Easy and delicious! How to make zucchini noodles that taste like fresh Italian pasta, with Parmesan, lemon, toasted walnuts and olive oil. 

Most summer squash like zucchini are tender and mild and when really fresh they don’t even need to be cooked.

This healthy raw zucchini pasta salad is as minimalistic as it gets.

Raw zucchini noodles are combined with olive oil, lemon, Parmesan cheese and chopped walnuts, which add a toasty crunch.

Have you ever made “pasta” noodles from zucchini?

Zucchini can be can be prepared in all kinds of ways:

• Shaved
• Shredded
• Thinly sliced, with a mandoline or chef’s knife.

Then it can be tossed with whatever sauce or salad dressing you like.

But have you ever tried making zucchini noodles?

Zucchini noodles (or “zoodles”) are a popular stand-in for pasta in gluten-free recipes.

They have a mild taste and naturally al dente texture, especially when they’re uncooked.

You can briefly cook zucchini noodles, add sauce and dig in with a fork.

It’s almost like digging into a bowl of pasta.

Or save the cooking step and make this recipe. Enjoy them plain and simple, no cooking required.

Making zucchini noodles:

There’s a no shortage of tools and gadgets out there that will make zucchini into spaghetti-like strands, matchsticks or otherwise noodle-shaped cuts that you’ll want for this recipe.

Here are the zucchini noodle makers I recommend:

1. Spiralizer: Using this tool definitely produces the best noodle shapes and it does the job quickly – just position the zucchini on the holder (or other firm vegetable) and spin the handle. I like this one — it’s folds away for storage and has suction cups to hold it securely on a work surface.
2. Mandoline: The interchangeable blades on a a mandoline allow you to not only make noodles, but wide ribbons as thin or thick as you prefer.
3. Julienne peeler: A julienne peeler is the most inexpensive and surprisingly effective tool on the list — a serrated, handheld peeler easily turns a zucchini into matchsticks, but requires just a little more time than the tools listed above.

How to make zucchini noodles without a spiralizer:

1. A vegetable peeler and a chef’s knife: An every day vegetable peeler and a sharp chef’s knife are what you need. Using these is the most basic, old-school way to make matchsticks. Just peel thick slices, stack them and slice with the knife into matchsticks.

While they’re not exactly noodles, zucchini cut into matchsticks makes a perfect shape to use in this recipe.

• Keep in mind that if you are using a spiralizer to make zucchini noodles, the strands will be very long.  Trim them into manageable lengths with kitchen scissors before serving.
• Zucchini noodles keep fresh for days (without sauce or seasoning). A great make-ahead tip is to form the noodles and keep them in a covered container until you need them.
• Zucchini starts releasing water (and gets soggy) as soon as you add salt and acid, so toss the noodles just before serving.

Yield: 4 servings

Parmesan Zucchini Noodles with Lemon and Olive Oil

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Parmesan Zucchini Noodles - A no-cook gluten-free and low-carb recipe for raw zucchini noodle salad with Italian flavor. It's unbelievably quick, delicious and healthy! 

Prep Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 medium zucchini (about 8 ounces each)
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Flaky sea salt or kosher salt
• 1 or 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, to taste
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh lemon zest
• 1/3 cup walnuts, toasted* and roughly chopped
• Red chili flakes, to taste
• 1/2 cup fresh herb leaves, such as Italian parsley and basil, torn into pieces
• A chunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano or Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Trim the ends of the zucchini and cut into noodles, ribbons or matchsticks. 
2. Put the zucchini in a large bowl and pour the olive oil over. Toss gently to coat the strands, then season with salt to taste (I use 1/2 - 1 teaspoon usually).
3. Add the lemon juice, zest, walnuts, and chili flakes and toss again. 
4. Top the bowl with the herbs and shave cheese over the top with a vegetable peeler.

Notes

*Toast walnuts for 10 minutes in a 350-degree oven, or in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat until lightly golden. 

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 207 Total Fat: 20g Saturated Fat: 3g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 17g Cholesterol: 2mg Sodium: 346mg Carbohydrates: 6g Fiber: 2g Sugar: 2g Protein: 3g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Nutritionix. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate with your favorite calculator.

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Hi there! I’m Karen, a mother of two and a professionally trained cook certified in holistic nutrition.

As the recipe developer, photographer and publisher of Familystyle Food, I share recipes and tips for making easy seasonal meals that are healthy and flavorful. Learn more about me here.

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