Go ahead and say it! It’s OK to complain a little among friends. At first, saying “no” to pasta – and replacing it with vegetables! – is no fun. I understand. We all go through it. But here’s the thing: We have choices. Tasty choices. There’s no reason to give up the fun of twirling long, strands of yumminess on a fork. With a little patience, some ingenuity, and the loving support of vegetables, you can have all the joy of noodles without the troublesome anti-nutrients of grains.
With these Basic Zucchini Noodles, you’ve got the base for a super comforting, noodle-icious meal. You can top them with Old School Italian Meat Sauce, toss with pesto, make a bed for Chicken Pesto Meatballs, add sardines for a dose of Omega-3, turn them into Comfort Noodles, slurp them in soup, and much, much more.
Basic Zucchini Noodles
Serves 2-4 | Prep 10 minutes | Sweat 30 minutes | Cook 2 minutes
Ingredients:
4 zucchini, julienned with a julienne peeler or spiralizer (about 4 cups)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Directions:
1. Place the julienned zucchini in a colander or wire strainer and toss generously with salt until the strands are lightly coated. Allow the zucchini to sit for 20-30 minutes to remove excess water. Rinse with running water, drain well, and pat dry with paper towels. Now you have two choices: got directly to step 2 or… for absolutely al dente noodles that do not get mushy, return the noodles to the colander and place in the fridge, uncovered, for 1-2 hours. This allows the strands to dehydrate even further.
2. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and add the prepared zucchini noodles. Sauté them in the dry pan until just tender, about 1-2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and drizzle the olive oil over the noodles, stirring gently to coat the strands. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
PRO TIP! You can julienne and sweat the zucchini in advance, then store raw noodles in a covered container in the fridge for 4-5 days. Quick pasta whenever you need it!
SOURCE: theclothesmakethegirl – Read entire story here.
