How to Make the Perfect Zucchini Noodles

So I made the mistake of making my first grocery store trip on Monday, February 2nd at 4:00 pm. You know who else was doing their grocery shopping at that very moment? 

EVERYONE!

I should have known how crazy the store would be when 1) I couldn't find a parking spot, and 2) couldn't find a shopping cart. Once I got inside, I couldn't find anything on my list! The store was cleaned out! Well, not completely. Just of all the healthy stuff. It's almost like everyone had started a diet or something...

Once I realized they were out of zucchini, I just upped and left. Apparently everyone and there mother plans on cooking with zucchini this week. And I have a sneaking suspicion they will be making zucchini noodles!

Sounds like the perfect time to share my method for making the perfect zucchini noodles!

My method for making zucchini noodles starts out just like any other...by spiralizing the zucchini. I use my Kitchen-Aid attachment, but you can use counter-top or a handheld spiralizer if you want something a bit more budget friendly.

My advice, start with the handheld version, which you can get for under $10, just to make sure you like zucchini noodles. If you do, you can consider upgrading to another device.  

After all the zucchini has been spiralized, I lay them down on a couple layers of paper towels then sprinkle them with salt. The salt actually draws out some of the moisture which helps reduce the sliminess of the zucchini noodles. 

Then, to get rid of that moisture, I press some paper towels into the noodles to soak up all that zucchini juice. 

Now this next step, which I think is key, comes from the genius that is my husband. He always hears me complain about how my zucchini noodles are soggy, no matter what I do. So he came up with the bright idea of spinning them through a salad spinner!

I thought he was a little crazy at first, but I was amazed at how much extra water came out of those noodles! Soggy noodles no more!!

From this point, there are several ways I like to cook my zucchini noodles. 

1. Saute them - The primary way I cook my zucchini noodles is by sauteing them in a teaspoon of oil (especially herb infused oil) for just a few minutes. 
2. Blanch them - I only cook my noodles this way if I am adding them to soup or something else that's already pretty soggy. 
3. Don't cook them - Zucchini noodles are also good raw! I like to add raw zucchini noodles to salads for some fun textures. 

So there you have it, my method for ensuring that I have perfect zucchini noodles every time! And if you need some inspiration for some zucchini noodles recipes, I have quite a few coming to the blog soon!

Prep Time: 15 minutes     Cook Time: 5 minutes     Total Time: 20 minutes     Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

• 2-3 zucchini
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp olive oil

Instructions

1. Wash and dry the zucchini and cut the ends off. Using a spiralizer, spiralize the zucchinis and lay on 2-3 layers of paper towels. Sprinkle the zucchini with salt and let sit for about 10 minutes until beads of water form on the noodles.
2. Pat the zucchini dry with another layer of paper towels, then transfer the noodles to the bowl of a salad spinner. Spin the noodles for about 30 seconds.
3. To cook the noodles, place in a saute pan over medium high heat with the oil. Toss noodles to coat in the oil. Cook for about 5 minutes.

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