Name: Zucchini Noodles with Butter and Parmesan
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 1 pound zucchini spirals; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1 tablespoon fresh garlic (minced); 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (freshly ground ); 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes; 4 tablespoons Parmesan (grated)

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These delicious zucchini noodles are ready in ten minutes. When using store-bought spiralized zucchini, this recipe is as easy as can be.

Zucchini noodles are piled on a white plate.

One of my favorite side dishes is vegetable-based pasta substitutes. Hearts of Palm pasta and spaghetti squash noodles are great, but I make these zucchini noodles more often than any other substitute. The cheesy, garlicky strands are delicious and not watery. They are very close to the experience of eating real buttered noodles, and you can mix in a cooked protein, such as chicken or shrimp, to turn them into a complete meal.

Ingredients

See the recipe card for exact measurements. Here are my comments on some of the ingredients.

Spiralized zucchini: You can use a mandoline slicer or a vegetable spiralizer to create the noodle shapes, or use store-bought zucchini spirals.
Butter: Salted or unsalted - both work.
Garlic: For the best flavor, mince it yourself instead of using jarred minced garlic.
To season: Kosher salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes.
Grated Parmesan: Use finely grated Parmesan, not coarsely shredded.

Variations

Sometimes, I add a cup or two of shredded baked chicken breast or boiled shrimp to the noodles. This turns them from a side dish into a complete meal.
Bacon bits are another tasty option. You can also microwave bacon until crispy, crumble it, and add it to the noodles.
You can use high-quality olive oil instead of butter. I prefer butter, but olive oil is also good.
Sometimes, as shown in the photo below, I saute the noodles in a tablespoon of olive oil, sprinkle them with salt and pepper, and top them with half a cup of store-bought pasta sauce and a quarter cup of grated parmesan.

Zucchini noodles with marinara sauce and parmesan cheese.

Instructions

The detailed instructions and step-by-step photos are included in the recipe card. Here's a quick overview.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When melted and foamy, add the zucchini. Cook, stirring often, until just tender, about 4-5 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 more minute. Turn the heat off.

Add the kosher salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and parmesan. Mix and serve.

Zucchini noodles are ready in the skillet.

I don't eat pasta, so these noodles are the perfect sub for spaghetti. Very quick and easy to prepare, and I have a spiralizer, so prep time is minimal. I can't count how many times I've made this recipe, and it comes out perfect every time! Many thanks!
Darcy
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Recipe Tips

Overcooking the zucchini strands will result in them being soggy. It's much like cooking pasta al dente. You want the strands to still have a "bite." You don't want them to be too soft. So, make sure you don't cook them longer than necessary in the first step before adding the garlic. Then, after adding the garlic and letting it cook briefly, turn the heat off immediately.
Yellow squash will work in this recipe, although it's not as common to find it already spiralized, so you'll need to spiralize it yourself.
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Reheat them, covered, in the microwave at 50% power. If you like cold leftover pasta, you'll enjoy eating the leftovers cold. I certainly do! I don't recommend freezing the leftovers.

Serving Suggestions

Zucchini noodles are the perfect side dish. They go well with many main courses, including baked salmon, chicken drumsticks, chicken patties, and pork tenderloin. They can also serve as the perfect bed for saucy dishes such as baked scallops, shrimp scampi, or pulled pork.

As mentioned above, you can mix cooked protein (such as shredded chicken) into the noodles and turn them from a side dish into a main dish. I also like to serve them topped with meatballs, such as chicken meatballs or meatballs with tomato sauce.

Recipe Card

5 from 27 votes

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Zucchini Noodles with Butter and Parmesan

These buttery zucchini noodles closely mimic the experience of eating real pasta. The cheesy, garlicky strands are unbelievably good!

Prep Time5

Cook Time5

Total Time10

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: servings

Calories: 185kcal

Author: Vered DeLeeuw

Video

Ingredients

▢ 1 pound zucchini spirals
▢ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
▢ 1 tablespoon fresh garlic - minced
▢ ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt - or ¼ teaspoon of any other salt, including Morton kosher salt
▢ ¼ teaspoon black pepper - freshly ground
▢ ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
▢ 4 tablespoons Parmesan - grated

Instructions

Heat the butter in a large, 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat.
When melted and foamy, add the zucchini noodles. Cook, stirring often, until just tender, about 4-5 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 more minute. Turn the heat off.
Mix in the kosher salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and parmesan.
Serve immediately.

Notes

You can use a mandoline slicer or a vegetable spiralizer to create the noodle shapes or use store-bought zucchini spirals.
Overcooking the zucchini strands will result in them being soggy. It's much like cooking pasta al dente. You want the strands to still have a "bite." You don't want them to be too soft. So, please don't cook them longer than necessary in the first step before adding the garlic. Then, after adding the garlic and letting it cook briefly, turn the heat off immediately.
Sometimes, I add a cup or two of shredded baked chicken breast or boiled shrimp to the noodles. This turns them from a side dish into a complete meal.
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Reheat them, covered, in the microwave at 50% power. If you like cold leftover pasta, you'll enjoy eating these leftovers cold. I certainly do! I don't recommend freezing the leftovers.

Nutrition per Serving

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Most recipes are low-carb and gluten-free, but some are not. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate. Please verify it independently. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Please read these Terms of Use before using any of my recipes.

Zucchini Noodles

Ingredients

Variations

Instructions

Recipe Tips

Serving Suggestions

Recipe Card