Zucchini Noodles

August 26, 2021

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Healthy Zucchini Noodles (“Zoodles”) – fresh zucchini are cut into spaghetti-like strands, tossed with olive oil and roasted in the oven until tender. Finish with your favorite sauce for the perfect summery main dish!

Zucchini Noodles shown topped with a beefy spaghetti sauce.

Baked Zucchini Noodles

While there are several ways to cook zucchini noodles, I think oven baking is easily the best way to go.

The other options are boiling and sauteing but they each have a downside. Boiling will mute the flavor plus they’ll end up watery. And with sauteing they don’t cook as evenly.

The great thing here is cooking them in the oven is about as easy as it gets! You don’t have to toss constantly, you don’t have to tend to them super closely, and it will get a large quantity cooked at once.

It’s a straightforward method that consistently yields great results. And it’s an excellent way to use up an abundance of zucchini and fit more veggies into your diet.

Sauces to Serve with Zoodles

Close up photo of zucchini noodles.

Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Zucchini Noodles

  • 3 lbs. medium zucchini, ends trimmed (preferably about 8 oz. in size each)
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Tools Needed

 

Image of ingredients used to make zucchini noodles. Includes fresh zucchini, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Collage of four photos showing process of making zucchini noodles.

How to Make Zucchini Noodles

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a rimmed 18 by 13-inch baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
  2. Set a spiralizer with a blade that has approximately 1/8-inch wide holes. Cut the zucchini into noodles according to manufacturers directions (per spiralizer).
  3. If shorter noodles are desired then cut noodles into lengths about 12-inches long using kitchen shears (this step can be skipped, noodles are just very long otherwise).

How to Cook Zucchini Noodles

  1. Transfer zucchini noodles to prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper to taste and toss well to evenly coat.
  2. Spread noodles even.
  3. Bake in center of the oven until noodles have reached desired tenderness, about 12 to 18 minutes.*
  4. Depending on what you are serving over them, you may want to drain in a colander to remove excess liquid or carefully dab dry with paper towels. In a rush you can just use tongs to remove them from pan and leave behind excess liquid.

Plain cooked zucchini noodles shown in a wooden bowl on a white marble surface.

Can they be made without a spiralizer?

  • Yes. Zucchini noodles can also be made with a mandoline, a julienne peeler or a box grater, BUT the quickest most efficient way is by using a spiralizer, especially when working with this quantity.
  • You can try those methods if you only need one serving. Keep in mind bake time will decrease as well.

Can zoodles be frozen?

  • Yes. Zoodles can be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
  • Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat in the microwave.

Roasted zoodles shown on a baking sheet from a side angle.

Helpful Tips

  • Use medium zucchini for best results.
  • Avoid extra large zucchini with tough skins or too many seeds.
  • Also, I don’t recommend small zucchini as they don’t shred in the spiralizer as well (if it has a corer anyway, you’ll end up with lots of really short noodles).
  • I like to use zucchini that are straighter through the length. If needed you can cut those that are crooked in half so they run through the the spiralizer better.
  • Keep in mind when topping with various sauces that you don’t get the starches that normally thicken that are found in a semolina style pasta. Therefore, you may want to make sauces a little thicker with some cornstarch or flour or simmer further to reduce juices.

Variations

  • Bake with cherry tomatoes (tossed with olive oil) over the top. Finish with cooked bacon, if desired.
  • Toss in cooked shrimp (or bake with olive oil coated shrimp on top then remove them earlier if needed).
  • Add minced garlic.
  • Serve with more olive oil, shredded parmesan and a little fresh lemon juice.
  • Try cutting zucchini noodles into different shapes depending on the spiralizer blades you have (adjust bake times accordingly). Or try cutting into sheets with a mandoline to make zucchini lasagna.

Zoodles tossed with alfredo sauce, shown served in a blue pasta bowl.

More Recipes to Make with Zucchini

Zucchini Noodles - Zoodles

Healthy Zoodles! Fresh zucchini are cut into spaghetti-like strands, tossed with olive oil and roasted in the oven until tender. Finish with your favorite sauce for the perfect summery main dish!
Servings: 3 - 4
Prep20 minutes
Cook15 minutes
Ready in: 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs. medium zucchini, ends trimmed (preferably about 8 oz in size each)
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a rimmed 18 by 13-inch baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
  • Set a spiralizer with a blade that has approximately 1/8-inch wide holes. Cut the zucchini into noodles according to manufacturers directions (per spiralizer).
  • If shorter noodles are desired then cut noodles into lengths about 12-inches long using kitchen shears (this step can be skipped, noodles are just very long otherwise).
  • Transfer zucchini noodles to prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper to taste and toss well to evenly coat.
  • Spread noodles even. Bake in center of the oven until noodles have reached desired tenderness, about 12 to 18 minutes.*
  • Depending on what you are serving over them, you may want to drain in a colander to remove excess liquid or carefully dab dry with paper towels. In a rush, you can just use tongs to remove them from pan and shake off and leave behind excess liquid.
  • Serve with desired sauce (see notes below for ideas).

Notes

  • *Keep in mind to achieve softer zucchini noodles you need to bake more near greater time, but they don't have as much volume and you don't get quite as many servings. 
  • I like them a with a bit of a bite around 14 minutes.

Sauce Serving Suggestions

Nutrition Facts
Zucchini Noodles - Zoodles
Amount Per Serving
Calories 106 Calories from Fat 54
% Daily Value*
Fat 6g9%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 3g
Sodium 30mg1%
Potassium 987mg28%
Carbohydrates 12g4%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 9g10%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 756IU15%
Vitamin C 68mg82%
Calcium 61mg6%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition values are estimates only. See full disclaimer here.