinner that can easily be made in under 20 minutes!
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You guys I have a new obsession.
Two words – zucchini noodles. Seriously they might be the greatest thing next to sliced bread and realizing that I could make rice out of cauliflower. I mean what a genius way to eat your veggies – you THINK you’re eating delicious carb-loaded pasta, when in reality you can go back for seconds or even thirds because, wait, they’re vegetables. Ever since I spiralized my first zucchini using my amazing Inspiralizer, I have been spiralizing sweet potatoes, squash, fruit, cucumbers….um you name it, I’ve probably made noodles out of it. If you don’t have an Inspiralizer yet then you need to get one ASAP….like right this minute. Seriously you are completely missing out, this thing is the epitome of life changing and I can’t wait to share even MORE recipes with it.
Can we say curly sweet potato fries anyone??
See how incredibly easy it is?!
All you do is cut both ends of the zucchini, attach each end to the Inspiralizer and start turning. Boom – zucchini noodles in seconds. Now one thing you want to make sure you do is soak up any excess water from the zucchini before you cook them. I like to use paper towels, but you can also let the noodles drain in a colander and sprinkle them with a little salt. This will draw out any excess water and then just pat them dry with a paper towel. Either way just make sure to get that water out! I found that one large zucchini yields about one serving cooked. If you don’t have a spiralizer you can simply just julienne the zucchini into thin strips, but c’mon – that would take forever and are they going to look like pretty perfect noodles? No probably not.
So yep, put this on your Christmas list.
Now I have had zucchini noodles with marinara before (which taste delicious mind you!), but I wanted to make something a little different. Something that was light and fresh that complimented the zucchini and what better way to do that than with lemons?! This literally might be one of my new favorite sauces and next time I may even throw some chicken in for a complete meal. Using chicken broth and a little half and half to thicken things up, I found that this sauce is creamy, flavorful and reminds me of a delicious Alfredo dish without all the added butter and flour! One thing I want to mention is that I allowed the sauce to simmer on the stove a bit before adding the zucchini noodles in order for everything to thicken up and the sauce to cook down. Zucchini doesn’t need to cook for very long before the noodles start to soften and since I personally like mine “al dente,” I only cooked them for about 3 minutes after adding them into the sauce, but feel free to taste test yours and see what you prefer!
This recipe has definitely been added into our weekly rotation since I pretty much can’t get enough of it plus if the hubs actually requests veggies for dinner then I know I’ve found a winner! For even more spiralized recipes, you should check out Ali Maffucci’s awesome cookbook Inspiralized that is perfect for any diet whether you are gluten-free, paleo or low-carb.
Have fun spiralizing!
Lemon Garlic Zucchini Noodles
Ingredients
- 4 large zucchinis, ends removed
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 shallots, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 4 Tbsp lemon juice
- Zest of one lemon
- 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 1 tsp. pepper
- 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- To spiralize your zucchini, first cut each end off your zucchini and attach to your spiralizer so that it is secure. Start turning and watch the magic happen!
- Set your zucchini noodles aside on paper towels so that the water is soaked up.
- In a large skillet on medium-high heat, drizzle a little olive oil and saute the shallots and garlic until fragrant. Add chicken broth, half and half, lemon juice and zest, red pepper flakes and salt/pepper.
- Bring to a boil then cover and turn down heat to low allowing the sauce to simmer until it has reduced by almost half, about 15 minutes.
- Toss your zucchini noodles in with your sauce and cook an additional 3 to 5 minutes, depending on how you like your noodles cooked (al dente is about 3 minutes cooked).
- Remove from heat, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese (1 tablespoon per serving) and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Cut the red pepper flakes IN HALF. TOO HOT!
I literally just bought a spiralizer and was hoping you’d do some recipes…its like you read my mind! will def be trying
This looks amazing!! I have been dying to try this 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!
Loved this recipe but I don`t know what is ‘half and half’??
It’s a lighter form of heavy cream found in the dairy section near the milk 🙂
It looks delicious . I love zucchini :-))
I don’t have a Inspiralizer, I think I’m late to the party, better get one soon! thank you for the recipe I’m going to save it 🙂
You really will love it! 🙂
That’s it, I’ve got to get a spiralizer! It’s been on my list for forever. These look amazing!
Lifestyle by Joules
You’ll be SO glad you did!! 🙂
I have a similar recipe for this, but I am going to switch it out with yours! I totally agree with Kari’s comment above, “pasta without guilt”! I have been reading Ditching the Drive thrue by Natalie Winch, this recipe will fit her meal plans perfectly. Her book is amazing, the best read on healthy eating I have read in a long time!
Zoodles are so delicious! I love feeling like I’m having pasta without the guilt.
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com