Buttered Zucchini Noodles - Healthy Recipes Blog (2024)

Ingredients

You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this recipe. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:

Spiralized zucchini: You can use a mandoline slicer or a vegetable spiralizer to create the noodle shapes. When I first started making this recipe back in 2014, I simply used a sharp chef's knife to slice fresh zucchini into thin strips:

Nowadays, store-bought zucchini spirals are readily available in the produce section at most supermarkets, so that's what I use. I usually get mine at Whole Foods:

Using pre-spiralized zucchini makes this recipe incredibly easy and quick.

Butter: European butter is delicious, but any butter will 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: It's best to use finely grated parmesan and not coarsely shredded.

Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps for making this recipe:

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When melted and foamy, add the 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.

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

I experimented with using frozen spiralized zucchini that I got at Wild Fork Foods. I'm usually a big fan of this brand and use many of its products, but this product was not as good as fresh zoodles.

The noodles look great on the package:

But when you open the package and remove them from the plastic wrap, you see that they have hardened into a solid block of ice:

To thaw them, you can microwave them, or do as I did and place them frozen in a skillet, cover, and heat on medium heat until they start to thaw and you can gently separate them:

They released a large amount of water, so I strained them in a colander, then returned them to the skillet and added butter, garlic powder (instead of fresh garlic), kosher salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes.

I sauteed them over medium heat until heated through, then plated and topped with grated parmesan.

We tasted the result, which wasn't bad, but the noodles were a bit mushy and not as tasty as fresh zucchini noodles. So, if you can, choose fresh zucchini spirals instead of frozen.

Expert Tip

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 ensure 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.

Do zucchini noodles taste like pasta?

Not exactly. Like many substitutes, this is an excellent one, and I find it very satisfying and amazingly close to the real thing. But it's still a substitute.

How do you prevent the noodles from being soggy?

Don't overcook them! They only need about 5 minutes in the pan, even less if your pan is hot. It's just like pasta - you want it al-dente, so you must ensure not to overcook it.
Another tip is to use fresh zucchini spirals and avoid frozen spirals, which tend to become soggy and mushy.

Can I substitute yellow squash for zucchini?

Yes. Yellow squash will work just as well in this recipe, although it's not as common to find it already spiralized, so you'll need to spiralize it yourself.

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 an excellent 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.

Storing Leftovers

You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to four days. Reheat them gently, covered, in the microwave at 50% power.

If you like cold leftover pasta, you'll enjoy eating the leftovers cold. I certainly do!

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Buttery Zucchini Noodles

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

Servings: 2 servings

Calories: 185kcal

Add Your Own Notes

Nutrition per Serving

Serving: 0.5recipe | Calories: 185kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 14g | Sodium: 474mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g

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