

These Zucchini Noodles with Cherry Tomatoes, Basil and Parmesan Cheese is a seasonal recipe made with ingredients straight from the garden. I like to cook with the seasons in mind to enjoy fresh produce at its’ peak and have lots of variety naturally built into the way I cook.
Zucchini noodles, cutely referred to as zoodles, are quick and easy plus it’s another way to use all the zucchini that people are giving away at this time of year. Everyone who grows zucchini simply has too many so if you haven’t tried making zoodles do it now. If you don’t have a spiralizer you can use a vegetable peeler to peel long zucchini ribbons and cook them like that or slice the ribbons into thin strips.
I’ve written about my Gourmet Dinner Club many times, especially our annual farm-to-table dinner at Kathy’s farm. It’s always a casual affair yet spectacular to eat outdoors and create a menu that showcases locally grown food. This year it was spontaneous and the final email read, “come after work, pick anything in the garden and make a dish with it.”
I knew immediately I was making a side dish of zoodles!
Kathy provided lamb burgers made from animals she raised herself. We all chipped in to create the rest of the meal and a memorable farm-to-table experience.
We walked around the gardens, dug Bintje potatoes and got a lesson on pronouncing that name. I picked zucchini and summer squash and got help delivering the excess zucchini to our cars. We took turns holding glasses of wine while we dug beets and pulled shallots and garlic. Others snipped string beans, salad greens, herbs and edible flowers. We tasted different varieties of cucumbers and tomatoes and Kathy even gathered a basket of fresh eggs just in case. This photo is my final dish that I called Garden Zoodles.
You don’t really need a tool to make vegetable spirals but it sure makes the job quick and easy. I picked up a small handheld gadget so I could try some recipes with zucchini noodles and will definitely be making more spiralized vegetables soon. Here are some options to consider.
If you get a gadget to spiralize your vegetables go beyond just zucchini and summer squash noodles. Try apple, beet, carrot, cabbage, cucumber, parsnips, turnip, potato, sweet potato and butternut squash. I’m going to try a vegetable version of my Vietnamese Salad Rolls with spiralized vegetables.
Let me know in the comments below what you like to make with your spiralized vegetables or what you’ve been making with zoodles.
2 medium zucchini |
2 Tbsp olive oil |
1 clove garlic, minced |
I shallot finely chopped (or 2 Tbsp onion) |
6-8 cherry tomatoes |
½ cup fresh basil leaves, whole or cut |
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese |
salt and pepper to taste |
OPTIONAL – zucchini blossoms for garnish |
Ingredients |
Directions |
---|---|
|
|