Zucchini bread, stuffed zucchini, zucchini lasagna... is there anything zucchini can't do? Zucchini is an extremely versatile vegetable and my new favorite way to eat them is by making them into noodles.

Yes, noodles.

I know zucchini noodles may sound... well... not very good and a far cry from the real thing. But even my vegetable hating son will eat these and asked me if he can have them for his birthday breakfast.

(I think he still get's confused on what time of day the meal called 'breakfast' is eaten but I'll take it!)

They are the same texture as noodles and have a very mild taste so they take on the flavor of whatever you are cooking with. Zucchini is in season right now and available at just about any fruit stand in your area.

Not to mention it's cheap! Even buying it organic won't break the budget. 

Today's post is a simple, step by step on how to make zucchini noodles. I will refer back to it in the future with recipes to go along with the prepared noodles and you can use them anyway that you would normally prepare pasta.

ENJOY!

Elizabeth

PS: If you have any questions on how to prepare them, feel free to leave a comment and I'm happy to help!

HOW TO MAKE ZUCCHINI "NOODLES"

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

Zucchini (if you are serving it as a main course, I would recommend at least 2-3 per person)

Sea Salt

Julienne Peeler

Potato Peeler

*if you don't have a julienne peeler, a potato peeler will work. Although I highly recommend a julienne peeler because it will make you job super easy and create better noodles. They can be found at any kitchen store and some grocery stores for about $9.

STEP #1:

Wash and peel the green skin off the zucchini with the potato peeler.

STEP #2:

Hold on to the head of the zucchini and place the julienne peeler at the top of the zucchini. Gentle press down and drag the peeler to the end. You will instantly have a strip of noodles!

Repeat this until you get to the center and start to see seeds. Then flip it over and do the same thing on the other side of the zucchini.

STEP #3:

Preheat your oven to 200F.

Line a baking sheet (or two, depending on how much you are making) with paper towels and spread the noodles over the baking sheet evenly.

Sprinkle with sea salt.

STEP #4:

Place the baking sheet of noodles in the oven for 30 minutes. I promise the paper towels won't catch on fire!

This causes the noodles to "sweat" and release a lot of their water which will prevent your dish from becoming watery when you cook the noodles.

STEP #5:

Remove the baking sheets from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes.

Then, pick up the paper towels, wrap them around the noodles and squeeze out the liquid. You will be amazed at how much water you get out of them!

STEP #6:

At this point they are ready to cook whenever you are ready to eat them. You can saute them in your oil of choice for about 6-7 minutes or you can simmer them in a sauce and allow them to soften.

They are also good raw if you skip the oven process and turn them into a summer salad. Recipe for that coming soon!

A FEW MORE THINGS ABOUT THEM:

1. They can be prepped ahead of time and kept in the fridge until you are ready to cook them. They are a bit labor intensive so I like to prep them in the morning so dinner is quicker at night.

2. They do shrink down quite a bit when cooked, so make more then you think you will need.

3. They taste good as leftovers so make extra for lunch the next day!

ENJOY!