Zoodles are the perfect veggie vehicle for creamy basil avocado sauce topped with the hearty crunch of walnuts.
Healthy food bloggers eat some weird stuff. I’ll admit it (myself included). I’m a kombucha sipping, green smoothie blending, granola making, chia chomping, almond butter obsessed, kale crunching blogger. Guilty as charged. And I totally get why some people might roll their eyes at some of the crazy trends that emerge from healthy food bloggers. Am I supposed to believe that a glass of lemon water can replace my morning coffee? Really? Plus, who can keep up? Is coconut water even cool anymore? What kind of plant water am I even supposed to be drinking?
That’s kind of how I felt about zoodles. Oh great, another kitchen appliance I need to buy. Another way to make a veggie replace a standard carb (like it’s cousin the cauliflower crust pizza). But I was so wrong.
I take it all back.
This is a bandwagon worth riding. I don’t care if someone comes out tomorrow and announces that zoodles are so yesterday. I don’t care. I’m making them forever. You can pry the spiralizer out of my cold dead hands. Trends be damned.
This is the zoodler I have: Spiral Slicer Spiralizer – It’s pretty cheap, small and I use it all the time. This hand held zoodler is really easy to use. It’s like a pencil sharpener for zucchinis. I recommend it for first time zoodlers to see if you like them, but I’m definitely considering an upgrade to this baby: Tri-Blade Plastic Spiral Vegetable Slicer
Before I go further I don’t want to delude you into thinking that they taste anything like actual pasta. They don’t. They’re zucchinis. They have their own wonderful taste, but to try to compare them to actual pasta? That’s silly. Instead, if you’re trying zoodles for the first time go in with a clean slate. Oh and pro tip: when you spiralize the zoodles pat them dry with a paper towel to get out excess moisture. You don’t have to go crazy, but this helps them from becoming too mushy during cooking.
Why do I love zoodles? Zoodles take an already baller veggie: the humble zucchini, and add a whole other layer of awesome noodle texture. Especially from a texture perspective, they’re just really fun to eat. They also become an epic vehicle for sauces and really isn’t that what life all about: the sauce.
- For the Zoodles
- 3 Medium Zucchinis
- 1 tsp of Coconut Oil (or Olive Oil)
- For the Sauce
- 1 Avocado
- 1 Clove of Garlic
- 1 tsp of Lemon Juice
- 1/2 Cup of Fresh Basil (plus two extra leaves for garnish)
- 1/4 Cup of Water
- Salt/Pepper to Taste
- Topping:
- 1/2 Cup of sliced cherry tomatoes
- 3 Tbsp of Chopped Walnuts
- For the zoodles: Spiralize 2 medium zucchinis, make sure to pat the zoodles dry
- Heat a tsp of coconut oil In a medium frying pan add zoodles to the pan, with a spatula push the zoodles around the pan so they’re lightly coated with oil, add a pinch of salt
- Cook the zoodles for 10-12 minutes over medium/low heat
- For the Sauce: Place all sauce ingredients (avocado, garlic, lemon juice, basil, water, salt/pepper) into a food processor or magic bullet
- Divide zoodles into two bowls and stir avocado sauce into each bowl
- Top each bowl with tomatoes and chopped walnuts
- Optional: Garnish with basil leaves
[Tweet “Get your veggie noodle on with these Zoodles with Basil Avocado Sauce “]
Your Turn:
Have you tried zoodles before? Do you think their worth the hype?
What’s your favorite kind of sauce?
2
YES x100. I still haven’t made an avocado sauce with my zoodles (I’ve mainly used tomato sauce). Part of me doesn’t want to “waste” an avocado on a sauce when I’d rather eat it in a salad #irrationalthought. Going to bite the bullet soon 😉
Oh I can totally relate, I prefer avocados sliced or cubed, but I’m learning they make a pretty baller sauce, come to think of it – this one might be just as good mashed as it is pureed
There is a lot of hype about zoodles…I think they’re good and a nice alternative once in a while. I of course bought a spirlaizer, but it’s already hidden in one of of my cupboards. Thanks for inspiring me to bring it out again…HA! Happy Friday Friend! XOXO
Another thing I love doing is zoodling up a storm on Sunday and enjoying the fruits (or veggies) of my labor all week. Again, so sub for pasta but a worthy sauce vehicle in my eyes
It took me a while to get on with zoodles since I thought it would be another healthy living fad, but once I bit the bullet and bought a spiralizer, I knew zoodles were never going to go away! They are now one of my favorite dinners to make!
Right? Totally thought it would be just a trend but they’re such a great compliment to a sweet potato or a nice slab o’ fish.
I need to go pick up an avocado STAT!
Hell yeah! Avocados are a miracle food.
How long will this last in the fridge?
With the avocado I wouldn’t leave it more than a day or so
This recipe is right up my alley!!
With zucchini, avocados and basil can you ever go wrong? thanks for stopping by Hillary
Mmm I love zoodles!! This looks great. Thanks for sharing!
My pleasure 😀 Have a great weekend Jess
Love zoodles!! I’m seriously loving the avocado sauce – and I can’t wait till my basil plant takes off so I can make this all the time!!
I need a basil plant in my life. My family had one and it made summer salads epic growing up.
Ahhh I’m the exact same way–I delayed buying a spiralizer for so long but I finally broke down and bought one yesterday. Get ready for some zoodles/carrotoodles/other oodles.