Zoodles – (or zucchini noodles) are healthy and low carb while being rich and creamy. Best of all, these zucchini noodles are ready in about 3 minutes! They make the perfect easy snack or meal. We love serving them alongside a juicy slice of meatloaf or Oven Baked Chicken Breasts!
What are Zoodles? Zoodles are a simple keto side dish made using a spiralizer to create ribbons or noodles out of zucchini. They are easy to make (you can use a vegetable peeler if you don’t have a spiralizer) and are ready in no time flat.
A simple creamy sauce (that is not loaded with fat or heavy cream) is the perfect way to dress these for a healthy yet decadent dish!
How To Make Zoodles
You don’t need to worry about peeling the zucchini before you spiralize it for this recipe. The skin softens up when it is cooked and adds a ton of color and of course nutrients to the dish!
Zoodle Maker
Zoodles are super easy, simply place your zucchini on a spiralizer and spin it to make noodles! If you don’t have one handy, peel thin strips of zucchini using a veggie peeler. You can get a spiralizer for about $20 on Amazon so they’re pretty affordable.
Keep in mind, zucchini is 96% water, so if zoodles get overcooked, they can become watery. You can find tips to make the best ever Zucchini Noodles here.
How To Cook Zoodles
You can decide which method you’d like to use to cook zoodles but to be honest, a quick cook in a hot skillet/frying pan is my favorite! They only take a few minutes, when cooking zoodles you more want to think of it as “wilting” instead of cooking them.
If you don’t have access to the stove top (for an office lunch for example), you can microwave zoodles in the microwave for 2-3 minutes covered. You’ll want to add all ingredients at the beginning to allow the cream cheese to melt.
This method is great if you need to save stovetop space but keep in mind you just want to soften them, not necessarily cook them through.
Can You Freeze Zoodles
Kind of.
You can easily Freeze Zucchini for use in baking or casseroles.
Zoodles will change in texture and get a bit soggy when frozen. If I freeze zoodles, I tend to chop them up and use them in soups, stews or casseroles instead of as “noodles”.
Store them in the freezer for up to a year in a sealed freezer bag or container. If you’ve already added them to the cream sauce, no worries, the cream cheese also freezes well.
This zoodle recipe is so easy to get creative with! You can add whatever you’d like into them or replace the pasta in your favorite pasta in dishes like roasted cherry tomato pasta. Zucchini noodles have a mild flavor so they make a great base for Easy Chicken Parmesan too!
Zucchini noodles with shrimp is one of my favorites, but mushrooms, chili flakes, pesto, tomatoes, and grilled chicken are all great add ins. In just a couple minutes, these zoodles are ready to eat!
More Recipes You’ll Love
- Easy Stuffed Zucchini Boats – Easy weeknight meal!
- Crispy Zucchini Fries – Delicious appetizer idea
- Grilled Zucchini – Fresh
- Shrimp Stir Fry with Zucchini Noodles – the perfect meal!
- Easy Baked Zucchini – Reader favorite!
Easy Zoodles (Zucchini Noodles)
Ingredients
- 1 large zucchini
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons spreadable cream cheese plain or herb & garlic flavor
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon shredded Parmesan cheese plus additional for garnish
- chopped fresh parsley for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Cut the ends of the zucchini and spiralize using the medium noodle blade (not the smallest noodle).
- Preheat olive oil over medium high heat. Add zucchini noodles and garlic powder (no salt). Cook 3-5 minutes, stirring tongs until slightly softened/wilted.
- Move noodles to one side and add cream cheese, stirring until melted. Toss with zoodles and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Stir in grated parmesan cheese. Garnish and serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Lunch, Side Dish
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
I’m curious about why you say no salt before or during cooking?
The salt draws water out of the zucchini and makes the zoodles watery.
I added two slices of bacon and a few sundried tomatoes to this! Super tasty.
Yum
That looks awesome!
Yes! I thoroughly agree. I have 5 zucchini that are larger than my forearm starting at the elbow and others that are 10″ long with 2 1/2″ to 3″ diameter. 2 oz of flavored cream cheese doesn’t seem like it is enough to coat all of the zoodles.
Thanks so much for the info on creating zucchini noodles. As it’s harvest season, zucchini are always plentiful, and it’s always great to have new ways to prepare them.
I used 1/2 of one large zucchini(thinking that would be enough for one), didn’t have a spiralizer so used my peeler. So easy and delicious, next time I will use 1 whole zucchini. :)
Wow!! I did not have high hopes but had bought zoodles from Whole Foods on a whim and was looking for an easy but rich tasting recipe. I used low fat cream cheese, loads of black pepper, garlic and onion powder, along with a generous dose of Parmesan cheese. Satisfied my crazing for a creamy pasta with less calories and took less than ten minutes. Really good.
Mmmmmm… That sounds so delicious Orchid! Thanks for sharing :)
This recipe is really yummy and easy. I’ve tried a lot of different recipes for zoodles and this is by far the easiest and tastiest. Thank you for sharing!
Tonight my husband told me “very very good dinner”. Note – neither one of us like zoodles but it was delicious !!. That being said, this recipe was great (I made it with shrimp) but mostly, all of your recipes are phenomenal. I have made your french dip, chicken pot pie, easy ribs and so many others, including cold dishes. Everything is fool proof and a huge hit. I love to cook and trust me – there are a lot of recipes out there that look good but don’t deliver. Pennies delivers each and every time. Thank you for this great easy dish.
Thank you so much Joan! Glad you are enjoying our recipes :)
Looking forward to trying this recipe.
It was a tasty dish but I think the actual size of “1 zucchini” needs to be expanded. A 6″ inch long specimen??? an enormous one that had escaped detection in the garden??? I used 2 that were about 8″ long.
Hi Adele, for this recipe it doesn’t need to be exact so you can use a zucchini that seems like the appropriate size for the amount of zoodles you’d like to make. Two about that size sounds perfect for this recipe! Hope you enjoyed it :)
This made me go from hating Zoodles to wanting and craving Zoodles!!! This was so easy and delicious! Thank you!! I tried this and it made my day much better! Lol
How long would you cook this in the microwave?
Hi Emily, you can microwave zoodles in the microwave for 2-3 minutes covered!
OMG!,,
The closest yet to pasta in a cream sauce, withOUT the pasta!
I just purchased a spiralizer and this was the first dish I tried because of the few ingredients and short prep time.
I wanted creamy, rich and tasty. Check the box on all three!
Yay! So glad you loved it Gina!
First time cooking Zoodles. They turned out PERFECT with your easy recipe. THANKS for the healthy low cab alternative to pasta.
Thanks Dan! So glad you enjoyed them!
These were great! I don’t think I’ll use as much cream cheese next time, but the taste was great!
I am glad you liked the zoodles Nicole!
Excellently
Enjoy Evie!
This was amazing! So fast and simple, too! I will have leftovers, and I plan to add cooked chicken breast to it for lunch tomorrow!
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Leslie!
I love the sound of this recipe! Sure can’t wait to try it, tonight! I love this site with all your delicious recipes. I just wished one
copy and paste the recipes, instead of having to write them all down by hand! Thanks, again for posting this zucchini recipe!
There is a print button on the top right corner of each recipe that will allow you to print the recipes. Hope this helps.
Made this recipe last night! So delish! Used veggie stock to cook and added peeled carrots, yellow squash and fresh basil. I also used sour cream instead of cream cheese. Then refrigerated and threw some chopped spinach in, ate it cold… Zucchini Salad– yummy!!
i love this recipe. thank you.