Greek Zucchini Noodles Recipe - WhitneyBond.com (2024)

FAQs

How do you cook zucchini noodles so they don t get soggy? ›

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.

After you've spiralized several zucchini, line a large plastic or glass storage container with a paper towel, add your noodles and place in the refrigerator. They'll stay fresh for 2-3 days. Larger zucchini are easier to spiralize and will yield more noodles. For serving sizes, plan on one medium zucchini per person.

Before cooking frozen zucchini noodles, it's essential to thaw them properly. This step plays a significant role in preventing excess moisture, which could make your noodles turn out soggy. Thaw the frozen noodles in the refrigerator overnight or place them in a colander and rinse with warm water until fully defrosted.

Don't pre-salt your zucchini 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!).

Sprinkle salt on the vegetables and let them sit overnight (or at least 6-8 hours), if possible. Remove the salt and the excess water by flushing in running water, then draining well and pressing between layers of paper towels before cooking them or by spinning the vegetables in a salad spinner.

If you have the time, I highly recommend making your zoodles the day before you plan to serve them. I'll often make a batch of zoodles for random meals throughout the week, and making them ahead of time allows them to dry out so that they won't have much moisture left when you're ready to use them!

Please note: spiralized zucchini should not be frozen. When you go to defrost it, it will wilt and become a mushy mess.

Drain as much water from the noodles as possible, then transfer to a towel-lined pan to dry. Zucchini noodles pack best in freezer bags. Thaw zucchini noodles in the refrigerator overnight, then drain away any excess water.

Slices or cubes of cooked summer squash will get quite soft and pack tightly into the jars. The amount of squash filled into a jar will affect the heating pattern in that jar. Michigan State University Extension recommends that to preserve zucchini (and all summer squash) you should freeze it.

Primarily, you'll want to blanch the zucchini. Blanching helps ensure the vegetable will be vibrant once it's thawed, and it will help the zucchini retain some texture.

Why do my zucchini noodles get watery? ›

Zucchini is nearly all water, so when you go to cook zucchini noodles it releases the water content of the vegetable. And if you overcook them, you'll end up with a watery, mushy pile of zoodles. Here are my favorite ways to cook zoodles on the stove, in the microwave or in the oven.

It's really that simple, I promise. All you have to do is season your zoodles with a pinch of salt (kosher or other) and massage all the strands to coat. Then place the zoodles in a collander set over a bowl and wait. In just a few minutes, liquid will start to drain from the zoodles into the bowl.

Keep your dried zucchini preserved.

Place your finished noodles into vacuum seal containers to store. If you don't have a vacuum sealer, you can store your dried noodles in a non-vacuum jar, but add a desiccant packet.

Don't! We like our regular pasta with a nice al dente bite, and the same goes for cooking zoodles! If you serve a warm sauce over the noodles, it will gently heat them through, so no actual cooking is necessary.

If you do not have kosher salt on hand, use a teaspoon or so of regular table salt. 1. Place zucchini slices in colander and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons salt. Set colander over bowl until about 1/3 cup water drains from zucchini, about 30 minutes.