How to Make Zucchini Noodles

When we did our first Whole30 in 2014, cauliflower rice and zucchini noodles felt like life-savers when it came to carb cravings.

We kept seeing zucchini noodle recipes, but we didn’t have a tool to make them, and we worried a little whether our kids would like them. 

We read all the reviews on the Spiralizer vegetable slicer and while neither of us love a kitchen full of rarely-used gadgets, this was one we’re so glad we tried. Once you understand which way the blade goes (we should have captured our first attempt on video), it’s super simple to work.

How to Make Zucchini Noodles

You simply add your choice of blade, line up the zucchini squash, and start turning the handle. Beautiful spirals of zucchini sprout out in no time. And the spiralizer is also easy to clean, and it’s fairly compact so it fits in one of those lesser used cabinets or the top of your pantry.

When it comes to zucchini noodle recipes, there are plenty of options. Our favorites are the sautéed recipe you’ll find below or used in place of spaghetti noodles.

Just top with your favorite warm homemade tomato sauce or organic pre-made sauce and enjoy. You don’t even have to cook them that way. They will absorb the heat from the sauce.

How to Get Kids to Eat Zucchini Noodles

If you’re worried about whether your kids will eat them, you can go about it a couple of ways. If you cover zucchini noodles with enough sauce, it’s kind of hard to taste the difference – especially once the sauce has been on them for a few minutes and the crunch of zucchini goes away. 

The other option is to make half regular spaghetti noodles and mix them in with the other half zucchini noodles. Each time, increase the zucchini and back off the spaghetti until your child has acclimated to the taste.

Zucchini Noodles For Baby

Zucchini is a great vegetable to use with baby-led weaning. Up until 9 months, it’s recommended to serve soft cooked zucchini in spears to babies. You can also shred it and mix into other foods.

From what we’ve found, at age 9 months and up, baby can enjoy zucchini noodles. Some come out of the spiralizer super long, so be sure to cut them into manageable pieces for baby.

You might choose to follow the guidelines for baby having cooked pasta, which is around 6 months.

If you have other suggestions, we’d love to hear them in the comments. Also feel free to share any links to other recipes your family enjoys.

Here’s how to sauté zucchini noodles for a simple, gluten-free meal.