Zucchini Noodle Pad Thai
If you love pasta but want a healthier alternative, look no further than the produce section.
Spiralized vegetables, or veggie pasta, can be made from a variety of produce — from broccoli to zucchini — and you can even use a spiralizer on certain fruits.
In addition to getting more veggies in your diet, replacing regular noodles with ones made from fresh produce can also save you time in the kitchen.
And because spiralized vegetables have a similar texture and consistency to pasta, you might find you don't even miss those carb-heavy dishes.
What's a spiralizer?
These kitchen devices create thin ribbons of vegetables, and depending on which spiralizer you use, the blade can be changed to create different sizes of noodles.
Handheld spiralizers are the cheapest option. They work much like a large pencil sharpener and typically don't come with exchangeable blades.
If you're looking to get more output with less effort — and are willing to spend a little more — you can purchase a spiralizer that holds the vegetable in place while you turn a handle, like the photo at right.
This type of spiralizer comes with either a vertical hold or a horizontal hold, and it has multiple blades. It also works better with bigger vegetables, and it’s typically less wasteful because it doesn’t leave as much of the core behind.
There are also ways to make veggie pasta without a spiralizing device. It'll take a little more time and effort, but you can use a knife, vegetable peeler or Julienne peeler.
Cooking with spiralized veggies
You can often leave the skin on and simply cut off the ends of the vegetable, unless the recipe specifically calls for a peeled vegetable. If you're using a spiralizer and dealing with a longer type of produce, cut it in half for better leverage.
Photo Credit: Cody Wellons
