Zucchini Noodle Salad with Beans, Feta, and Lemon Recipe - Rachel Cooks® (2024)

FAQs

How do you make zucchini noodles not mushy? ›

To avoid soggy and limp noodles, I recommend cooking for only 3-5 minutes (5 if you're cooking more than 1-2 spiralized zucchinis) and tossing frequently. You want a slightly al dente noodle.

Zucchini is low in fat, sugar, and calories, and high in vitamin C and fiber, making it a great substitute for traditional pasta noodles.

First of all, one of the benefits of spiralizing is that it's SO quick (just spiralize, cook, and enjoy pasta in under 5 minutes!). Salting adds extra prep work. In addition, it also leaves your noodles limp and overly salty. Whatever you do, do not let your cut zucchini noodles sit in salt before cooking.

The secret to zucchini with the best flavor and texture is roasting it in a 450°F oven. Roasting zucchini at a high temperature instead of baking or sautéing helps develop browning and a slight char on the outside, which keeps it from getting soggy.

If you don't wish to cook the peel and the flesh separately, then you could use a two step cooking method, like first baking them with the cut-side facing up, then once you've achieved the desired flesh texture, flipping them over and quickly broiling them.

Compare two cups of pasta weighing in at 480 calories, 90 grams of carbs, and two grams of fiber with two cups of zucchini zoodles at 66 calories, twelve grams of carbs, and four grams of fiber. Seems like a no-brainer, right? It is if you're using the right ingredients and the right sauce.

The zucchini noodles are one of my favorite items on the Olive Garden® lighter fare menu.

Zucchini noodles are best fresh, but if you want to make them ahead, place them in a paper towel-lined storage container and keep them in the fridge for no more than two days.

Heat the butter or olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the zoodles and stir fry for 3-4 minutes, until al dente tender. (Cooking time may vary depending on how much zucchini you have and the size of your pan.)

Freezing Zucchini Noodles, or “Zoodles”

Zoodles freeze perfectly, and I think they are better frozen-thawed than fresh! The process of blanching wilts and softens the zucchini, and once thawed, all they need is a quick sauté. Use zucchini noodles as a vegetable alternative to traditional pasta.

How to make zoodles not soggy? ›

After spiralizing your zucchini noodles, sprinkle with a bit of salt and let them sit in a colander for 10 minutes. It'll help get rid of some of the excess moisture.

While the grater does create 2- to 3-inch strands of zucchini, the noodles—or zoodles, as some call them—were thinner than angel hair pasta, limp, and damp. Basically, far from appetizing, and nowhere near the real thing.

Larger specimens have a higher percentage of water; smaller zukes have less. Slice and salt zucchini in advance of cooking to draw out some of the vegetable's excess moisture (while also seasoning it more thoroughly). To do this, cut up a pound of zucchini and toss it with ½ teaspoon of table salt.

If zucchini is overcooked, it will have a mushy, soft texture.

Water at an adequate boil will cook pasta faster, without suffering a significant temperature drop when the noodles are added, and this will keep your pasta from getting mushy.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet and add your overcooked pasta. Gently sauté over medium heat for a few minutes until the pasta's texture has firmed up. The whole process takes less than 10 minutes and you'll know it is done when the edges of the pasta have started to crisp and light browning has begun.