Want to learn how to make zucchini pasta with just 3 ingredients? Start with a bag of frozen zucchini noodles, and you can have this easy zucchini noodles recipe on your table in under 10 minutes! Low carb, gluten-free & Whole30 compliant.
This post was sponsored by Green Giant as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
How To Make Zucchini Pasta
I fell hard for zucchini noodles last May when I completed my first Whole30. They're such a fabulous low-carb substitute for pasta (cooking them al dente is the key). Though my husband might say otherwise, in many ways, I actually prefer them to pasta. I feel just as satiated after eating them, minus the bloating and carb crash that a big pasta dinner can bring on.
BUT if I'm being completely honest, I detest preparing them. Spiralizing veggies is a TOTAL pain in the you know what! Maybe I just need to upgrade my spiralizer, but the model I have simply does NOT want to stick to my countertop, so it ends up jumping all over the place when I'm turning the crank. Soooooo annoying!
Frozen Zucchini Noodles
So when I heard that Green Giant was introducing frozen zucchini noodles to their line, you can bet I was jumping for joy. Green Giant Veggie Spirals are gluten free and come without sauce or seasoning, making them ideal for use as an entrée, a side dish, or in soups and stews.
Available as butternut squash, carrots, and zucchini, veggie spirals are naturally gluten-free and have up to 90% fewer calories than pasta. Veggie spirals are packaged without any sauces or seasonings, so you can serve them exactly the way you like.
Best Way To Cook Zucchini Noodles
Since we're getting ready to do another Whole30 in April, I figured I'd share what I think is totally the BEST way to cook zucchini noodles. We're talking stovetop to table in under 10 minutes, folks! Before I would have spent at least 15 minutes just fighting with my spiralizer, so you can bet I'm going to be stocking my freezer to the brim with these veggie spirals...
Depending on whether you're serving these 10-minute zucchini noodles as an entree with pasta sauce or as a side, this recipe will make 2-3 servings. You'll need a package of the Green Giant zucchini veggie spirals, plus a few pantry ingredients you likely already have on hand: olive oil, garlic cloves, crushed red pepper flakes, fresh parsley (or sub half the amount of dried), and salt and pepper.
How Long To Cook Zucchini Noodles
Simply steam the frozen zucchini noodles in a covered skillet for about 5 minutes or until they're al dente. As I mentioned before, cooking them al dente is really the key to delicious zucchini noodles. We definitely do not want to cook them until they're mushy. Yuck!
When they're done cooking, transfer them to a colander to drain. Then add the olive oil to the skillet, along with the garlic and crushed red pepper, and cook for about a minute until they're fragrant. Add the drained zucchini noodles back to the skillet and toss with the garlic and crushed red pepper. Season well with salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle fresh parsley over the top, and serve warm.
10-Minute Zucchini Noodles Recipe
As I mentioned you can serve this zucchini noodles recipe as is. It makes a light and fresh side for my favorite balsamic grilled chicken! Or make a batch of my favorite kitchen sink pasta sauce and swap the penne pasta for this zucchini pasta. THIS will definitely be one of my go-to Whole30 recipes now that I can ditch my spiralizer!
Printable Recipe ↓
10-Minute Zucchini Noodles with Garlic & Olive Oil
Ingredients
- 1 frozen zucchini spirals
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves - thinly sliced
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons fresh Italian parsley - chopped
- salt - to taste
- ground black pepper - to taste
Instructions
- Place the frozen zucchini noodles in a preheated nonstick skillet and cover with lid. Steam over medium-high heat until al dente (about 5 minutes), stirring occasionally. Remove to a colander and drain well.
- Add olive oil to hot skillet. Sauté garlic and crushed red pepper until fragrant, about one minute.
- Add drained zucchini back to the pan, along with the chopped parsley, and toss to coat. Season well with salt and pepper to taste.
More quick & easy side dishes to try:
- No more undercooked sweet potatoes, this one simple secret will produce a perfectly cooked Instant Pot sweet potato every time… Making sweet potatoes in the Instant Pot is a total game changer for meal prep or those doing a Whole30!
- With just 5 ingredients, these grilled potatoes in foil packets have everything going for them… Quick, easy, delicious, and virtually mess-free!
- These sauteed green beans with garlic are a simple and easy side dish… Adding a little extra raw minced garlic at the end of cooking gives them an extra unexpected punch of flavor!
I'd love to see how your zucchini noodles turn out... Tag me @Unsophisticook on Instagram or use the hashtag #Unsophisticook so I can check it out. Enjoy!
CD says
Could you add chicken to this recipe?
Tara Kuczykowski says
Yes, you could! I would cut the chicken into bite size chunks, season it with salt and pepper, and then sauté it some olive oil until cooked through. Remove it to a plate and prepare the zucchini noodles. Add the chicken back with the zucchini noodles in step three and toss it all together.
DW says
Great suggestion. I have never had frozen zucchini spirals taste so yummy. Nice crunch still too!
Kelly P. says
One more question...do they reheat well for lunch at work in the microwave? That is our only option. I don’t want complete mush.
Tara Kuczykowski says
Yes, they do reheat well! But if know you're definitely planning to reheat them, you may want to undercook them slightly.
Kelly P. says
Your recipe says to steam the zoodles, but then you say to drain them. Do you steam above water or cook in the boiling water? I have been wanting to find recipes that use these as I have had them in my freezer for a while. I am not great at cooking because I live alone and have resorted to a lot of instant, bad for you stuff because I cook for one. I need to get into shape! Thanks in advance! Also, any other recipes to sauce or season that you recommend?
Tara Kuczykowski says
Hi Kelly! Sorry about that — the instructions for steaming them are on the back of the package, but I will update the recipe so it's more clear. You don't need to add any additional water to steam them.
As for other toppings/sauces, we often top them with a marinara or meaty marinara sauce. Peanut sauce would be wonderful, too!
Beth Klosterboer says
This is so simple yet SO delicious! Thanks for the recipe!!
Emily says
I need to give zucchini noodles another try. This recipe looks delish!
Jamielyn Nye says
Such a delicious dish! Perfect with marinara and meatballs too!
Steph says
I've been trying to eat healthier and this is exactly what I've been looking for. These noodles look so tasty!
Saima says
I've never had zucchini pasta but have always wanted to try it. Your recipe is perfect for remedying that! Saving!
Jill says
I didn't know you could buy spiraled frozen veggies. I will definitely be looking for these to buy. Great photos too!
Jessica Burgess says
This is the PERFECT side dish to serve in the summertime!! Thank you!
Mary Bostow says
Made this with dinner tonight and it is outrageously good. It will be a staple side dish from now on. Excellent!
Julia says
What a delicious recipe! Using frozen zucchini noodles makes this meal extra quick which is always a plus.
Linda says
I'm with you! Spiralizing your own veggies is a pain in the neck! I love that I can get zoodles from the freezer section and always have some on hand when I want that spaghetti and meatballs comfort food or just a side like this delicious sounding dish.I always use them in place of pasta now and even my husband prefers it - yay!
Aimee Shugarman says
What a perfect way to cook zoodles. They came out delicious.
Sonu says
This is really very good for everyone.
Dulcie says
The recipe is actually wonderful. It's very tasty and healthy too. I was trying to find such wholesome and tasty recipes.